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Review: Les Étoiles in Milan – staging galas is not for the faint-hearted
Graham Spicer sees the Milanese edition of Daniele Cipriani’s Les Étoiles gala and enjoyed its varied offerings, with Natalia Osipova and Aurélie Dupont stepping in at the last minute.
New Posts
Royal Opera House’s new curtains unveiled to King Charles III
Last night, the Royal Ballet and Opera unveiled its new Main Stage curtains at the Spring Gala, attended by His Majesty King Charles III.
Review: BalletBoyz’s 25th anniversary show, Still Pointless – lacking evolution
Lily Hyde sees BalleyBoyz’s ‘Still Pointless’ programme, admiring the company’s ten accomplished dancers, but finds some works… pointless?
Review: Tulsa Ballet conquers London with a balletic richness made in America
Graham Watts sees Tulsa Ballet’s ‘Made in America’ triple bill at Royal Ballet and Opera – a young, dynamic ensemble, with an overarching sense of theatre.
Review: National Ballet of Brno’s new production of Giselle with Ksenia Ovsyanick and Alejandro Virelles
Graham Watts sees Rodolfo Castellanos’ Giselle with the National Ballet of Brno – a production that stands among the very best.
Milan celebrates 80th Anniversary of La Scala’s reopening after devastating World War II bombing
World War II bombing by allied forces destroyed much of La Scala. It was rebuilt in three years and reopened with Toscanini conducting on 11 May 1946.
Review: YOU & US with Cathy Waller Company – human, nuanced, heart-warming
Lucía Piquero appreciates the humanity in Cathy Waller Company’s YOU & US, inviting us to have the courage to be seen more openly and more honestly.
English National Opera’s ENO Breathe programme proven to improve long COVID
A new study in The Lancet Digital Health shows that ENO Breathe significantly improves quality of life for people living with long COVID.
Interview: Luca Silvestrini brought his Community Dance Practice to Italy’s Proscaenium
I talked to Protein Dance’s Luca Silvestrini who led the Dance Without Limits weekend of workshops hosted by Proscaenium in Italy.
Review: The Trocks in London with Olga Supphozova taking her final bows
Jonathan Gray has been admiring Robert Carter’s dancing for over 30 years, now on his last tour with The Trocks, who were “a delight from start to finish”.
Royal Ballet and Opera unveils new stage curtains during special Gala performance
On 14 May, after 3 decades and tens of thousands of performances, the Royal Ballet and Opera unveils its new stage curtains as part of a Gala performance.
Review: McGregor / Maillot / Naharin, an eclectic triple bill at La Scala
Graham Spicer sees La Scala’s thrilling contemporary programme: Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Dov’è la luna and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16.
Interview: Tenor Dave Monaco, at 30, reflects on his journey to becoming one of the world’s most exciting opera singers.
Tenor Dave Monaco chats with Graham Spicer about his journey to becoming one of today’s most sought-after Rossini and Mozart singers.
Review: Thick & Tight in Papillons – performers and friends; a brilliantly creative space to reside in
Matthew Paluch sees Thick & Tight, the Manchester Collective, and CHAINES in Papillons – work that speaks but doesn’t shout.
Review: Louise Lecavalier in Danses Vagabondes – death by a thousand cuts
Lydia Wharf sees the latest from Louise Lecavalier – She’s an icon. She owes you nothing. Yet somehow she gives you everything, in her own inimitable style.
Interview: The Royal Ballet’s William Bracewell on his journey to Mayerling
Lily Hyde talks to William Bracewell about preparing to play Prince Rudolf in The Royal Ballet’s Mayerling, his acting process, and an unlikely source of inspiration.
(A few) International Dance Day events – 29 April 2026
Emails about many initiatives have arrived in gramilano’s inbox over the last few days for International Dance Day – 29 April 2026. Here is a selection.
Review: Shobana Jeyasingh Dance in We Caliban, an ‘inventive, sideways look’ at The Tempest
Graham Watts sees Shobana Jeyasingh’s We Caliban – I would rather see fresh ideas than this continuing trope of reinventing Shakespeare.
Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Beatrice Venezi – set to become the theatre’s first music director – cut ties
Beatrice Venezi will no longer be music director at Teatro La Fenice in Venice after the conductor’s interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
Review: Norwegian National Ballet in Tungrodd / Rahčamuš / Raataminen – preserving identity
Graham Watts sees Tungrodd, a “softly expressive and powerfully expansive” semi-autobiographical work by Sámi choreographer Simone Grøtte from Northern Norway.
Review: The Great Chevalier with the diva-ish enfant terrible and Artistic Director of the Ballet National Folklorique du Luxembourg
Matthew Paluch sees The Great Chevalier, in which the diva-ish Mr Chevalier shares the stage with his company’s Executive Director Simone Mousset, in a work often uncomfortably close to home.
Review: Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote with Birmingham Royal Ballet – a frothy delight
Lily Hyde sees BRB’s Don Quixote and is impressed by the lead dancers, the orchestrations, and the design, though disappointed by the corps de ballet.
Interview: Royal Ballet Principal Calvin Richardson on life before and after Mayerling
After his debut in the ballet Mayerling, The Royal Ballet’s Calvin Richardson spoke with Lily Hyde about his dream role and his career as Principal Dancer.
Review: International Draft Works 2026 – an outstanding initiative by The Royal Ballet
Graham Watts sees International Draft Works – three distinctly memorable works among a satisfying, broad spectrum of ideas and styles.
Review: Marianela Nuñez and Patricio Revé in the Norwegian National Ballet’s La Bayadère
Graham Watts sees La Bayadère in Oslo where two stellar dancers shared the stage with an excellent company.
Review: Wayne McGregor’s Alchemies – changing expectations at The Royal Ballet
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Wayne McGregor: Alchemies with The Royal Ballet – This exhilarating triple bill is the very essence of alchemies of curiosity: absorbing, engaging, daring.
Interview: Ulrik Birkkjaer on staging La Sylphide for San Francisco Ballet
Ulrik Birkkjaer talks to Ann Haskins about staging La Sylphide for San Francisco Ballet – port de bras, jumps and mime.