Smack That (a conversation) review " the fight against domestic abuse by Luke Jennings

Barbican, LondonSix survivors of physical violence re-enact their experiences in Rhiannon Faith's raw, eloquent showDomestic abuse is not a comfortable subject for a dance piece, but choreog…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:32am on June 17, 2018☆⚑

English National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty review " a way with the fairies by Luke Jennings

Coliseum, LondonAbsolute commitment and attention to detail make for a memorable Beauty at English National BalletIt's not the newest production in the world, nor the most lavish, but Kennet…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:32am on June 10, 2018☆⚑

Anne-Marie Duff: why playing Margot Fonteyn hurt | Luke Jennings by Luke Jennings

No ballet virgin could star as Margot Fonteyn without going through the pain barrier. Just ask Anne-Marie Duff, writes Luke JenningsFor the 40-year-old ballerina, life can be cruel, as Margo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:42am on June 6, 2018☆⚑

Xenos review " unequalled fragility by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonKhan's final solo performance, as an Indian ex-soldier reliving the horror of the trenches, is a dazzling test of enduranceIn Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:42am on June 3, 2018☆⚑

Rambert: Life Is a Dream; Swan Lake " review by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells; Royal Opera House, LondonKim Brandstrup conjures dreamlike precision for Rambert, while Royal Ballet's brand new Swan Lake deserves to be a cherished work in progressLife Is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:24am on May 27, 2018☆⚑

Ignition dance festival review " sparks are flying by Luke Jennings

Lyric Hammersmith, LondonThe annual festival of new work saw the fruits of previous commissions from the likes of Salah El Brogy, Sally Marie and Dane HurstMonday saw the opening night of Ig…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:48am on May 20, 2018☆⚑

Immixture review " universal beauty from South Korean dance company by Luke Jennings

The Place, LondonAhn Sungsoo impresses with his gracefully balanced work for the Korea National Contemporary Dance CompanyThe Korea National Contemporary Dance Company was founded by the cou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:24am on May 13, 2018☆⚑

Company Chameleon: 10 review " theatrical but unoriginal by Luke Jennings

Drawn from a decade of the Manchester dance company's work, this frustrating triple bill lacks focusCompany Chameleon was founded in 2007 by two graduates of the Northern School of Contempor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on May 6, 2018☆⚑

Toro: Beauty and the Bull review " taking gender identity by the horns by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonCarlos Pons Guerra's unflinching reimagining of Beauty and the Beast could hardly be more timelyIn the six years since he founded the UK-based DeNada Dance Theatre, Car…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:06am on April 29, 2018☆⚑

Kenneth MacMillan: Steps Back In Time review " the road to greatness by Luke Jennings

Barbican, LondonViviana Durante revives early works by Kenneth MacMillan in a programme full of poignant insightsWhen the choreographer Kenneth MacMillan died in 1992, he left behind him mor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:33am on April 22, 2018☆⚑

Manon review " touching greatness, three times over by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, London As vixen, coquette and victim, the Royal Ballet's Francesca Hayward, Natalia Osipova and Marianela Nuñez all touch greatness in the coveted role of Kenneth MacMi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:59am on April 15, 2018☆⚑

BalletLorent: Rumpelstiltskin review " spun with a twist by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonAntic fun abounds as poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy casts a peculiar spell on BalletLorent's version of the Grimm fairytaleLiv Lorent founded BalletLorent 25 years ago, …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on April 8, 2018☆⚑

Mass review " Robert Clark's challenging invitation to connect by Luke Jennings

Building 17, Woolwich Royal Arsenal, LondonThe audience engage directly with the dancers in an intense and intimate performanceIncreasingly, choreographers see themselves as initiators, as c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:59am on April 1, 2018☆⚑

The week in dance: Requiem pour L; Bernstein Centenary " review by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells; Royal Opera House, LondonJoyous music and moves vie with the slow-motion final hours of a dying woman as Alain Platel 'sees how far' he can go. And Bernstein to the power of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on March 25, 2018☆⚑

Bad Faith review " poise and rigour from Tara D'Arquian by Luke Jennings

Laban theatre, LondonThe seriously impressive young Belgian choreographer concludes her Nietzschean trilogy with dance that's stripped to the boneTara D'Arquian is a Belgian choreographer ba…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:00am on March 18, 2018☆⚑

Ballet British Columbia triple bill review " the new classical by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonThe Canadian company takes traditional training to bold new places in works by director Emily Molnar, Crystal Pite and Sharon EyalWith the future of ballet very much up…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:00am on March 11, 2018☆⚑

Three men make ballets about 'woman'? Oh dear | Luke Jennings by Luke Jennings

Femmes, a triple bill for a Canadian ballet company, highlights the need for the art form to rethink its attitude towards womenLast week the Montreal-based Grands Ballets Canadiens announced…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:41am on March 6, 2018☆⚑

The week in dance: Macbeth; Beautiful " review by Luke Jennings

Wilton's Music Hall; Hackney Showroom, LondonThe heart's deepest desires are visited by Jonathan Goddard's lean and savage thane and Sweetshop Revolutions's celebration of sexual awakeningTh…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on March 4, 2018☆⚑

The week in dance: Juliet & Romeo/The Winter's Tale review " bloody valentines by Luke Jennings

Battersea Arts Centre, Royal Opera House, LondonShakespeare's lovers live on as a warring couple trapped in a romantic narrative, while a superb cast atone for a flawed Winter's TaleLost Dog…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on February 18, 2018☆⚑

Windrush: Movement of the People review " fresh moves off the boat by Luke Jennings

West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsStories of the Windrush generation of Caribbean immigrants to Britain are movingly told by Phoenix Dance TheatreA great pyramid of packing cases and trunks aga…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on February 11, 2018☆⚑

Orphan Realms; One Eye Open; Fragmenty " review by Luke Jennings

The Place, LondonPreoccupations with our fleeting existence loom large in a trio of new works at this year's Resolution festivalNow in its 29th year, the Resolution dance festival staged by …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on February 4, 2018☆⚑

Giselle review " uncontestable greatness from Marianela Núñez by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, LondonThe Royal Ballet star is transcendent in the title role " with seven more principal ballerinas about to step into her shoes When Peter Wright mounted Giselle for the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on January 28, 2018☆⚑

The week in dance: Le Jeune Homme et la Mort/La Sylphide review " darkly enjoyable by Luke Jennings

Coliseum, LondonTamara Rojo and Ivan Vasiliev are superb as a painter and his cruel muse in a subversive ENB double billEnglish National Ballet, to borrow from TS Eliot, are much possessed b…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on January 21, 2018☆⚑

Cirque du Soleil Ovo review " all glory and no story by Luke Jennings

Royal Albert Hall, LondonThe global circus troupe's insect-themed extravaganza is technically astonishing but fails to engage on a deeper levelCirque du Soleil is an odd beast. At a time whe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on January 14, 2018☆⚑

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella review " still having a ball by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonVisual magic outweighs occasional longueurs in this welcome revival of the choreographer/director's wartime fairytaleMatthew Bourne's latest revival of Cinderella is an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:33am on December 31, 2017☆⚑