Dance for Ukraine: a roster of major talent from around the world

William Bracewell in Andrew McNicol's Preliwd

Marianela Nuñez and Lukas B. Brændsrod in Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain

Olga Smirnova in Mikhail Fokine's Dying Swan

Ivan Putrov and Grace Jabbari in Russell Maliphant's Two by Two

By Deborah Weiss, 20 February 2024

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“no one embodies grace and lyricism like he does”

Reviewed at London Palladium, London on 18 February 2024

Mixed Programme

Ivan Putrov, Director

Olga Smirnova, Dancer

Marianela Núñez, Dancer

Matthew Ball, Dancer

William Bracewell, Dancer

Sasha Grynyuk, Piano

Kseniia Nikolaieva, Mezzo-soprano

Gareth Haw, Dancer

Sangeun Lee, Dancer

Lukas B Brændsrød, Dancer

Lauren Cuthbertson, Dancer

Minju Kang, Dancer

Acosta's Don Quixote for BRB: polished but not quite enough panache

Jonathan Gray, 23rd April

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote for Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells with polished but low-key interpretations across the board.

***11

The Royal Ballet and McGregor: stunning dancing but nothing really new

Deborah Weiss, 18th April

An evening of ballets by Wayne McGregor, including the world premiere of Quantum Souls, proved to be a little too much of the same thing.

***11

Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère: a night to remember in Oslo

Vikki Jane Vile, 17th April

Norwegian National Ballet gives a marvellous rendition of Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère. Opening night in Oslo was a strong argument for its place in any season, displaying ballet escapism at its best.

****1

The Center Will Not Hold: Dorrance Dance thrills at Sadler's Wells

Daniel Pratt, 17th April

Dorrance Dance offer a compelling mix of genres in The Center Will Not Hold – high energy, full of surprises, top quality performances.

****1

International Draft Works at the Linbury brought much to delight

Amanda Jennings, 16th April

The Royal Ballet's International Draft Works proved to be an excellent opportunity to see dancers and budding choreographers from around the world.

****1

Scottish Ballet’s Starstruck: plenty of pzazz in Glasgow

Kathy Elgin, 16th April

Christopher Hampson’s newly updated Starstruck is thoroughly entertaining with sexy solos, classical pas de deux and lines of perfectly-timed Broadway hoofing.

****1

More reviews...

Deborah Weiss

Deb joined Bachtrack in 2022 and commissions reviews and writing on ballet and dance. She was Royal Ballet School-trained and is a former principal dancer for companies including London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and Bayerisches Staatsballett. She has been writing for more than 30 years – publications have included Dancing Times, DanceTabs, Dance for You and Dance Europe. She also interviews for Voices of British Ballet, an oral archive of people who have worked in the industry in the UK. In addition to her writing, since 2016 she has been facilitating programmes that support victims of domestic abuse. Deb is passionate about her rescue dog, Bruce, and daughters (not in that order), swims a mile at least five days a week and is an avid reader.