Lovesong, Lyric, Hammersmith

I love the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith: aside from the fact that it is a just a bus ride from home, Hammersmith is a nostalgic place for me, just round the corner from the school where I spent seven years. The theatre itself has a lovely auditorium, much like a small West End venue. The Lyric is a lively environment to experience and the press evenings here are always fun with music jamming, friendly mingling and fresh hot pizza handed round, it's a blast.

This month the Lyric welcomes Abi Morgan’s touching love story, ‘Lovesong', a production by FRANTIC ASSEMBLY, an exciting contemporary physical theatre company I have wanted to see in action for a while. The play spans forty years: the marriage of Maggie and Billy, the aging process they endure and how their love changes over time. We watch the youthful couple William (Edward Bennett) and Margaret (Leanne Rowe) in their 20s excitedly embarking on a life together, and also their older selves Maggie (Sian Phillips) and Billy (Sam Cox) as they remember and reminiscence. The action is delicately and completely intertwined, flicking between the two eras constantly… Maggie opens the wardrobe and Margaret slips out instead. I found the older couple more convincing; Sam Cox gives a sensitive rendition of the helpless husband while Sian Phillips is heartbreaking as the dying wife.

The script is very fluid but can be disorientating - at times I wished for more detail, especially regarding Maggie’s dehabilitating illness. However this is where the dance and clever choreography works so well, as the physicality effectively captures the passing of time: beautifully lyrical and transient movement that each of the four actors handled impressively. The play is accompanied by Carolyn Downing’s powerful soundtrack, it supports the script if a little vague and abstract at times.

Lovesong manages to grip the audience for the full ninety minutes, and the day I went, the theatre remained eerily silent throughout, everyone seemed captivated by the truthful love affair.

You would have to be pretty cold-hearted to leave the theatre feeling completely untouched, I was certainly worried about my mascara smudging.

Lovesong continues at The Lyric until 4 February, book here.

The Nutcracker, Royal Opera House

We very nearly didn’t make it to the New Year’s Eve performance of the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House. Tired and discouraged by the gloomy wet weather we were tempted to stay in with a cup of tea in front of the fire. Reminding myself (and my friend) of the uplifting music and sumptuousness of the Royal Opera House productions, we jumped in the car and sped towards Covent Garden, before we could change our minds again.

Uninterested by the mad New Year's Eve nightlife in London, a trip to see the Royal Ballet seemed a perfectly civilised and special alternative. We followed the crowds of best dressed kids up into our cheap seats, and I gleefully got out my beautiful vintage opera glasses I was given for Christmas.

The ballet was beautiful as ever, stunning dancing, costumes and set, and with an orchestra of tremendous force and quality. The interpretation of the story however did confuse me slightly, and I prefer the English National’s Ballet’s more romantic and traditional take on this classic work.

The story begins and ends in the toymaker's workshop, instead of in Clara’s bedroom, strangely making the narrative less enchanting, leaving the audience bewildered about the logistics of the tale, is it a dream or not? We never meet Clara as a child, instead lead ballerina Leanne Cope dances as the young girl throughout, also taking part in the second half show performances which is very odd. Perhaps I have been misled as I grew up with the English National Ballet version, however I think even for a Nutcracker first timer this story choice would be incongruous.

Moving down surreptitiously to a superior box for the second half (I spotted it during Act 1) we had a magnificent view of the production, and it truly sparkles. Leanne Cope is so smiley, it is impossible not to enjoy her performance as Clara and Paul Kay shows great strength and character dancing as her partner, the Nutcracker. Several of the cast were away for our performance but the substitutes were certainly not second rate, Marianela Nunez is a very precise and elegant Sugar Plum Fairy and Yuhui Choe is poised and lovely as the pretty in pink Rose Fairy.

It was quite simply beautiful, the perfect afternoon out, and the perfect way to end 2011.

Continues until 18 January, book here.

