HeadSpace Dance: If Play Is Play

By Catherine Sutherland, 20 April 2014

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Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 16 April 2014

If Play Is Play...

HeadSpaceDance

Matthew Dunster, Director

The Great Gatsby at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 8th May

Septime Webre’s dazzling, maximalist Great Gatsby for the Kansas City Ballet is instantly engaging.

*****

A Streetcar Named Desire: a gripping retelling at Ballett am Rhein

Vikki Jane Vile, 8th May

Ballet isn’t always pretty, there are plenty of examples in repertoires across the world. John Neumeier’s Streetcar Named Desire (Endstation Sehnsucht) is to reach another level of grim but gripping brutality told through dance.

****1

Royal Danish Ballet’s Lady Macbeth: Akram Khan works his magic again

Graham Watts, 7th May

An excellent extension to Akram Khan’s growing repertoire of contemporary ballet, Lady Macbeth, his first creation for Royal Danish Ballet, brought out powerful performances from the entire cast.

****1

The Trocks at Sadler’s Wells: uproariously entertaining

Graham Watts, 5th May

A very welcome and hilarious return to the UK from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, this time at Sadler’s Wells, they offer familiar and new works.

****1

Contemporary escapism at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 1st May

A longtime NYCB fan favorite, Concerto DSCH by Alexei Ratmansky, meets the New York premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's Continuum. But the evening belonged to corps dancer Ruby Lister in Edwaard Liang’s Distant Cries.

****1

Parsons Dance brings the fun to modern at the Joyce Theater

Ivy Lin, 1st May

Six works, including two world premieres, made up the latest program from Parsons Dance. Thoroughly joyful, the audience were sent home buzzing.

*****

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Catherine Sutherland

Catherine has recently moved to Beijing, where she writes, studies Chinese, and teaches English at a university. She has an avid interest in East and Southeast Asian performing arts and has also lived in Seoul, South Korea, and speaks Korean. Catherine is a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London, worked as dance editor for Bachtrack for 6 months. You can read more on Catherine's Wordpress blog Catherine and the Lion

HeadSpace Dance: If Play Is Play at ROH Linbury