The Royal Ballet School: a triumphant display of excellence throughout

Aurora Chinchilla and Joe Parkinson in Aurora's Wedding, after Marius Petipa

Amos Child as the Bluebird in Aurora's Wedding, after Marius Petipa

Chiyo Kameda, Wendel Vieira Teles Dos Santos and Yuki Nagayasu in Frederick Ashton's Les Patineurs

Year 10 and 11 White Lodge students in Tracks Uniting by Iva Lešić

Pre-professional students in Culmination by Arielle Smith

The whole School in Grand Défilé

By Jonathan Gray, 13 July 2025

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“Gasp they did, followed by huge roars of approval and a standing ovation”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 July 2025

Les Patineurs (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Aurora's Wedding (from The Sleeping Beauty) (Anthony Dowell)

Sweet Morning Blooms (Jessica Lang)

Culmination (Arielle Smith)

Gridlock (Hannah Joseph)

Garden Suite (Ruth Brill)

Tracks Uniting (Iva Lešić)

The Royal Ballet School

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

ABT presents the classics with slightly uneven results

Ivy Lin, 25th October

ABT offer some outstanding performances in a classical quadruple bill but there was a lack of confidence and uniformity within the corps de ballet.

***11

National Ballet of Japan revives Ashton's beloved Cinderella

Naomi Mori, 18th October

The National Ballet of Japan gave an excellent rendition of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, in spite of many new faces and role debuts.

****1

Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée: the most joyous of ballets

Amanda Jennings, 18th October

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, get thee to the Royal Opera House and see La Fille mal gardée, a gem of a ballet. There’s a long roster of impressive casts to choose from.

****1

ABT: Ashton's Sylvia showcases the entire company

Ivy Lin, 10th July

The audience walked out of the theater feeling airborne and filled with the kind of joy you only feel after a truly special performance. Sylvia is an absolute treasure.

*****

Ballet Central at the Linbury: keen to prove its versatility

Deborah Weiss, 17th June

Ballet Central provides an extremely varied programme of new and old, classical and contemporary dance, with plenty of aplomb.

***11

Natalia Osipova at the Linbury: a revelation

Amanda Jennings, 6th March

Osipova has always, since her very earliest appearances on stage, stood out for the sheer energy and commitment she shows in all her work. This is no exception.

****1

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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.