Matthew Paluch

Teaċ Daṁsa return to Sadler’s Wells with Michael Keegan-Dolan's latest work: NOBODADDY (Tríd an bpoll gan bun). The title is a dark character that features in the poems of William Blake, but the blurb confirms that Dolan's reading is one of “an ode to the peacemakers and the bringers of good things” - so in that sense what's the point? As the two aspects appear to cancel each other out.

The forty year celebration of Sheffield based Forced Entertainment comes to a close with six performances of If All Else Fails at the Battersea Arts Centre. Performed and devised by Cathy Naden & Seke Chimutengwende, Tim Etchells of Forced Entertainment directs the duo in the improvisational informed “absurd test that fails to find the answers”.

Ballet Black return to the Royal Ballet and Opera's Linbury Theatre with their current double bill Heroes. It's a quick night with around one hour of dance, but an unsuccessful one choreographically.

Sadler’s Wells advertise The Rite of Spring / common ground[s] bill as “iconic” and I'm tempted to agree. It's rare that a programme can be so satisfying - two works so different yet complimentary, both steeped in power and intention. It's a night not to be missed that's for sure.

L’Addition is a show of simple means with two charismatic performers, but it's a miss for me.

Αγρίμι (Fauve) by Lenio Kaklea is a brave piece of modern dance that should be recognised for its shunning of conventions and committed performances. As well as its “if Balenciaga did contemporary dance…” overarching feel.

It’s interesting to consider that ballet began its development in the mid 16th century, however it wasn't until around 400 years later that BIPOC (American) dancers Maria Tallchief, Raven Wilkinson and Arthur Mitchell, first joined ballet companies.

The Royal Ballet season continues with its first modern bill - Encounters: Four contemporary ballets. For some, like me, the four works presented are all new, but in actuality only two of the four are premières. And one of those is in fact a development of an existing (2022) pas de deux into a bigger scale work.

Dance Umbrella continues in London with Radioactive Practice by Abby Z (Abby Zbikowski) and the New Utility. Sadler’s Wells is transformed for the work with three banks of seats placed on the stage and the upper two circles of the auditorium closed. Some audience members still sit in the stalls, but the performance has become in-the-round dance.

It can be a mistake to get overexcited. If then disappointed, the reality is tough to take. Case in point: Four by the Young Associates at Sadler’s Wells.

Dance Umbrella 2024 opened at the Barbican last night for the 46th year of the cutting-edge dance festival. People have come to expect the opportunity to see experimental work during the run, and last night didn't disappoint in this sense.

The Place welcomes back the National Dance Company Wales in a double bill: Frontiers.

I think Jez Butterworth must love fishing, as his 2012 play The River spends quite a lot of the time talking about the intricacies of the pastime. If one doesn't partake it can make the text a little monotonous at times…but of course there's more to take from the overall experience.

One person shows aren't easy things to do, and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is a big space to fill, so Maria Caruso has all the cards stacked against her for her new solo performance Incarnation.

The Royal Ballet 24/25 season opened on September 28 with Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. When first created in 2011 the ballet was made up of two acts, by 2012 Wheeldon had reworked things into three and this is what we find in the 2024 revival.

The Bold Tendencies Communion season came to an end last night, and it didn't go quietly. With 119 musicians of the Philharmonia Orchestra, 100 members of the Philharmonia Chorus and two soloists sopranos, conductor Nefeli Chadouli led the vast troupe in Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 2 'Resurrection’.

The Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer turned into a gig venue on September 13th for Concrete Lates x Fabric. The lights were low, the crowd was very cool, and the “iconic electronic music institution Fabric” was celebrated for the role it's played in the dance music scene over the last 25 years.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again…but what The Coronet Theatre is doing feels new, relevant and exciting. Currently on show is The Belt - Past & Future by Korea's Ambiguous Dance Company. The work is The Coronet's first-ever site-specific event, and I think it's an absolute corker.

“Visionary British composer Oliver Leith makes music that brings people together” seems like a very good place to start. Judging by the massive crowd at Bold Tendencies on September 7 he does just that.