Dance to look forward to in 2020
Exciting UK premieres, a sad goodbye and a welcome revival – that's London Dance 2020
English National Ballet's Anniversary Gala, Coliseum
2020 starts in glamorous fashion, as English National Ballet celebrates its 70th anniversary with a couple of star-studded galas at the London Coliseum, featuring key works from the company's illustrious history.
ENB, Etudes. Photo: Laurent Liotardo
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Bluebeard, Sadler's Wells
London firm favourites Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch return to Sadler's Wells with a rarely performed work never before seen in Britain – While Listening to a Tape Recording of Béla Bartók’s ‘Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.'
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Bluebeard. Photo: Maarten van den Abeele
Akram Khan's Creature, ENB, Sadler's Wells
For his second full length collaboration with English National Ballet, Akram Khan turns his attention to the terrible consequences of human overreach, drawing inspiration from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein among other sources.
Read more ...Richard Alston Dance Company, Final Edition, Sadler's Wells
Final Edition marks the sad closure of Richard Alston Dance Company, which for the past 25 years has brought us the pure enjoyment of dance. The company goes out on a high, with a programme of new and much loved repertoire pieces.
Read more ...Crystal Pite/Jonathon Young, Revisor, Sadler's Wells
Following the success of their first collaboration, Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright Jonathon Young return to Sadler's Well with their new work, Revisor.
Read more ...The Royal Ballet, Swan Lake, Royal Opera House
The Royal Ballet's sumptuous new production of the timeless classic Swan Lake has its first revival two years after its triumphant debut at Covent Garden. The company's current strength in depth will provide established casts alongside much-anticipated debuts for the ill-fated lovers, the Swan Princess Odette/Odile and Siegfried, her Prince.
Marianela Nuñez as Odile, Vadim Muntagirov as Siegfried © ROH 2018 Bill Cooper
The Royal Ballet, The Dante Project, ROH
An unmatched group of luminaries from the worlds of dance, music and theatre collaborate in choreographer Wayne McGregor's latest mega-project, based on Dante's The Divine Comedy.
Read more ...Pam Tanowitz Dance, New Work for Goldberg Variations
New York based choreographer Pam Tanowitz introduced herself to London audiences last year with her audacious treatment of TS Eliot's Four Quartets. It was an instant hit garnering a raft of four- and five-star reviews. We are, therefore, giddy with anticipation at the prospect of her reading of Bach's Goldberg Variations.
New Work for Goldberg Variations revolves around a grand piano, with seven dancers extracting all feeling, rhythm and nuance from Bach's complex composition. It will be one of the dance events of the year. Details here.
Pam Tanowitz, New Work for Goldberg Variations. Photo: Marina Levitskaya
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London E2CY 8DS
BalletBoyz, Deluxe
Culture Whisper's favourite all-male troupe, BalletBoyz, mark their 20th anniversary in 2020 with a series of new and exciting projects.
The most immediate is Deluxe, a mixed bill that includes some of BalletBoyz brand-new, specially commissioned works alongside established pieces, such as Russell Maliphant's hypnotic Torsion. They are set to surprise us yet again. Details here.
BalletBoyz, Fourteen Days. Photo: Panayiotis Sinnos
Curated by Carlos: Mixed Bill, Sadler's Wells
The Cuban superstar dancer Carlos Acosta hits the ground running with his first major project as the newly installed artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Acosta has conceived an ambitious festival of dance, combining ballets by classic and contemporary composers with literature and visual arts events. And as a very special attraction, the luminous ballerina Alessandra Ferri will dance a duet with Acosta himself.
BRB Theme and Variations. Photo: Bill Cooper