L’Histoire de Manon: MacMillan's great ballet comes to Prague

Danilo Lo Monaco as Des Grieux and Romina Contreras as Manon in MacMillan's L'Histoire de Manon

Federico Ievoli as Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan's L'Histoire de Manon

Alina Nanu as Lescaut's mistress with Czech National Ballet in L'Histoire de Manon

Paul Irmatov as Lescaut and Aya Okumura as Lescaut's mistress in MacMillan's L'Histoire de Manon

Romina Contreras as Manon and Giovanni Rotolo as the Gaelor in MacMillan's L'Histoire de Manon

Romina Contreras as Manon and Danilo Lo Monaco as Des Grieux in MacMillan's L'Histoire de Manon

By Graham Watts, 24 February 2025

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“Contreras expressed the vagaries in Manon’s capricious character with a soulful, dramatic command”

Reviewed at State Opera (Státní opera), Prague on 20 February 2025

Manon (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

The Czech National Ballet

Martin Yates, Conductor

Cinzia Lo Fazio, Set Designer

Natalia Stewart, Costume Designer

Jacopo Pantani, Lighting Designer

Prague State Opera Orchestra

Romina Contreras, Dancer

Danilo Lo Monaco, Dancer

Paul Irmatov, Dancer

Aya Okumura, Dancer

Matěj Šust, Dancer

Francesco Scarpato, Dancer

Federico Ievoli, Dancer

Alina Nanu, Dancer

John Powers, Dancer

Tudor Moldoveanu, Dancer

Marek Svobodník, Dancer

Nina Fernandes, Dancer

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Graham Watts, 30th March

In this latest revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling, The Royal Ballet presents a roster of powerful and vivid interpretations across the board.

****1

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Naomi Mori, 19th March

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****1

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Vikki Jane Vile, 30th November

For one night only, audiences in Frankfurt were treated to some world class ballet on the expansive stage of the Jahrhunderthalle.

****1

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***11

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****1

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Ballet Nights 008 – Spring into Summer proved to be a judicious choice of quality and diverse repertoire.

****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.