This week’s Flashback Friday features five trips to the ballet, a dance medium I have come to appreciate and enjoy as a reviewer over the last two decades. Ballet is a wondrous and beautiful expression of dance. It can be dramatic and powerful as it can be carefree and blissful, but it is always powerful and relevant.
Revisit these five reviews with us at Entertainment South wales and if that whets your appetite – make a date with Ballet Cymru as they present their latest version of Cinderella for all to enjoy online next week!
Ballet Cymru presented Cinderella at Newport’s Riverfront Theatre in May 2015
Ballet Cymru – Cinderella
The Riverfront, Newport
May, 2015
“…stereotypical characterisations are stripped away to return Cinderella’s rags to riches tale to its darker roots told amid spectacular and dramatic choreography…”
Northern Ballet presented Victoria at Cardiff’s New Theatre in May 2019
Northern Ballet – Victoria
New Theatre, Cardiff
May 2019
“Contemporary while retaining a classical air, I found Victoria compelling from start to finish and among some of the finest ballet I have ever witnessed.”
English Youth Ballet partnered with local youngsters to present Sleeping Beauty at Cardiff’s New Theatre in 2016.
English Youth Ballet – Sleeping Beauty
New Theatre, Cardiff
August 2016
“While it would be unfair to single out any particular child from the performance tonight it would also be very difficult to choose one as all the performances were excellent and there was not one child out of place all night.”
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia are an annual attraction at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall with their presentation, The Nutcracker
Russian State Ballet of Siberia – The Nutcracker
St David’s Hall, Cardiff
December 2014
“As traditional as the tale is, The Nutcracker still remains very contemporary, its story displaying elements of heroic battles and fantastical escapism.”
Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood got the ballet treatment from Independent Ballet Wales in November 2008
Independent Ballet Wales’ Under Milk Wood
The Riverfront, Newport
November 2008
It was good to see the audience enjoying this production. I felt it encapsulated Thomas creations beautifully, caricatured as they are, but also giving making them believable.