Vikki Jane Vile - Page 5

Friday's press night performance of Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet was one of the most breathtaking nights at the theatre in a long time, and that's without including a live show stop. 

Sadler's Wells' annual Flamenco Festival is repeatedly one of the most exciting and flamboyant displays of the season, offering colourful, vibrant (often improvised) one-off performances.

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of London Children's Ballet. Chances are, if you're familiar with the work of LCB, then you already know of their unique and impactful mission and the difference they have made to thousands of young dancers across the UK. 

Trust me, dishing out two stars as a fully fledged member of the Strictly Come Dancing superfans is a painful choice, but after seeing Somnium: A Dancer's Dream, this colourful and vibrant show's flaws unfortunately cannot be ignored.

Now in wind-down mode for the summer, programmers at the Royal Opera House are treating audiences to a host of performances from young dancers, overseas companies and, of course, later on in July, a short residency from the Bolshoi. The relatively newly unveiled Linbury Theatre is the setting for this year's Young Talent Festival, a succession of evenings featuring work from students and those graduating into company life from both the UK and abroad. The festival opens with confident, assured work from Ballett Zurich's Junior Company.

Swapping the Coliseum for the vastness of the unique space at London's Royal Albert Hall, English National Ballet's Summer blockbuster is billed as their 'biggest production to date'. Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella was first created for Dutch National Ballet in 2012 and first seen in the UK in 2015, now a restaged version made especially for the distinctive in-the-round space sees it meet new demands.

A mixed bill of true contrasts is served up by the Royal Ballet for the last run of performances of the 18/19 season. From the tempestuous Firebird set to Igor Stravinsky's seminal score, Ashton's quaint and quietly heartbreaking A Month in the Country, to the bold and technically exposing masterclass of Balanchine's Symphony in C.

Drag Star Bianca Del Rio and Steps singer Faye Tozer officially joined the cast of Everybody's Talking About Jamie this week at a special Gala night. Amongst the attendees was the original 'Jamie' who inspired the story, Jamie Campbell, and Faye's fellow bandmates, Ian 'H' Watkins and Lee Latchford-Evans.

Now in its 10th year, English National Ballet's Emerging Dancer competition returned to Sadler's Wells on 7 May 7 with six finalists, all members of ENB's corps de ballet, competing for the title.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet has been performed no less than 400 times by the Royal Ballet and with a lengthy run this season from the end of March to mid-June, the popularity of perhaps the most famous love story of all time shows no signs of subsiding.

Former Royal Ballet Principal Ivan Putrov has been curating regular galas in London in recent years with hit and miss results. 2017's Men in Motion fell into the latter category however, returning now with Against the Stream, the result is an engaging evening of dance from some of ballet's most starry names.

Three years ago, English National Ballet presented an evening of work all by female choreographers, She Said. It was an uneven programme but a brave artistic choice, and those courageous female voices are finally fully realised in the sequel, She Persisted.

The annual Russian Ballet Icons Gala always delivers with a host of superstar names from the dance world, presenting a somewhat haphazard selection of classical and modern snippets of choreography. The evening offers up a varied mix of virtuoso pas de deux - the beating heart of the classical repertoire - to moody and abstract contemporary pieces that leave more to the imagination.

Giovanni Pernice is now somewhat of a stalwart amongst the professional dancer gang on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. With four seasons under his belt and a fifth to follow, he is one of the show's most recognisable faces, and now returns to local theatres for the third year running with Dance is Life, first seen in 2017, but with a largely new army of supporting dancers.

Carlos Acosta's vibrant production of Don Quixote offers an all-thriller, no-filler evening complete with exuberant staging, grand and detailed sets fit for a West End musical, luxurious costuming, and a stellar cast in which there is not a single weak link.

In a rare piece of programming from the Royal Opera House, audiences have the opportunity, for a limited run, to watch the Royal Ballet School's talent of tomorrow and the main company's talent of today together in a mixed programme of animal-based stories. It features new work from Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett and Frederick Ashton's popular Two Pigeons, seen previously this year alongside Scarlett's Asphodel Meadows. The former First Artist certainly seems to be making his mark on the company repertoire.

Sadler's Wells annual pick 'n' mix buffet of dance offerings return again for a selection of live performances and interactive front of house experiences.

With the last remains of glittery Nutcracker magic now behind us for another year, just two days after the end of the run of the festive classic, the Royal Ballet return with a fun, bright and uplifting mixed bill to ease us through January.

Christmas for dance fans doesn't just mean Nutcracker these days - it means another one of Matthew Bourne's characterful and atmospheric productions is rolling into town.

Lucky Londoners have the opportunity to catch three different productions of The Nutcracker over the festive period this year. But having viewed Sir Peter Wright's 1984 production for the Royal Ballet multiple times, and once again now, it unmistakably offers the most gloriously opulent and satisfying experience that sets it apart from other interpretations.