Norwegian National Ballet's Dialogues II: brief but brilliant

Anaïs Touret and Douwe Dekkers in Samantha Lynch's Couch

Claudio Cangialosi and Aishwarya Raut in Akram Khan's Mud of Sorrow

Juan Gil and Johnny McMillan in Sharon Eyal's Inspired by Into the Hairy

Clotilde Tran and Johnny McMillan in Mats Ek's A Sort Of...

Ana Laguna and Yvan Auzely in Mats Ek's A Cup of Coffee

By Graham Watts, 05 April 2025

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“in another laugh-out-loud moment, she poured the coffee into his mouth and stirred it with a spoon”

Reviewed at Oslo Opera House, Main Stage, Oslo on 3 April 2025

A Sort of... (Mats Ek)

Mud of Sorrow (Akram Khan)

Inspired by Into the Hairy (Sharon Eyal, Gai Behar)

Couch (Samantha Lynch)

A Cup of Coffee (Mats Ek)

Norwegian National Ballet

Clotilde Tran-Phat, Dancer

Johnny McMillan, Dancer

Philipe Lens, Dancer

Nicha Rodboon, Dancer

Anaïs Touret, Dancer

Douwe Dekkers, Dancer

Mats Ek's She was black + A Sort Of ...: thrillingly captivating

Maggie Foyer, 6th June

Norwegian National Ballet's highly entertaining double bill of two of Mats Ek's most popular works is enthralling.

*****

Royal Swedish Ballet's Julia and Romeo: surreal and modern

Graham Watts, 21st April

Ek’s vision of the romantic tragedy is seen through a distorted lens, sometimes fascinating, sometimes bemusing.

***11

Ek and Ekman's subversive double bill is enjoyable madness

Vikki Jane Vile, 21st February

The latest double bill from Staatsballett Berlin features witty, high energy and thought provoking works by Mats Ek and Alexander Ekman, though the audience may not fathom their meaning.

***11

A new Mats Ek Rite of Spring a leaving gift for ENB's Tamara Rojo

Graham Watts, 9th November

Ek's second, very different take on Stravinsky's Rite crowns an English National Ballet triple bill extolling the pure joy of dance and exposing the terror of forced marriage.

****1

Zucchetti premiere and Beauty top and tail the RB's mixed programme

Graham Watts, 26th June

Marianela Núñez possesses a shimmering, celestial radiance and Vadim Muntagirov is a Prince in his prime.

****1

Juliet and Romeo succeeds in Washington

Hilary Stroh, 1st June

Mat Eks kicks his dancers loose from the stable: a fresh take on Shakespeare's most celebrated romance.

****1

More reviews...

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.