Ben Duke

Video: Meet Hades and Persephone from Lost Dog's RUINATION
by Blair Ingenthron - Dec 29, 2024

Watch Jean Daniel Brousse and Anna-Kaye Gayle discuss playing Hades and Persephone in Lost Dog's Ruination, now running through 4 January, in the video here.

Review: RUINATION, Royal Ballet and Opera
by Franco Milazzo - Dec 8, 2024

In a season where theatres are filled with the usual hoary horde - here a Christmas Carol, there a Nutcracker or Messiah - the Royal Opera House deserves praise and maybe even a standing ovation for bringing back its Yuletide hit from 2022. Ben Duke’s Ruination (a co-production between the Royal Ballet and his Lost Dog company) is perfect for this time of year, being a work about reflecting on the recent past and built around the notions of love, family and children. Then again, those expecting something cheery may also want to consider that the source material is Euripides’s Medea, a Greek tragedy that makes Titus Andronicus look like an episode of Bluey.

Sadler's Wells Launches New Annual Youth Festival Showcasing The Best Dance Being Created With Young People
by Stephi Wild - Nov 14, 2024

In July 2025, Sadler's Wells will present the first edition YFX Youth Festival, a new annual festival which celebrates and showcases the exceptional range of youth work across the United Kingdom.

RUINATION to be Presented by The Royal Ballet & Lost Dog
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 7, 2024

The Royal Ballet and Lost Dog present the first revival of Ruination, an alternative Christmas dance show taking place throughout the festive period. Learn how to purchase tickets.

Nine Groups Selected For National Showcase of Major Choreographic Initiative, Making Moves
by Stephi Wild - May 20, 2024

Since September 2023, Sadler's Wells' Making Moves programme has engaged nearly 800 young people from 48 youth and school groups across the country, inspiring them to develop their own choreographic works.

Barrowland Ballet Performs CHUNKY JEWELLRY Next Weekend
by Stephi Wild - Feb 29, 2024

Scotland’s leading contemporary dance company Barrowland Ballet will present the world premiere of their new production Chunky Jewellery, co-created by the company’s Artistic Director Natasha Gilmore, artist Jude Williams and Ben Duke of performance company, Lost Dog.

Review: RAMBERT / BEN DUKE - DEATH TRAP, Sadler's Wells
by Alice Cope - Nov 24, 2023

Two very different performances, Cerberus and Goat, from Rambert, deliver a meta dance comedy exploring life, death and performance.

Winners of 2023 National Dance Awards Announced
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Jun 6, 2023

The Winners of the 2023 National Dance Awards have been revealed at a ceremony at The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill Gate.  

Sadler's Wells Launches New Productions For 2023
by Stephi Wild - Feb 16, 2023

Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK's critically acclaimed production of Message In A Bottle, choreographed by Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince and set to the iconic hits of Sting, returns to the Peacock Theatre for a limited run this autumn.

Review: RUINATION, Royal Opera House
by Alice Cope - Dec 6, 2022

The concept of a Greek tragedy as a Christmas show may seem contrary or unusual, but in fact this entire performance is built on such contradictions.

Lost Dog Present RUINATION, An Alternative Christmas Show at the Linbury Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Nov 9, 2022

The company that charmed audiences with their award-winning Juliet & Romeo in 2019 returns to the Royal Opera House with Ruination, a new show for Christmas. Melding dance comedy and theatre, Lost Dog's Artistic Director Ben Duke is known for his witty and inventive reinterpretations of the classics.

Young Associates / Ben Duke Presents TO START WITH at Sadler's Wells
by Stephi Wild - Sep 23, 2022

In November 2021, the second cohort of the Sadler's Wells Young Associates introduced their refreshing voices at sell-out performances in the Lilian Baylis Studio. The next step of their journey sees John-William Watson, Magnus Westwell, Olive Hardy and Vidya Patel take to the Sadler's Wells stage with the World Premiere of To Start With on Wednesday 26 October.

PEAK Performances to Present US Premiere of SMASHED2
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 7, 2022

In Gandini Juggling’s hit Smashed, which made its US Premiere at PEAK Performances, the manipulation of forbidden fruit shrewdly explored the strained relations between seven men and two women—and kindly flayed traditions of juggling and circus.

The Royal Opera House Announces 2022/23 Season
by Stephi Wild - Apr 6, 2022

The Royal Opera House today announces its 2022/23 Season, unveiling a rich range of new work, world premieres and beloved revivals. Over 40 productions, performed by an incredible roster of international stars and created in collaboration with global companies, will be accompanied by more than 200 events and activities in our stunning Covent Garden Home, and outreach programmes reaching more than 27,000 children across the UK. 

Dance Film ALEX Extends Online Run
by Stephi Wild - Mar 31, 2022

Shining a light on the mental health of young people, digital dance film ALEX created by Caldonia Walton and Kathy Richardson draws on personal experiences and research with a youth group, hospital and school to tell a story of three characters with the same name. 

The Place Announces Summer Season
by Stephi Wild - Mar 22, 2022

The Place, one of London's leading dance venues, is delighted to announce its summer season, a programme brimming with inspiring and compelling live and digital performance. We are looking forward to a scorching summer of live performance, with highlights including Inscribed in 'Me' by Work Place Artist Alethia Antonia, a triple bill from National Dance Company Wales and Fat Blokes by Scottee & Friends Ltd.

Phoenix Dance Theatre Will Celebrate 40 Years Of Phoenix
by Stephi Wild - Mar 11, 2022

Internationally acclaimed, Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre is set to return to the Peacock Theatre this month on 29 and 30 March.

UNBROKEN Is The Debut Solo Performance By Physical Theatre And Circus Artist, Nikki Rummer
by Stephi Wild - Mar 3, 2022

Unbroken is the debut solo performance by physical theatre and circus artist, Nikki Rummer. One bittersweet Christmas, three generations of the Rummer family are summoned home for one last gathering. Told through the eyes of a daughter, Unbroken weaves fragments of memories into the body of one performer as a dark, previously buried secret surfaces.

New Dance Film ALEX Explores Young People's Mental Health
by Stephi Wild - Feb 15, 2022

Shining a light on the mental health of young people, digital dance film ALEX draws on personal experiences and research with a youth group, hospital and school to tell a story of three characters with the same name.

BWW Review: BARELY METHODICAL TROUPE - KIN, Peacock Theatre
by Mark Janicello - Jan 27, 2022

KIN at Sadler's Well Peacock Theater. Barely Methodical Troupe's Director, Ben Duke, together with 6 brilliantly talented performers, and a crack technical team have created magic with almost nothing and turn the nearly-empty stage into the arena for one of the most breathtaking theatrical events that this reviewer has ever seen. Get a ticket now.