A joyful gala event from The Royal Ballet in troubled times

By Sarah Kirkup, 14 November 2020

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“a thoroughly elegant performance, with Naghdi basking in MacMillan’s arm swoops and full-body dives”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 13 November 2020

Scherzo (Valentino Zucchetti)

Rhapsody (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Monotones II (Sir Frederick Ashton)

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (George Balanchine)

In Our Wishes (Cathy Marston)

Swan Lake: Pas de Deux (Lev Ivanov)

Manon (Act 1 pas de deux) (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

Concerto (MacMillan) (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

Dance of the blessed spirits (Sir Frederick Ashton)

The Dying Swan (Mikhail Fokine)

Le Corsaire (Pas de deux) (Marius Petipa)

Within the Golden Hour (Christopher Wheeldon)

The Royal Ballet

Jonathan Lo, Conductor

Akane Takada, Dancer

Alexander Campbell, Dancer

Melissa Hamilton, Dancer

Reece Clarke, Dancer

Nicol Edmonds, Dancer

Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Dancer

Marcelino Sambé, Dancer

Romany Pajdak, Dancer

Calvin Richardson, Dancer

Francesca Hayward, Dancer

Cesar Corrales, Dancer

Laura Morera, Dancer

Federico Bonelli, Dancer

Yasmine Naghdi, Dancer

William Bracewell, Dancer

Natalia Osipova, Dancer

Marianela Núñez, Dancer

Vadim Muntagirov, Dancer

Christopher Vanderspar, Cello

Katherine Baker, Flute

Robert Clark, Piano

Kate Shipway, Piano

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

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More reviews...

Sarah Kirkup

Sarah Kirkup has been Deputy Editor of Gramophone since 2010. She also writes for publications including the Royal Opera House’s in-house magazine and programmes for The Royal Ballet, and reviews dance events for cross-arts online magazine The Cusp. She is particularly interested in the relationship between music and dance, and has spoken on this subject at panel discussions, talks and events.