Review: So Are We, León and Lightfoot – a five-star double bill from The Royal Ballet
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel flavours the spirit of contemporary ballet in León and Lightfoot’s Shoot the Moon and Salle de Danse for The Royal Ballet.
Author: Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel
Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel is a dance scholar, educator and published author. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance (2003), the Universities of Durham and Surrey, and London Metropolitan University (2013). Her doctoral research focussed on Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces (1923), and the re-imaginings by contemporary choreographers Angelin Preljocaj and Mauro Bigonzetti. Kathrina is a former director of the Society of Dance History Scholars (now Dance Studies Association). Her scholarship on ballet histories has been published in peer-reviewed anthologies and journals, as well as newspapers, high-end magazines, and online blogs. She has authored a book on the legacy of Nathalie Poutiatine and ballet in Malta (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2020) and co-edited an extensive and pioneering anthology titled The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (Oxford University Press, 2021).
-
-
Review: Debuts 3 – Leticia Dias and Joseph Sissens in The Royal Ballet’s La Fille mal gardée
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Leticia Dias and Joseph Sissens as Lise and Colas, “finding love, the Ashton way”, in Ballet’s La Fille mal gardée.
-
Interview: Of Renewals and Returns – Helen Pickett, visionary choreographer and creative
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel talks with choreographer Helen Pickett on the eve of the opening of her ballet Emma Bovary – “Be the rebel. Be daring. Take Risk.”
-
Review: Gentleman Jack with Northern Ballet – Love, lust and the life of Anne Lister
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Gentleman Jack – effective in its storytelling capacity and sits well with the 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.
-
Review: Scottish Ballet’s Mary Queen of Scots – celebrating Scots and Ballet
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Mary Queen of Scots, a new and intriguing work from Scottish Ballet.
-
Review: Lauren Cuthbertson in Woolf Works – A Sublime Return
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees the exquisite Lauren Cuthbertson’s return to the stage in Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works with The Royal Ballet.
-
Review: ZooNation’s Ebony Scrooge – Something to Shout About!
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees ZooNation’s adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, “Ebony Scrooge” – a winning production with a stellar group of dancers.
-
Review: Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – the masterful storyteller returns
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees New Adventures in The Midnight Bell with Matthew Bourne exploring different kinds of love through “intricately beautiful choreography”.
-
Review: Ballet to Broadway – it’s all-Wheeldon at The Royal Ballet
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Ballet to Broadway, The Royal Ballet’s programme of four Christopher Wheeldon works.
-
William Forsythe’s Ballets: Writing/Watching in a Contemporary Fashion
After seeing English National Ballet’s The Forsythe Programme, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel reflects on William Forsythe’s career… so far.
-
Review: Olga Smirnova is Lady Macbeth in Helen Pickett’s new ballet in Amsterdam
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees the Dutch National Ballet in the world premiere of Helen Pickett’s new ballet with Lady Macbeth “telling her side of the story”.
-
Review: Robyn Orlin’s ‘We wear our wheels’ – eloquently paced, irreverent, and poignant
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Robyn Orlin’s “colourful, engaging, thought-provoking” ‘We wear our wheels’ in London, remembering the Rickshaws of KwaZulu-Natal.
-
Review: Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born “delivered some truly beautiful moments”
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born, which has great potential with the ensemble’s powerful presence.
-
Review: The Royal Ballet’s Cinderella – A Magical Evening
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees The Royal Ballet’s Cinderella in London – If there is one thing you do this Christmastime, catch a performance of this version of Cinderella
-
Review: Ballet Black’s Heroes at the Royal Opera House – “a joyous event ”
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Ballet Black’s Heroes at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House – I can’t rave about this double bill, but this was a joyous event, nonetheless.
-
Review: Mixed ‘Encounters’ – contemporary ballet remains alive at the Opera House
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees The Royal Ballet’s ‘Encounters: Four Contemporary Ballets’ – “Tanowitz masters the art of creating ballets that keep their audiences engaged.”
-
Review: The National Ballet of Canada in London – Pite/Kudelka/Portner
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees The National Ballet of Canada London in Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada – Pite/Kudelka/Portner.
-
Review: Zoonation’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at The Royal Opera House – Deliciously Mad
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Zoonation’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at The Royal Opera House – “If this is the future of theatre entertainment, then this deliciously mad production is just what audiences need.”
-
[Review] New York City Ballet in London – “A Stellar Return”
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees the New York City Ballet in London in a mixed bill: Rotunda, Duo Concertant, Gustave le Gray No.1, and Love Letter (on shuffle).
-
[Review] Empower in Motion: A Ballet Inclusive – “A joyous celebration of all people dancing”
Empower in Motion: A Ballet Inclusive, a fundraising event, brought out the best of people, leaving its audience hopeful in times of conflict and uncertainty.
-
[Review] The Royal Ballet in Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project – “a masterpiece”
McGregor’s stellar group capture the spirit of Dante as The Royal Ballet’s The Dante Project returns for the first time since its 2021 premiere.
-
[Review] Ballet Black’s ‘Nina Simone: By Whatever Means’ – Playing the Right Notes
Ballet Black at the Linbury Theatre with rising stars Mthuthuzeli November, choreographer, and Isabela Coracy who plays singer-songwriter Nina Simone.
-
[Review] Black Sabbath Ballet… it’s a Birmingham thing
Black Sabbath: The Ballet is a crowd-pleaser. The audience is awed not just by the technical prowess of the dancers, but also by the legendary heavy metal music.
-
A final bow for Russell Janzen: From Danseur Noble to creating Contemporary Ballet
As New York City Ballet’s principal dancer Russell Janzen prepares for his final revérénce Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel asked him about his career with the company.
End of content
End of content