The Sarasota Ballet's Ashton Gala: keeping his ballets very much alive

The Sarasota Ballet in Ashton's Valses nobles et sentimentales

Jennifer Hackbarth and Ricardo Rhodes in Ashton's Varii Capricci

Gabriella Schultz as the Milkmaid and The Sarasota Ballet in Ashton's Façade

By Graham Watts, 10 June 2024

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“so charmingly and consistently illustrated by these dancers, working a whole ocean away”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 8 June 2024

Valses nobles et sentimentales (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Dance of the blessed spirits (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Varii Capricci (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Façade (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Sarasota Ballet

Iain Webb, Director

The Royal Ballet

Jessica Assef, Dancer

Ricardo Rhodes, Dancer

Daniel Pratt, Dancer

Joseph Sissens, Dancer

Jennifer Hackbarth, Dancer

Gabrielle Schultze, Dancer

Macarena Giménez, Dancer

Lauren Cuthbertson, Dancer

Gary Avis, Dancer

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

The Royal Ballet School: a triumphant display of excellence throughout

Jonathan Gray, 12th July

It was a wonderful, heartening afternoon – it’s no wonder nearly all the 2025 graduates have gained contracts with several major ballet companies.

*****

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

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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.