Mayerling: the true story of the lovers’ double-suicide that changed the course of European history
In the ballet, Mary agrees to the suicide pact because she is hopelessly in love. There is documentary evidence for this: a suicide letter that Mary left…
A heartfelt musing on life and loss (plus a super-charged ride on a train) with the Royal Ballet
In May last year, at the Royal Ballet’s post-lockdown 21st-Century Choreographers bill, US choreographer Kyle Abraham became only the second black person (after Carlos Acosta) ever to…
A heartfelt musing on life and loss (plus a super-charged ride on a train) with the Royal Ballet
In May last year, at the Royal Ballet’s post-lockdown 21st-Century Choreographers bill, US choreographer Kyle Abraham became only the second black person (after Carlos Acosta) ever to…
Dance for Ukraine: International ballet stars bring the world together in passionate display
How should the arts world respond to Russia’s war on Ukraine? The knee-jerk response has been to sever ties: Eurovision has banned Russia from competing, the Royal…
With Don Quixote, Carlos Acosta serves up an irresistible, sun-kissed romance
Carlos Acosta’s adult life has been a generally charmed affair. But even so, the former Royal Ballet superstar might have been forgiven, this past year or two,…
Henry Danton on remembering The Sleeping Beauty: ‘Our ballet made you forget the horror of war’
It’s 75 years ago this week that Henry Danton stepped onto the Royal Opera House stage, performing in the Sadler’s Wells (now Royal) Ballet production of Marius…
Why every arts company needs a Tamara Rojo
Of course, she is not the first performer to take up a managerial role. In fact, the artist who becomes a manager is particularly common in the…
What the arts should do more of – and less of – in 2022
Art Where to start? Enough with “blockbuster” shows that fail to shed fresh light on their subjects. Time, surely, to stop pretending the NFT (non-fungible token) “boom”…
Not a moment too soon, this was the year that ballet ‘woke up’
Talking of “breaking”, there is the knottier case of Rajan Zed, the Hindu cleric who last year berated Houston Ballet for its plans to restage Bayadère, and…
Scottish Ballet: The Nutcracker, review: ‘A revolutionary production of a Christmas classic’
In 1892, when The Nutcracker was first staged, its stylistically globe-trotting Act II was probably the nearest most audience members were ever going to get to a…
Royal Ballet reimagines Nutcracker’s ‘harem scene’ amid fears it is out of step with modern audiences
The Royal Ballet has re-imagined the Arabian Dance in its production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, amid concerns that the scene’s “harem” overtones were offensive. Where previously there…
The Nutcracker, Royal Ballet, review: culturally aware, non-distanced, and utterly magical
The celebrated producer-choreographer Peter Wright celebrates his 95th birthday tomorrow, making him five years older than the Royal Ballet itself. It has been said that he is…