Seeta Patel's The Rite of Spring: always compelling and beautiful

Seeta Patel Dance in The Rite of Spring

By Graham Watts, 15 March 2023

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“her artistic choices not only worked well but also brought that elusive attribute of originality”

Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 13 March 2023

Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) (Seeta Patel)

Seeta Patel Dance

Kirill Karabits, Conductor

Warren Letton, Lighting Designer

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Sooraj Subramaniam, Dancer

Vijay Venkat, Flute

Prathap Ramachandran, Percussion

Samyukta Ranganathan, Vocals

Taj Mahal by Nishat Khan premieres at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 10th July

Scion of generations of sitar players, Nishat Khan is the perfect person to tell the "greatest love story never told" behind India's most iconic building.

***11

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Luna: uneven, but with high points

Deborah Weiss, 23rd October

Visually pleasing, superbly danced and musically rousing, yet Luna doesn’t quite reach the pinnacle.

***11

Company of Elders

Philippa Newis, 2nd December

Described by Sadler's Wells as the "jewel" in their community programme, the Company of Elders sparkles like a highly polished diamond. This ensemble is packed with personalities, as they take to stage with three works by Seeta Patel, Jade Shaw and Michela Meazza.

*****

Sol Gabetta bares her soul in Elgar on Czech Phil tour

Clare Varney, 23rd April

Semyon Bychkov conducts the Czech Phil on their latest European tour with the music of Elgar and Stravinsky.

****1

Payare and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal welcome Spring

Ian Cochrane, 22nd April

Rafael Payare conducts a scintillating Le Sacre du Printemps in a program that also showcases Bruce Liu's bravura Tchaikovsky.

****1

Artistry at full throttle: Rafael Payare and the Pittsburgh Symphony

Sam Jacobson, 10th April

Can one be artful and musical while playing at maximum volume? In a program of López, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, Rafael Payare and the Pittsburgh Symphony answer a resounding yes.

*****

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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.