Latest news with #DanceReflections
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Balanchine: Three Signature Works: boggle-eyed museum pieces that spark fitfully to life
Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze – George Balanchine to the world – was the Russian-born choreographer of Georgian descent who gave the US its own lofty, leggy, sparkling strain of neo-classical ballet. He had an astonishing eye for choreographic geometry, while being perhaps counterintuitively flexible in terms of how he created his pieces. Just an 'awkward' 17 people in the studio today? Piece of cake – 17 it is. And oh, someone's now turned up late? Marvellous! Let's work that in too. Much like Britain's own sublimely musical genius-in-residence – his direct contemporary Frederick Ashton – Balanchine (1904-1983) is extremely difficult to dance: there is generally nowhere to 'hide' when performing his work. His tendency towards minimalist abstraction – with simple leotards and tutus, bare stages and plain cycloramas – means that only seldom will 'acting' will get you anywhere; technique and presentational star-power are all. A glaring exception to that rule about lack of narrative – in terms of Balanchine's surviving ballets, at least – is The Prodigal Son (1929), the centrepiece of the Royal Ballet's impeccably-chosen triple helping of Mr B, which closes this year's London-wide Dance Reflections festival. Not danced by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in more than 20 years, his final work for the Ballets Russes tells the famous New Testament story of the boy who leaves home with everything, is seduced and robbed, and finally returns home to his forgiving pa. Seen today, it comes across as a fascinating, boggle-eyed museum piece, the fauvist melodrama of steps and plot alike seeming to cascade down from Georges Roualt's school-of-Derain backcloth. Here, neo-classicism is almost entirely spurned for an often coarse, repeatedly 'line'-shattering physical vocabulary more of a kind with earlier, more famous Ballets Russes ventures such as 1913's The Rite of Spring. Time hasn't been entirely kind to it, even if Balanchine's choreographic inventiveness is everywhere – what presumably widened eyes in 1929 Paris looks almost quaint now. Moreover, the Father calls to mind Dumbledore, while the vividly etched pack of grotesque hangers-on seem close to the post-apocalyptic War Boys from the recent Mad Max adventures. Still, it's fascinating to hear Prokofiev cutting his already-sharp teeth as a composer of ballet music, while Cesar Corrales is a deranged but disciplined knockout as the Son, and on Friday night the work's 40 minutes whizzed by. A big disappointment, though, is Natalia Osipova's Siren, full of pelvis-jutting insolence, but absolutely not the irresistibly lithe reptile who leads the boy from the straight path. In marked contrast, the two works that here flank Prodigal Son – 1934's Serenade (set to Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings) and 1947's Symphony in C (to Bizet) – have dated not one jot; no modishly outré 1920s designs or drama here, and golly, how unshackled Balanchine seems to feel once he steps away from narrative. Of the Royal Ballet's renderings of both works on Friday night, my thoughts are very similar. Lauren Cuthbertson stood out in the earlier piece, Vadim Muntagirov and Reece Clarke in the latter: both projected across the stalls as if to the manor born. But the Royal Ballet seemed to lack the technical strength-in-depth, the complete, insouciant mastery of Balanchine's grand style, to make either Serenade's sublime mystery or Symphony's company-showpiece bravura really fly. Bad collective performances? No. But this wonderful troupe can, and should, do better.
