Birmingham Royal Ballet's first mixed bill at Sadler's Wells is a bit too mixed

By Hanna Weibye, 25 October 2012

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Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 23 October 2012

Lyric Pieces (Jessica Lang)

Take Five (David Bintley)

Grosse Fuge (Hans van Manen)

Birmingham Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet School: a triumphant display of excellence throughout

Jonathan Gray, 12th July

It was a wonderful, heartening afternoon – it’s no wonder nearly all the 2025 graduates have gained contracts with several major ballet companies.

*****

Royal Ballet School, Next Generation: championing young choreographers

Amanda Jennings, 24th June

Overall, The Royal Ballet School delivers much to admire, but reminiscent of a multiple-course banquet that still leaves you reaching for the cheese and biscuits when you get home.

***11

Festival of New Choreography: plenty of imagination and bold choices

Deborah Weiss, 15th February

Four world premieres and four main stage debuts provides genuine hope for the future of choreography.

****1

Keepers of the Ashton flame in the US: Sarasota Ballet at The Joyce

Ivy Lin, 16th August

Not every Ashton work is a masterpiece, but Sarasota Ballet presents these Ashton works with such love and care, it ensures that even if the ballets won’t “keep”, they aren’t forgotten.

*****

Moments and misses in American Ballet Theatre's American Splendor

Erin Bomboy, 8th July

American Ballet Theatre shows its range with pieces from George Balanchine, Alonzo King, and Jessica Lang, but the dancing and choreography remain uneven throughout.

***11

Choreography with the camera in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Rep 2

Annie Nikunen, 16th November

Pacific Northwest Ballet's Rep 2 features an all-female choreographer program with world premieres by Penny Saunders and Jessica Lang and excerpts from the work of Twyla Tharp and Susan Marshall.

*****

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Hanna Weibye

Hanna is a historian at King's College, Cambridge. She is currently completing a biography of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the inventor of German gymnastics ('Turnen'). She has produced, danced in and choreographed for ballet and contemporary shows in Cambridge. Follow her on twitter @hweibye.