Vikki Jane Vile - Page 3

English National Balleta??s Emerging Dancer marks the companya??s first live performance since lockdown and the opener to their newly curated Digital Season as a response to the current COVID-19 restrictions. The annual award sees six dancers from the most junior rank of the company perform a classical as de deux in three pairs, and historically a contemporary solo, although this year saw three first duets featuring original choreography (presumably for bubbling/distancing reasons).

Birmingham Royal Ballet looks a lot different today than it did ten years ago when this performance for David Bintleya??s Cinderella was filmed. A return to a familiar classic makes for heartwarming quarantine viewing, as well as an opportunity to watch fine dancers who have since retired.

There were few greater joys in dance in 2019 than English National Ballet's Cinderella-in-the-round, which played to full auditoriums for 10 days last summer in London. After recent events, it already feels like a lifetime ago, so it's a particular treat to relive it now, as the last of their series of Watch Parties.

Sander Blommaert, a multi-award-winning ballet teacher from Elmhurst Ballet School, and former Royal Ballet First Artist, has completed a run of 100 free online ballet classes throughout lockdown.

The third installment of Live from Covent Garden is the first to feature two ballet performances instead of one, and all the stronger for it. The result is a more rounded experience for arts fans and the choice of pas de deux more satisfying than those seen before. 

The latest installment from English National Ballet's series of a?oewatch partiesa?? is Kenneth MacMillan's emotionally demanding Manon. This filming shows a recent performance from late 2018 in Manchester with a stellar cast, most notably Alina Cojocaru in the title role with excellent and memorable support from Jeffrey Cirio as Manon's brother Lescaut, and Katja Khaniukova as Lescaut's mistress. 

The Royal Opera House continues to treat us to a fortnightly fix of ballet and what relief this latest edition is. After some rather sombre, heavier narrative works, the froth and joy of Frederick Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardée is balm for the soul. Balletomanes will want to pour over this 2005 recording which features Marianela Nunez' debut in the central role of Lise with Carlos Acosta as Colas. 

Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling is the vivid dramatisation of the life of Crown Prince Rudolph and his death alongside his young mistress Mary Vetsera in 1889. A staple of the Royal Ballet's repertoire since its premiere in 1978, it is known for the rigorous demands on the central male dancer, but is demonstrated faultlessly in this 2018 performance starring Steven McRae with Sarah Lamb as his teenage lover.

The next lockdown treat courtesy of English National Ballet comes in the form of Derek Deane's Swan Lake. This production last ran over the 2018/19 Winter season with this particular performance seeing Principals Jurgita Dronina and Isaac Hernandez in the leading roles.

The latest ballet to feature as part of the #OurHouseToYourHouse series is Kenneth Macmillan's Anastasia, the true story of Anna Anderson who claimed to be the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and the only survivor of the Russian Royal family's assassination in 1918.

The second opportunity for online audiences to enjoy some Royal Ballet repertoire over lockdown is Christopher Wheeldon's adaptation of The Winter's Tale. First premiering in 2014, it has proved popular with ballet fans and has subsequently been programmed in 2016 (this recording) and 2018.

I've written about Dust, Akram Khan's work for English National Ballet World War One programme, Lest We Forget, several times. Somehow, each time, even knowing what's coming, it still packs a chilling, earth shattering punch both through the screen and on stage.

It's no understatement to say Sir Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake changed the dance landscape back in 1995 when it first premiered. Any Swan Lake is a juggernaut of a production but Bourne's added layers of storytelling, engaging new characters and unique reimagining for a 21st Century audience cemented a?oeiconica?? status, a word I use sparingly but it's fully justified here. The first in a sequence of Bourne's work to be seen on screen during this time of lockdown which will see releases of Romeo and Juliet and The Car Man, as well as this 2018 production of arguably Bourne's best-known work. 

Admirably enhancing their “at home” offering, in addition to regular live streams of company class and chair-based dance classes for those with limited mobility, English National Ballet now bring us Wednesday Watchalongs, a weekly opportunity to experience key work from their back-catalogue for no extra cost.

Since taking the lead as Birmingham Royal Ballet's Director just three months ago, Carlos Acosta certainly hasn't had the easiest time of it. His ambitious first season of programming - featuring Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, their popular Nutcracker and a exciting Curated by Carlos bill featuring Alessandra Ferri - is on hold for now thanks to Coronavirus, but Acosta has not shied away from trying something new. Quickly shifting into Home From Home mode, Acosta and co. have experimented with performance and social distancing to create a specially adapted version of The Dying Swan, or as it is known here as simply The Swan.

The dance studios and weekly classes are all long gone, so what are budding dancers doing to stay in shape now? Luckily, the dance community are a highly disciplined, generous bunch. While we all indulge in some heavy isolation snacking, it's this lot's job to remain fit and healthy. Fortunately for us, they're imparting their knowledge through a selection of live streams, so we can stay home and stay rond de jambe ready.

Richard Alston is a man who doesn't need reviews any more. With a choreographic career spanning over fifty years (“entirely lacking any strategic plan” by his own admission), there is not much that hasn't been said. Alston is also adamant that this Final Edition is a celebration and not a funeral but there are moments in his generous mixed bill that feel heavily bittersweet. With the company closing after 25 years due to funding restrictions, Alston's work could always be guaranteed to bring quality additions to the dance calendar and its absence will be sorely felt.

Enough words have been given to the controversy surrounding this run of Liam Scarlett's Swan Lake, its first revival since a largely triumphant premiere in 2018. I don't wish to dwell further here, and instead want to focus on what was one of the most memorable nights at the theatre in quite some time thanks to some virtuoso central performances, a faultless corps de ballet, and the transporting set and costumes of John Macfarlane.

A busy week of dance in London is brought to a radiant conclusion by the perfect delicacy of English National Ballet Lead Principal Alina Cojocaru, with support from some esteemed friends. 

Kate Prince is known for her unique blend of joyous, feel-good street and contemporary dance. She and the endless energy of her dance troupe, ZooNation, are responsible for West End hits such as Some Like It Hip Hop and Into the Hoods, which means it's no problem getting on board with new ideas - even when the concept raises an eyebrow.