Forbes
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What to see, do and experience in London for Mother's Day
Big Ben and westminster bridge in London Spring is here, celebrate in London with a variety of Mother's Day events and experiences from luxury facials, to theatre shows, and drinks tastings. Watch some dance: The fifth edition of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, a programme launched in 2020 to deepen the high jewelry Maison's ties to the world of dance, has returned to London. Celebrating international choreographic creations, from recent works to known pieces in contemporary dance history, head to the Royal Opera House and Ballet to watch the likes of Pam Tanowitz: Neither Drums Nor Trumpets and Balanchine: Three Signature Works (Serenade, Prodigal Son, and Symphony in C). Address: Royal Ballet and Opera, Bow St, London, WC2E 9DD Enjoy a traditional Sunday roast lunch: The homely Red Lion and Sun pub in Highgate offers a selection of roast dinners including roast rib of beef (35-day dry-aged, grass-fed British beef), slow-roasted belly of pork, côte de boeuf (680g for two people), and braised Cornish lamb shank, complete with roasties, broccoli, root vegetable mash, Yorkshire pudding, and red wine jus. Wash it down with a selection of wines, and whiskies. Address: The Red Lion & Sun, 25 North Road, Highgate Village, London, N6 4BE Just desserts: 45 Jermyn St. London has launched its new menu, including seasonal and classic puddings that suit all of those with a sweet tooth, think an almond pannacotta with poached rhubarb and ginger crumb, a rich dark chocolate fondant, and a classic egg custard tart with pistachio ice cream. Wash it down with a cocktail from the new cocktail menu too. Address: 45 Jermyn St, London, SW1Y 6DN Go to the theatre: For theatre lovers, Much Ado About Nothing is showing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one of London's most beloved venues. The stellar cast features Tom Hiddleston as Benedick, Hayley Atwell as Beatrice, Mara Huf as Hero, Forbes Masson as Leonato, and Phillip Olagoke as Friar Francis. Directed by Jamie Lloyd, this vibrant production explores love, wit, and deception in this Shakespearean comedy. LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: (L to R) Jonathan Glew, Jamie Lloyd, Mara Huf, Forbes Masson, Mason Alexander Park, James Phoon, Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell, Tim Steed, Mika Onyx Johnson, Gerald Kyd and Phillip Olagoke attend the press night after party for Jamie Lloyd Company's "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on February 19, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by) Address: Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JF Book a blow dry: Treat your mum to a celebrity experience and book her a blow dry at Larry King, with salons across London, check out the newest one in Marylebone. Larry King salon in Marylebone Address: Larry King Marylebone, 55 Marylebone Ln, London, W1U 2NT Relax at a spa: Indulge in a holistic experience at Bamford Wellness Spa, designed to nurture the mind, body, and spirit, using Carole Bamford's range of organic Bamford products. Choose from a variety of treatments, including the Bamford Wellness Full Spa Day (3 hours 15 minutess). This experience includes a guided yoga and meditation session, a soothing foot bath ritual, a 90-minute therapeutic back massage with Thai stretching, scalp treatment, reflexology, and temple balm to promote peaceful sleep. Finish with a signature Bamford facial tailored to your needs (rejuvenate, vibrant, or detox), plus lunch served on the hotel's terraces. There are also dd-ons available, such as LED Light Therapy, Gua Sha Facial Massage, and Foot Therapy with Arnica Balm. 1 Hotel Mayfair Address: Bamford Wellness Spa at 1 Hotel Mayfair, 3 Berkeley St, London, W1J 8DL Try some fine wines: At this tasting, the Wines and Spirits team at Fortnum & Mason will guide customers on a journey of discovery through their curated selection of wines and spirits, perfect for Mother's Day. In true Fortnum & Mason style, the tasting will also be accompanied by delicious food pairings. Address: The Crypt at Fortnum & Mason, Lower Ground Floor, 181 Piccadilly, London, W1A 1ER Get the glow: Book the signature SturmGlow™ Facial, a 60-minute treatment that's designed to leave the complexion radiant and refreshed, while boosting and strengthening the skin's barrier function and improving overall skin health. Address: Dr. Barbara Sturm London Boutique & Spa, 125 Mount Street, London, W1K 3NS Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea: The Goring has been perfecting Afternoon Tea for over a century, earning awards for its homemade pastries, jams, and teas which are served daily in The Veranda with views overlooking garden. There are a range of afternoon tea experiences to choose from, including a Traditional Afternoon Tea, the TeaTotaler with a mocktail, and the Prestige Afternoon Tea with a glass of Bollinger 2014 La Grande Année. Classic Afternoon Tea at The Goring Address: The Goring Hotel, 15 Beeston Pl, London, SW1W 0JW Book a makeup session: Visit Charlotte Tilbury's new Covent Garden store for a luxury beauty experience, and enjoy personalized makeup artistry with expert tips and tailored recommendations. Address: Charlotte Tilbury, 1 James St, London, WC2E 8BG Get your nails done: Townhouse has a number of salons across London, offering top-notching nail service from luxury manicures, pedicures, nail art and more. For Mother's Day, they're running packages at certain outposts, check out the website for more information. Address: Across London Take in some art and co-ordinating cocktails: Ochre, the restaurant within London's National Gallery, has launched a new cocktail menu inspired by the upcoming exhibition of Mexican artist José María Velasco. Running from 29th March to 17th August, the exhibition celebrates Velasco's landscapes and his significant role in 19th-century Mexican art, and the cocktails, which have been specially created for this first-ever U.K. showcase. Expect the essence of Velasco's art, combined with seasonal flavors, marking the 200th anniversary of U.K.-Mexico diplomatic relations. Rocas Espresso Martini Trolley at Ochre Address: Ochre, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN Try out some personal styling: Book a one-to-one appointment at a Hobbs store, where a styling expert will offer advice on fits, trends, and help with wardrobe updates or finding the perfect outfit. Virtual appointments are also available, where stylists share outfit suggestions via video call. Address: Across London Book a face peel: The Dr Obagi Blue Radiance Peel uses salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid to brighten and smooth the skin's texture. As we transition from winter to spring, it's the perfect time for a facial peel as it'll exfoliate dry, dull skin and bring about a fresh, glowing complexion. Address: Mayfair Aesthetics Laser & Skin Clinic Angel, First Floor, Colebrooke House, 10-12 Gaskin St, London, N1 2RY Take your mother to the movies: Head to Selfridges for a shop, swing by the huge confectionary hall, and visit its cinema while you're at it. There's a host of movies showing from Black Bag with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender to Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy, and the multi-award winner Anora is imminent. The Cinema at Selfridges Address: The Cinema at Selfridges, 40 Duke St, London, W1U 1AT Attend a candlelight concert: Get your tickets for Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Candlelight in London and enjoy performances by The Piccadilly Sinfonietta, along with guest soloists. It's a perfect experience for both classical enthusiasts and newcomers, all set in the beautiful, candlelit ambiance of St James' Church. Address: St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL Pick up a bouquet: McQueens Flowers is known for its exquisite bouquets, and their master florists have curated spring blooms in time for Mother's Day gifting. From the wild beauty of Stella to the vibrant Colette, expect elegant arrangements that showcase the best of the season, and add on a bottle of Telmont Champagne and NOSHY Artisan Truffle Buds. Address: McQueens Flowers, 29 N Audley St, London, W1K 6WY
The Guardian
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The week in dance: Lyon Opera Ballet: Cunningham Forever (Biped & Beach Birds); Giselle…
The American choreographer Merce Cunningham loved birds. He painted pictures of them every morning. In Tacita Dean's evocative film of him at work, made in 2008, the year before his death, birds fly in and out of the frame outside the windows of the Craneway Pavilion in California where he's rehearsing, their jerky pecks, stalks and poses reflecting the dancers' movements within. It's impossible to watch Beach Birds, created in 1991, without thinking of that film. In this revealing revival, the dancers of Lyon Opera Ballet balance against a pink dawn, slightly swaying as their arms open and curve in clean, slow strokes. The light, randomly programmed, shifts through bright changes to dusk-like orange as the work progresses and the dancers move, never quite in unison, each in their own world, creating sculptural shapes. John Cage's score eddies around them, full of the rush of a rainstick, of sea sounds. Unitard costumes by Marsha Skinner give the dancers white bodies and black arms that define the air around them. When they settle into groups, two might stand upright over a third, who makes a loop of his arms and drops forward, leg raised, to touch the floor. A trio of women echo each other's loping steps from the back of the stage, bodies arched like a single duplicated figure. The mood is tranquil, lovely, infinitely rich. The music is live, played by the composer Gavin Bryars, his son Yuri, Audrey Riley, James Woodrow and Morgan Goff. Bryars's presence in the pit feels like an event, particularly for Biped (1999), for which his own score shimmers with melancholy gravity. The piece was developed by Cunningham using the computer software DanceForms, and its explorations are made explicit with a design by Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar that projects digital forms and bars of light on to a screen in front of the dancers. The effects are fascinating, the interaction between the two worlds highlighting differences in weight, space and gravity. At one moment, as the silver-clad dancers arrive in a great rush of movement, straight arms whirring, backs flat in arabesques, the images above them show modelled human forms hanging upside down on a red line of light. It's complex, complicated, difficult to absorb, but it still looks like the future – albeit one imagined from a distant past. The dancers of Lyon Opera Ballet perform with commitment and energy, honouring the switches of mood and pace. This Cunningham programme is part of the Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections festival that's filling London with a dizzying array of contemporary international dance. At the Linbury theatre, the exceptional dancer Samantha van Wissen performed a solo looking at an old classic, Giselle, in a new way, offering an animated lecture of movement while speaking from an essay by the writer and director François Gremaud. Giselle… (the ellipsis in its title differentiate it from the original) breaks down the ballet by retelling the story with a historic gloss, some humour – 'It's odd to wear white to harvest grapes' – and modernist irony: 'Finally, she stops in a very sculptural position.' Van Wissen, who performs in French with surtitles, is an amiable host, and her movement is always riveting – she imitates Mikhail Baryshnikov at one point, flings in Beyoncé at another. But at an unbroken 110 minutes, the event is nearly as long as the ballet itself, and though interesting, it's not as illuminating as it needs to be. Star ratings (out of five)Cunningham Forever (BIPED & Beach Birds) ★★★★Giselle… ★★★
Telegraph
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Cunningham Forever: Bask in the strange, hypnotic beauty of a great choreographer
Somebody once asked dancer-turned-choreographer Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) what one particular piece of his was about. His reply was simple: 'It's about 40 minutes.' An alumnus of Martha Graham's trailblazing company, and the longtime companion of composer John Cage, he was modern dance's great abstract expressionist. Which, rather in the vein of drip-fiend Jackson Pollock, has made him the genius choreographer that even devoted dance fans are 'allowed' to dislike. Cunningham pioneeringly introduced chance into the creative process, with steps and score generally distant acquaintances at most. He tended to rehearse his dancers – with daunting rigour – in silence, meaning that the first time they'd hear the score would be at the work's premiere. Small wonder the choreographer Mark Morris, his similarly revered but famously 'musical' compatriot, has expressed reservations. Depending on point of view, either everything or nothing 'happens' in Cunningham's pieces, which are not entirely un-balletic in terms of the poise and discipline required (if absolutely not ballet), and which dancers are required to deliver with entirely impassive faces. His work teases, suggests, evokes – but anyone hoping for anything even remotely resembling a narrative, or even any kind of conventional stylistic or dramatic beginning, middle or end, will be thwarted. The two pieces on offer from the visiting and well-drilled Lyon Opera Ballet, as part of this month's London-wide Dance Reflections, are a case in point. They begin, they go through a labyrinth of different and random-feeling permutations. And then, when you least expect it, the curtain descends: that's it, folks. Beach Birds (1991), which opens the bill, sees an octet of dancers extremely loosely pretending to be just that. Half an hour long, it's a strange, extraordinarily serene confection, one whose visual and choreographic elements – all hinting at the title, without any of them entirely going there – coalesce perfectly. Designer Marsha Skinner has the cast wearing black-and-white unitards with black gloves, and the action playing out against a subtly changing cyclorama that might (or might not) represent the passing of a day. Cage's score-cum-soundscape alternates between deadpan individual piano notes and a kind of shimmering, Pink Floydian gurgle that could be waves retreating from a sun-dappled pebbly shoreline, or else just good old electronic static. And amid all this, the dancers – either individually, or else in groups of two, three, or more, one cluster seeming to spark another off at random – hop, strike poses and flicker their limbs in a manner that's neither entirely avian nor entirely human. It's as if Cunningham has metamorphosed them into a curious kind of flesh-and-blood, animal/human pun, but in the most benign and beautiful way. Heftier in terms of both length (50 minutes) and cast (14), 1999's BIPED comes across as a high-tech, virtual-reality cousin of its alfresco forebear. Playing out to Gavin Bryars's artful wash of electronica, its actual steps were formulated with the help of DanceForms software, with Cunningham then deploying motion-capture to create huge avatars of the dancers that intermittently skitter, skip and twirl across the otherwise invisible gauze at the front of the stage. Its sheer length makes it quite a commitment on the part of the audience. And unlike Beach Birds, it occasionally (in one quintet, particularly) revealed cracks in the dancers' unity on Wednesday's opening night. Resist trying to impose conventional order on it, however – even if you might eke out an elegiac note at its close – and this kaleidoscopic symphony of sound, light and movement can (and here did) cast quite a spell. Cunningham forever? You wouldn't entirely bet against it.
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The week in dance: Trisha Brown Dance Company & Noé Soulier: Working Title & In the Fall; Osipova/Linbury
Trying to see the past through contemporary eyes is one of the great challenges of dance. It's particularly difficult with the works of the great American pioneers of the postmodern period, the group who gathered at Judson church in New York and transformed everyday movement into abstract art: Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, Lucinda Childs and Trisha Brown. Watching films of their endeavours from the 1960s onwards, their radicalism is clear, but today it's sometimes hard to discern the gleam of inspiration, the absolute conviction that made them so influential. Now the enterprising Van Cleef & Arpels festival Dance Reflections, which is filling London with a huge variety of dance until 8 April, offers a chance to do just that. Brown died in 2017, but her company have continued, and on a single bill they perform two works. One, Working Title, has been slightly adapted from Brown's 1985 choreography; the other, In the Fall (2023), is by French dance-maker Noé Soulier. Both are limpidly beautiful and performed with grace and poise by eight exceptional dancers. Yet it's Brown's piece, which sets them running and turning across the stage like excitable children finding their feet, that has all the vitality. Accompanied by music by Peter Zummo that floats in and out, and with lighting by Beverly Emmons that pastes the floor with subtle strips of colour, Working Title has a jazzy sensibility that seems to run through every body, as repetitive steps and minute calibrations of movement build a scene of constant motion. Its energetic jumps and loose arms have a sense of continual inventiveness. In Soulier's In the Fall, the experimentation is more overt. This tribute to Brown plays with the falling body, creating geometrically extended shapes, but it feels like an academic exercise rather than a voyage of discovery. The Russian ballerina Natalia Osipova has based her career on exploration as she leaves behind the bravura classical roles with which she made her name. In her latest offering for the Royal Ballet, she assumes the mantle of two female groundbreakers and then adds a twist all of her own. In Errand into the Maze (1947), she invokes Martha Graham's choreography as the female battler who must suppress her own fear as she encounters Marcelino Sambé's Minotaur. Osipova lends the stylised steps both ferocity and shaded emotion; she captures the joy of triumph as well as terror. Yet her intelligence comes to life more strongly in the other two pieces. In Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan (1976), choreographed by Frederick Ashton as a memory of a dancer who inspired him, and beautifully filmed by Grigory Dobrygin (the film is screened halfway through the show), Osipova runs in peach chiffon, turning, jumping and falling with freedom and a haunted expression that beautifully conjures Duncan. The Exhibition, a new work by the Norwegian Jo Strømgren, is a piece of comic dance theatre in which two strangers (Osipova and the expressive Christopher Akrill) meet in an art gallery. She talks voluble Russian; he's annoyed. But gradually her needling presence unlocks something in him, in a developing relationship shown in fluid movement and clever words. It's gentle but rewarding, a perfect vehicle for Osipova's vivid dramatic talent. Star ratings (out of five)Working Title & In the Fall ★★★★Osipova/Linbury ★★★★
