Washington balletgoers rarely get to see the National Ballet of Canada so it is a special treat when this extraordinary company performs at the Kennedy Center, as it is now through Sunday, February 2. Following a mixed repertoire earlier this week, the troupe kicked off the first of five performances of its opulent Sleeping Beauty […]
Dance review: Atlanta Ballet’s innovative and first-class Nutcracker
Washingtonians are unusually lucky to have two top-notch Nutcrackers to choose from every year. The Washington Ballet’s charming D.C.-themed production is an area favorite and it is always interesting to see productions from the ballet companies the Kennedy Center presents annually. This year’s offering by the Atlanta Ballet, which opened Wednesday night and runs through […]
The Washington Ballet’s NEXTsteps: breathtaking, athletic, beguiling
Honest artistry is flourishing at the Washington Ballet these days and it was on delightful display Thursday night when the company opened NEXTsteps, a program of three world premieres that runs through Sunday at the Harman Center for the Arts. Of the three works, Reverence, choreographed by Jessica Lang, a former member of Twyla Tharp’s […]
Review: Paquita from The Mariinsky Ballet, rarely produced and newly conceived
The Mariinksy Ballet marks its annual appearance at the Kennedy Center this week with an unusual offering: a full-length three-act Paquita, a ballet that is rarely performed in its entirety. While it is worth seeing for that reason alone, this production fuses new and historic choreography in interesting ways. Most ballet audiences have seen the […]
The Washington Ballet’s 2019-2020 season offers the best of classical and contemporary works
The Washington Ballet’s 2019-2020 season promises to be an interesting mix of classical and contemporary ballets, and will without a doubt delight both hard-core traditionalists and dance lovers seeking adventurous contemporary works. The season runs from October 2019 through May 2020 at several venues across town. It will be artistic director Julie Kent’s fourth season […]
The Kennedy Center’s 2019-2020 Season of Ballet and Dance: An Embarrassment of Riches for Washington Dance Lovers
The Kennedy Center’s 2019/2020 Ballet and Dance Season is an embarrassment of riches with seven of the world’s top ballet companies, and nine stellar modern and contemporary dance troupes. The ballet season opens on October 8, 2019 with the Mariinsky Ballet. The august institution has been a regular on the Kennedy Center’s annual roster for […]
Review: Mariinsky Ballet’s Le Corsaire, a high-flying springtime treat
Out of all the ballets in the classical cannon, Le Corsaire possesses one of the thinnest and most nonsensical plot lines around, but who cares. Lovers of classical dance have been flocking to this ballet for more than 150 years for the high-flying choreography and the Mariinsky Ballet’s production, at the Kennedy Center through Sunday, […]
Review: Balanchine, Peck, Abraham and Robbins: New York City Ballet enters a new era of hope and revived energy
New York City Ballet returns to Washington this week for its annual visit to the Kennedy Center with two programs that include two works from the company’s legendary founder George Balanchine, a Justin Peck ballet, a new work from Kyle Abraham, and a number of offerings from Jerome Robbins. There is a lot to see […]
The Washington Ballet’s new Sleeping Beauty is both grand and intimate, a glittering success
The Washington Ballet’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty, running through Sunday at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater, is a breakthrough for D.C.’s hometown ballet company. It is also a study in high classicism. After two and a half years under the careful direction of Julie Kent and Victor Barbee, the dancers of the Washington […]
American Ballet Theatre’s Harlequinade; a comedic ballet in grand style
American Ballet Theatre’s production of Harlequinade, at the Kennedy Center through Sunday, transforms old-fashioned commedia dell’arte stock characters and situations into something elegant and beguiling. That’s largely due to the sound judgement of the ballet company’s artist in residence, Alexei Ratmansky and his careful and charming reconstruction of this Marius Petipa ballet. Les Millions d’Arlequin, […]
The Royal Ballet’s production of Mayerling, a riveting exploration of dark obsession
Opening today in major U.S. cinemas, The Royal Ballet’s production of Kenneth MacMillan’s riveting Mayerling is not for the faint of heart. It is also not recommended for children under 12. The ballet, this performance of which was filmed live last month at The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, has just about everything […]
The Washington Ballet’s modern dance program shines a fresh light on venerable works
The Washington Ballet’s Contemporary Masters program, which opened Wednesday night at the Harman Center for the Arts and continues through Sunday, is a master class in late 20th Century modern dance works that is both thought-provoking and awfully fun to watch.
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