247 stories by "Neil Norman"
Three years in the making, this project from choreographer Russell Maliphant and composer Vangelis is all Greek to me. Straying well beyond
The contrasts could hardly be more pronounced. Youthful vigour versus dulcet experience; aesthetic abstraction versus trad narrative; cool objectivity versus tear-jerking melodrama.
This touring production of Kenneth MacMillan's Manon is stripped to kill. Originated by the Royal Danish Ballet its spartan design is cool,
It is hard to imagine a less circus-like environment than the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall. Yet Circus 1903 is more
It was a year of peaks and troughs in 2018, of rising stars and returning veterans, old dogs and new tricks. Classical
This Royal Ballet triple bill is a classic example of 'Chequers Deal' programming. The attempt to please everyone results in a deeply
Pantomime is a uniquely British institution. A panto that isn't rude, vulgar, raucous, smutty and mildly offensive isn't a panto, it's anaesthetised
Originating around the ninth Century in Persia the story of Layla and Majnun was described by George Gordon, Lord Byron as "the
Carlos Acosta may have retired from classical ballet but he is still restlessly inventive. Following the disappointing debut of his dance version
It's a cold heart that doesn't warm to the Trocks. The company's singular brand of pastiche has been refined and honed over
Thank God for the orchestra. Tchaikovsky's blazingly inventive ballet score receives a well-rounded interpretation by the English National Opera orchestra under the
The bastard child of Joel Gray and Liberace, Reuben Kaye is the Blizzard from Oz. There must be something about Australia that
A thunderous, hypnotic drumbeat. The scalp-prickling drone of cellos. The low voices of a choir as they intone the lyrics of Space
1930s glamour, songs from Cole Porter, Gershwin and Arthur Freed plus prancing Shetland ponies and dancing Dachshunds. Those of you seeking dangerous,
For their first appearance at Sadler's Wells, Dresden's Semperoper Ballett make a judicious selection of William Forsythe works. His classical-based modernism is
Ballet Now will launch 10 new works in five years, pledging to expand its classical repertoire with fresh offerings. Neil Norman finds
Akram Khan claims that this will be his final solo work. At 43, the artist/performer " dancer/choreographer seems too limiting " confesses
Milton's line: "No light, but rather darkness visible" is as good a description of Kim Brandstrup's new work as any. The first
I do like a little dry ice with my Swan Lake. Of the many alterations Liam Scarlett has made to this remodelling
Elizabeth I was an astonishing woman and an enduring royal icon. Not that you'd know it from Will Tuckett's chamber ballet, first
For the final triple bill of the Royal Ballet season, the only connection between the pieces is that their makers have been
The Royal Ballet could learn a lot from English National Ballet about programming mixed bills. This well-balanced selection of works by American
Kenneth MacMillan's Manon skims across a lake of darkness before plunging into its depths. The Abbe Prevost's story of a girl whose
Two world premieres and a revival from all three associate choreographers of the Royal Ballet whets the appetite. Wayne McGregor's opener, Yugen,
There is no place like Rome for Pina Bausch. Premiered in 1986, Viktor is the first of her series of city-inspired works
