English National Ballet's Our Voices signals a new, exciting era

Lorenzo Trossello, Erina Takahashi and Gareth Haw in David Dawson's Four Last Songs

English National Ballet in David Dawson's Four Last Songs

Breanna Foad as Chosen One in Andrea Miller's Les Noces, Ascent to Days

English National Ballet in Andrea Miller's Les Noces, Ascent to Days

Emma Hawes and English National Ballet in George Balanchine's Theme and Variations

Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta in George Balanchine's Theme and Variations

By Jonathan Gray, 22 September 2023

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“They danced with a new sense of spontaneity and expression, as if liberated from a heavy burden”

Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 21 September 2023

Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)

Les Noces (Andrea Miller)

Four Last Songs (David Dawson)

English National Ballet

Eno Henze, Set Designer

Roberta Guidi di Bagno, Design

Marco Filibeck, Lighting Designer

English National Ballet Philharmonic

Mark Henderson, Lighting Designer

Yumiko Takeshima, Costume Designer

Bert Dalhuysen, Lighting Designer

Phyllida Barlow, Set Designer

Opera Holland Park Chorus

Madeleine Pierard, Soprano

Emma Hawes, Dancer

Aitor Arrieta, Dancer

Breanna Foad, Dancer

Francesca Velicu, Dancer

James Streeter, Dancer

Henry Dowden, Dancer

Alice Bellini, Dancer

Rentaro Nakaaki, Dancer

Mira Nadon’s sparkling debut in Firebird with New York City Ballet

Ivy Lin, 25th April

A triple bill comprising Balanchine's Symphony in C, Agon and Firebird could not have been more inspiringly danced by New York City Ballet.

*****

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

More reviews...

Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray was born in Wales and studied at The Royal Ballet School, Leicester Polytechnic and Wimbledon School of Art. He was a member of the curatorial department of The Theatre Museum, London, from 1989 until 2005, and was editor of Dancing Times from 2008 until its closure in 2022.