Figures in Extinction: a thrilling evening with NDT 1

Figures in Extinction by Crystal Pite and Simon McBurney with Nederlands Dans Theater 1

Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in Figures in Extinction by Crystal Pite and Simon McBurney

By Kathy Elgin, 26 August 2025

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“Crystal Pite is a past-master at moving around large groups of dancers, her choreography meticulous”

Reviewed at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 22 August 2025

Figures in Extinction (Crystal Pite)

Nederlands Dans Theater | NDT 1

Simon McBurney, Director

Complicité

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

Strength to strength: NDT 1’s Resonance feels like a victory lap

Mark Vicente, 10th December

A triumphant evening showcasing the breadth and depth of NDT’s artistic intellect, and their dazzling versatility across various choreographic landscapes.

*****

NDT1 in Figures in Extinction: cerebral and physical excellence

Deborah Weiss, 5th November

An extraordinary evening of dance theatre of the highest quality, Figures in Extinction for Nederlands Dans Theater 1 is a thought provoking experience worth repeating.

*****

Shadows and light: Ballet BC

Zoë Anderson, 20th May

Ballet BC’s double bill puts Crystal Pite’s marvellous, shadowy Frontier in conversation with the folk-tinged comedy of Johan Inger’s Passing.

****1

The Royal Ballet’s Light of Passage: mesmerisingly beautiful

Amanda Jennings, 20th February

Overall, Light of Passage is one of those glorious pieces where music, choreography and design meld together to make theatrical magic.

*****

Encounters: The Royal Ballet at its versatile best

Amanda Jennings, 22nd October

In a quadruple bill of contemporary works, The Royal Ballet's dancers shine in this diverse programme, creating an immersive experience.

****1

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Kathy Elgin

After a career in publishing, Kathy Elgin turned her enthusiasm for dance into a real job by joining the late, great John Percival, Dance Critic of The Times, in his re-launch of Dance and Dancers magazine in 1981. She was later delighted to join its rival, The Dancing Times, as Scottish correspondent until the magazine’s sad demise in 2022. She lives in Edinburgh.

Figures in Extinction: a thrilling evening with NDT 1 on the last weekend of the Edinburgh International Festival