The best dance of 2021
Dance beyond the lockdown
Review: Dutch National Ballet Hans van Manen Variations ★★★★★
Dutch National Ballet may well have won the battle of dance streaming with a collection of strong programmes showcasing its repertoire and excellent company. One highlight was this celebration of the grand old man of Dutch choreography, Hans van Manen.
Read more ...Review: The Royal Ballet, 21st Century Choreographers ★★★★★
The Royal Ballet returned to the stage after lockdown with a series of mixed bills. The programme of 21st-century choreographers was particularly interesting.
Read more ...Review: Note to Self, Rambert live-stream ★★★★★
Rambert crowned a year of highly creative live-streams with Note to Self, a powerful and deeply moving insight into the devastating effects of creeping dementia choreographed by its new director, Benoit Swan Pouffer.
Read more ...Review: Matthew Bourne, The Midnight Bell ★★★★★
Matthew Bourne came back at the top of his game with The Midnight Bell, an acutely observed portrayal of lonely individuals seeking companionship in a 1930s Soho tavern.
Read more ...Alessandra Ferri, L'Heure Exquise review ★★★★★
Alessandra Ferri continued her extraordinary later-life career with a mesmerising performance in Maurice Bejárt's little known chamber piece, L'Heure Exquise. Truly dazzling.
Read more ...Review: The Royal Ballet: Giselle ★★★★★
The Royal Ballet breathed new life into the timeless Romantic ballet Giselle with an unforgettable reading of the lead roles by the Russian superstar Natalia Osipova as Giselle and home-grown Reece Clarke as Albrecht.
Read more ...Review: Yorke Dance Project, Past Present ★★★★★
Yorke Dance Project brought us a welcome reminder of contemporary dance at its purest and most engaging with two programmes dedicated to one of its key exponents, the late Robert Cohan, at the Linbury Theatre.
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