Norwegian National Ballet dazzles in Balanchine's Jewels

Isabel Vila, Josh Nagaoka and Natasha Jones Dale in George Balanchine's Emeralds

Simon Regourd and Youngseo Ko in George Balanchine's Emeralds

Gina Storm Jensen in George Balanchine's Rubies

Whitney Jensen and Alex Cuadros Joglar in George Balanchine's Rubies

Norwegian National Ballet in George Balanchine's Diamonds

Ricardo Castellanos and Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken in George Balanchine's Diamonds

By Graham Watts, 07 October 2024

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“these leading dancers performed with athletic exuberance, gift-wrapped in pure joy”

Reviewed at Oslo Opera House, Main Stage, Oslo on 5 October 2024

Emeralds (George Balanchine)

Rubies (George Balanchine)

Diamonds (George Balanchine)

Norwegian National Ballet

Gavriel Heine, Conductor

Jean-Marc Puissant, Set Designer

Barbara Karinska, Costume Designer

Jennifer Tipton, Lighting Designer

Norwegian National Opera Orchestra

Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken, Dancer

Youngseo Ko, Dancer

Simon Regourd, Dancer

Gina Storm-Jensen, Dancer

Whitney Jensen, Dancer

Ricardo Castellanos, Dancer

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

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

A spectacular triple bill lifts ABT’s spring season in New York

Leigh Donlan, 13th March

A finely curated triple bill from American Ballet Theatre included works from Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky.

****1

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

Study in Scarlet: Rubies crown Balanchine’s Jewels in Vienna

Mark Pullinger, 8th February

With a trio of excellent performances, Balanchine's sassy Rubies proves the hit as Jewels – a relatively recent acquisition – returns to the Wiener Staatsballett.

****1

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Graham Watts

Graham Watts is a freelance dance writer and critic writing regularly for Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Danza Europa, and many more publications. He regularly writes features for Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum and La Scala. Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in the United Kingdom and of the UK National Dance Awards he has interviewed many of the greatest names in dance including Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev, Boris Eifman, Alexei Ratmansky, Andris Liepa, Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley and Dame Gillian Lynne. When not involved in dance Graham is a keen fencer, and has captained the British Sabre team.