Review: ASTITVA with Jaivant Patel Company – a choreography of power and beauty
Graham Watts sees the Jaivant Patel Company, which has stamped an indelible – and unique – mark on the British contemporary dance scene.
Author: Graham Watts
Graham Watts is a freelance writer and dance critic. He writes for The Spectator, Tanz, Shinshokan Dance Magazine (Japan), Ballet Magazine (Romania), BachTrack and the Hong Kong International Arts Festival and has previously written for the Sunday Express, Dancing Times, Dance Europe, DanceTabs, London Dance, the Edinburgh International Festival and Pointe magazine (USA). He has also written the biography of Daria Klimentová (The Agony and the Ecstasy) and contributed chapters about the work of Akram Khan to the Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet and on Shobana Jeyasingh for the third edition of Routledge’s Fifty Contemporary Choreographers.
He is Chairman of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle and of the UK National Dance Awards and regularly lectures on dance writing and criticism at The Royal Academy of Dance, The Place and (until the war) for Balletristic in Kyiv. He was a nominee for the Dance Writing Award in the 2018 One Dance UK Awards and was appointed OBE in 2008.
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Review: Lithuanian National Ballet’s triple bill, Bodies and Codes
Graham Watts appreciates the confident, vigorous flair of the Lithuanian National Ballet’s performance of works by Wayne McGregor, Iván Pérez and Krzysztof Pastor.
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Review: Last and First Men with Neon Dance – a great deal of patience is required
Graham Watts sees Last and First Men and finds that the extreme slow pace of the choreography tends towards tedium after the initial fascination has worn thin.
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Review: The Opera Locos break all the classical rules in ‘Yllana’
Graham Watts sees The Opera Locos’ Yllana – I started in a very sceptical mood but ended as an upbeat believer!
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Review: Coco Chanel with National Ballet of Brno – an excellent biographical ballet
Graham Watts sees National Ballet of Brno in Mário Radačovský’s Coco Chanel, a work of moving and poignant intensity.
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Review: Norwegian National Opera’s Barber of Seville
Graham Watts sees Barber of Seville with Alasdair Kent (mesmerising), Lilly Jørstad (great beauty and clarity of tone), and Gurgen Baveyen (confident expression).
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Review: The Royal Ballet revives Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire
Graham Watts sees Marcelino Sambé, Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball in Pierrot Lunaire, celebrating Glen Tetley’s centenary.
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Review: Ballet Nights continues to ‘educate, entertain and impress’ with Decadance
Graham Watts sees Decadance, the tenth iteration of Ballet Nights – a high-end brand that hits the mark every time.
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Review: Compagnie le Fils du Grand Réseau in Bigre/Fish Bowl
Graham Watts sees a clever and often funny show, performed superbly by three excellent mime actors – the Compagnie le Fils du Grand Réseau in Bigre/Fish Bowl
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Review: Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Royal Ballet and Opera, programme one
Graham Watts sees a triple bill from the Paul Taylor Dance Company, including one of the best pieces of pure modern dance of the last half-century.
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Review: Gecko’s The Wedding – a feeling of randomness and surprise… and tedium
Graham Watts sees The Wedding by Gecko physical theatre company, but “could not have cared less for any of the diverse characters”.
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Review: Yorke Dance Project’s Modern Milestones, a programme of five inspirational works
Graham Watts sees Yorke Dance Project’s mixed programme that took him on a fascinating journey through some Modern Milestones.
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The best dozen dance shows of 2025 – a legacy of memories from Graham Watts’ year in dance
Dance writer Graham Watts looks back at a year of dance and chooses 12 performances from the 157 he saw during 2025.
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Review: Liudmila Konovalova guests in New English Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker
Graham Watts sees Valentino Zucchetti’s The Nutcracker with “the stellar presence” of guest artist Liudmila Konovalova.
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Review: Luca Silvestrini’s The Magic Flute – unusual and magical dance theatre
Graham Watts sees The Magic Flute by Luca Silvestrini’s Protein company – a small-scale, yet spectacular, pre-Christmas children’s show.
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Review: Marking Time – triple bill of choreography unified through the music of Nico Muhly
Graham Watts sees Marking Time with three works set to the music of Nico Muhly by choreographers Jules Cunningham, Maud Le Pladec and Michael Keegan-Dolan.
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Review: London City Ballet with works by Page, Robbins, Chu, and Ratmansky
Graham Watts sees London City Ballet’s mixed bill Rebirth, featuring Alexei Ratmansky’s “masterpiece of witty, inventive choreography” Pictures at an Exhibition.
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Review: Natalia Osipova at the Linbury Theatre continuing her rollercoaster ride
Graham Watts sees Natalia Osipova in ‘Osipova/Linbury’ – “this remarkable star of 21st century ballet continues to expand her horizons”.
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Review: Astana Opera’s production of Rossini’s La scala di seta
Graham Watts sees La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) in Kazakhstan – a performance of unbridled joy.
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Review: Astana Ballet Theatre in Two Carpets – “amongst the best new full-length narrative ballets that I have seen”
Graham Watts sees Two Carpets, the new ballet for Astana Ballet Theatre – an outstanding new entry to the global ballet repertoire.
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Review: Dance Umbrella 2025, ‘Change Tempo’ and ‘Siren Dance’ – “it was hard to imagine a greater contrast than between this odd couple”
Graham Watts sees a Dance Umbrella event with Lilian Steiner in Siren Dance and La Chachi and Lola Dolores in Random Taranto and has very mixed feelings.
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Review: Andrea Peña & Artists in Bogotá – dozing off was an instinctive temptation
Graham Watts sees Andrea Peña & Artists opening the Dance Umbrella Festival with Bogotá – “If the work wasn’t enjoyable, it was certainly intellectually challenging.”
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Review: Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate returns with The Royal Ballet
Graham Watts sees Like Water for Chocolate with Christopher Wheeldon bringing an extraordinary book to life in dance.
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Review: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s ‘Vlaemsch (chez moi)’ – a love letter to Flanders
Graham Watts sees Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Vlaemsch (chez moi) with an outstanding ensemble of dancers.
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Review: Michael Keegan-Dolan’s How to be a Dancer in Seventy-Two Thousand Easy Lessons
Graham Watts sees Michael Keegan-Dolan and Rachel Poirier in “How to be a Dancer…” – “never less than absorbing”.
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Review: Momentum with London City Ballet – astonishing maturity
Graham Watts sees London City Ballet’s return to London with Momentum – the company deserves every success.
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Review: Russell Maliphant’s Maliphantworks4 – “I could watch it repeatedly, week-after-week.”
Graham Watts sees Russell Maliphant Dance Company in Maliphantworks4 – Russell Maliphant’s dance is a perfect prescription to cleanse the soul.
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Review: Rambert Dance’s Peaky Blinders – A major success. Catch it, if you can.
Graham Watts sees Peaky Blinders with Rambert Dance, which captures the 1920s aura with aplomb.
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Review: Aakash Odedra is captivating in Songs of the Bulbul combining strength with grace
Graham Watts sees Aakash Odedra Company in Songs of the Bulbul, a sublime performance that received a rapturous, spontaneous standing ovation.
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Review: Gala De Danza in London – a showcase full of new ideas
Graham Watts sees Gala De Danza – a peculiar venue for an unusual gala, which despite the title was much more than dance.
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