Swan Lake: if it ain't broke, don't fix it

By Rebecca Galloway, 27 February 2019

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Reviewed at Place des Arts: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Montreal on 21 February 2019

Swan Lake (Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Krzysztof Pastor)

Polish National Ballet

Alexei Baklan, Conductor

Piotr Staniszewski, Conductor

Luisa Spinatelli, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Chinara Alizade, Dancer

Yuka Ebihara, Dancer

Vladmir Yaroshenko, Dancer

National Ballet of Japan’s Raymonda is a feast of excellent dancing

Naomi Mori, 25th April

National Ballet of Japan’s Raymonda is a gem in the repertoire, despite shortcomings in the plot. Lavish production designs, stunning classical choreography and excellent dancers makes this a ballet lover's heaven.

*****

Acosta's Don Quixote for BRB: polished but not quite enough panache

Jonathan Gray, 23rd April

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote for Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells with polished but low-key interpretations across the board.

***11

Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère: a night to remember in Oslo

Vikki Jane Vile, 17th April

Norwegian National Ballet gives a marvellous rendition of Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère. Opening night in Oslo was a strong argument for its place in any season, displaying ballet escapism at its best.

****1

José Martínez unveils his latest Don Quichotte in Palermo

Vito Lentini, 29th March

José Martínez has envisioned a Don Quichotte that recalls the original 19th century choreography while also acknowledging some of the notable 20th century versions and it's splendid looking.

****1

Dutch National Ballet's reimagined La Bayadère triumphs

Mark Vicente, 26th March

Dutch National Ballet's new production of La Bayadère does away with the ballet’s problematic gestures and movements, allowing the choreography to truly shine.

****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

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Rebecca Galloway

Rebecca Galloway is a New Zealand-born writer and PR consultant for arts, design and culture. She studied dance for 13 years and has a degree in Art History from Victoria University of Wellington. She has held a variety of roles for organizations including the NZ School of Dance, City Gallery Wellington and Radio NZ, and was a strategic advisor to the national arts council Creative NZ. Rebecca left New Zealand for the United States, where she worked for renowned dance festival Jacob's Pillow in Massachussetts. Eventually finding herself in Montreal she fell in love and put down roots; currently splitting her time between communications for award-winning information design studio FFunction, dance criticism for a variety of publications and improving her rather patchy French. She tweets at @rtgalloway