Size 12 pointe shoes and lashings of make-up

By Margaret Willis, 17 September 2015

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Reviewed at Sadler's Wells: Peacock Theatre, London on 16 September 2015

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Ballet for cowboys and soldiers at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 20th March

Kansas City Ballet celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary with three American ballets. Balanchine's Stars and Stripes, de Mille's Rodeo and a new work by Caili Quan, A Home Away.

****1

English National Ballet’s Body and Soul: a very mixed bag

Deborah Weiss, 19th March

English National Ballet presents a double bill of contrasts at Sadler’s Wells with startlingly mixed results, not all positive.

***11

Ailey II dancers shine in ambitious mixed bill at the Joyce Theater

Carla Escoda, 18th March

In their penultimate stop on a US tour, Ailey's second company produced exceptional performances in an Ailey classic and four handsome new works.

****1

Alexander Whitley: the cutting edge of dance and technology

Graham Watts, 18th March

Two new works by Alexander Whitley, Mirrors and The Rite of Spring, explore society’s increasing dependency on AI in dance.

***11

Avant-Garde: an eclectic triple bill in Prague

Elsa Giovanna Simonetti, 15th March

A tremendous triple bill comprising Jiří Kylián's 27’52” and two new works by Robert Bondara and Marco Goecke. The programme unfolds as a meditation on transience, instability and the unpredictability of human life.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

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Margaret Willis

Margaret studied ballet in Moscow for five years and later was a member of London City Ballet. A reviewer since 1978 for many newspapers and magazines including Dancing Times and Dance Magazine, Margaret is a specialist on Russian Ballet, and has written books on Russian Ballet and Carlos Acosta.

Size 12 pointe shoes and lashings of make-up: Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo