DISCOVER DANCE
Explore the incredible dance happening on your doorstep
Gentleman Jack, Northern Ballet
★★★
Hotly anticipated new ballet from Northern Ballet finally hits London. Alas, the result was a little underwhelming.
Body & Soul, English National Ballet
★★★
English National Ballet champions choreographic heavyweights alongside the new. Alas neither work truly sparkled.
Turn It Out by Tiler Peck & Friends
★★★★
New York City Ballet’s star ballerina Tiler Peck brings her four-work show to Sadler’s Wells. It was the most joyful night of theatre I’ve been to in a long time, and one weak-link away from being my first five-star show in two years.
Mary Queen of Scots, Scottish Ballet
★★★★
Scottish Ballet’s latest narrative work is the closest I’ve come to giving five-stars in an age. Alas, creating a work around such a complex political narrative was always a big ask.
Giselle, The Royal Ballet
★★★★
The Royal Ballet’s revival of Giselle is as beautiful as ever.
Pierrot Lunaire, The Royal Ballet
★★★
Glen Tetley’s 1960s work contained a brilliant trio of dancers but utterly bamboozling choreography.
Roberto Bolle and Friends
★★★★
Roberto Bolle’s inaugural London gala was a night to remember with a perfect mix of contemporary and classical works.
La Fille mal gardée, The Royal Ballet
★★★★
The Royal Ballet bring back Frederick Ashton’s signature, heritage work after nearly a decade. How will this twee countryside romcom fare through a 2020s lens?
R:Evolution, English National Ballet
★★★★
English National Ballet’s contemporary programme opens their 2025/26 Season with an exploration of the artform’s development over the past 70 years.
Gala de Danza, London
★★★
The first London Gala de Danza was a great opportunity to see a range of dance and music in one night - unfortunately its programme needed some curating.
Jane Eyre, Northern Ballet
★★★
After months of harping on about it, this author finally got to see Northern Ballet’s Jane Eyre. While wonderfully orchestrated and designed, the actual choreography felt a little top level.
Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration, BRB2
★★★★
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s junior company perform extracts from the influential repertoire of early 20th-century ballet troupe the Ballets Russes.
The Forsythe Programme, English National Ballet
★★★★
English National Ballet continue their collaboration with choreographer William Forsythe with a mixed programme of mixed results. The dancing was stupendous, alas some questionable music choices made it hard to engage.
Ballet Icons Gala 2025
★★★★
The annual one-night-only showcase of international ballet stars returns to the London Coliseum. Although a better mix of contemporary dance this year, the standout was easily a jaw-dropping rendition of Le Corsaire.
Giselle, English National Ballet
★★★★
Erina Takahashi brings emotional growth to the role of Giselle, while Precious Adams shines as a commanding Myrtha, in an ethereal performance which was slow to get going.
The Nutcracker, English National Ballet
★★★★
English National Ballet’s new Nutcracker is fizzing with magic, but Arielle Smith and Aaron S. Watkin’s updated choreography struggles to deliver.
Nutcracker in Havana, Acosta Danza
★★★★
Carlos Acosta’s new, sunnier Nutcracker is pure joy and features a Cuban reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky’s score. It’s just a shame the world building didn’t meet expectations.
Oscar, The Australian Ballet
★★★
The Australian Ballet has unveiled the world’s first ballet set around an LGBTQ+ relationship. Oscar, by Christopher Wheeldon, is a biography of the writer Oscar Wilde. At times moving and tender, it is overcomplicated with additional characters making the story hard to follow.
Frontiers, National Ballet of Canada
★★ to ★★★★
The National Ballet of Canada return to London after over a decade with a mixed programme of varying results. While James Kudelka and Emma Portner’s pieces struggled at times, Crystal Pite’s Angels’ Atlas was an impressive finale.
Akram Khan’s Giselle, English National Ballet
★★★★
Another bucket list ballet. This time our author finally gets to see Akram Khan’s version of Giselle performed by English National Ballet. Was ‘Giselle with sticks’ worth the wait?