The Nutcracker, English National Ballet, Coliseum

For me it doesn't feel like Christmas until I've seen the English National Ballet production of The Nutcracker. Since singing in this show as a child, it has become an essential part of my festive season, symbolising the start of Christmas.

Every year I notice something different about the production, a tiny detail that particularly delights me. Thanks to talented choreographer Wayne Eagling, the last few years of the ENB Christmas show have been unbeatable. This year I was amazed by the exceptional children, who seem to take on more ensemble and solo dancing than ever before and dance with a confidence and vivacity to rival the adults. Siblings Lowri and Rowan Shone take on the parts of young Clara and Freddie, and they are both wonderful actors, producing witty mock arguments and dancing well too.

I was pleased to hear the snowflake chorus being sung live once more. Saving costs by not using a separate children's choir, the English National Ballet kids have to step up to the challenge, and though they look very pretty they don't quite reach the top notes securely.

Bridgett Zehr dances as Clara, her debut in this role. Zehr is a strong dancer, though her strained facial expressions often distracted me. She moves elegantly and eloquently on stage and as she dances the Sugar Plum Fairy her talent is evident. She makes a good foil to her partner, Nephew, danced by Esteban Berlanga. Together they produce some classic showy dancing, they make it look seamless and effortless and it was beautiful to watch.

The set looks even more spectacular than usual, with a mock ice skating rink, a growing Christmas tree, falling snow and flying hot air balloons... a dose of Christmas magic for children and adults alike, so imaginative and brilliantly executed that it makes you gasp when the curtain rises.

The orchestra seem to have a great time in the pit, you can tell they enjoy playing this annual piece of Tchaikovsky. Conductor Gavin Sutherland gives a sterling performance leading the troops, he puts his heart and soul into coordinating the musicians and dancers. My only quibble is that I think the orchestra could be a touch louder throughout.

As enchanting as ever, I am in no doubt that this is the Nutcracker production that best captures the essence of Christmas, and if you see any this is the one to pick.

Visit the website to book here.

Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement, Royal Academy of Arts

Dance was Degas’ obsession, throughout his life he examined and depicted figures with a hunger to show movement accurately and beautifully. He had no need to make money, his family were wealthy enough to support his vocation, and looking around the Royal Academy’s tribute to the artist, I wondered whether Degas ever intended these works to be displayed at all. Without the need and struggle to earn a living, Degas created art for his own enjoyment, his desire to realistically demonstrate figures in motion was a personal challenge.

The ‘Picturing Movement’ exhibition at the Royal Academy documents all aspects of the artist’s obsession through not only paintings and drawings but also photography and the influence this innovation had on his work is well covered. The earlier paintings were the most recognisable to me - demure scenes from the ballet rendered with a subdued palette. Though Degas shows examples of movement here, it is often calculated and carefully measured; sometimes the models were required to hold tricky en pointe poses for hours so Degas could capture ‘a single moment’.

His later work demonstrates an urgency - paintings that are busier, blurred and colourful; the looser brushstrokes show greater freedom and expression. A room is dedicated to the paintings of Russian dancers, an obvious preoccupation for him at the end of the 19^th Century. They are wonderfully dramatic but show less of the romanticism of the earlier pictures, instead there is a sensuality which draws the viewer in. Whereas in the earlier paintings we are voyeurs at a private rehearsal watching the shy ballerinas, here the show is blasé, in your face, they want us to watch them performing and dancing.

My favourite aspect of this show is the lovely sculpture, of which ‘Little Dancer, aged fourteen’ is of course the most famous, the largest and most exquisite, made in painted bronze and adorned with delicate muslin and silk. It is also the only sculpture exhibited in Degas’ lifetime. It is spectacular to see such fragile ballerinas moving with fluidity and yet cast in the toughest most solid bronze, it is a curious juxtaposition of movement and material.

Degas’ work has a timeless beauty and dignity and this exhibition presents this, I would happily go again and again, to wander round in a dream.

Degas exhibition continues until 11 December, book here.

The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

It took a minute to remind ourselves of the story of Sleeping Beauty, without getting confused and preoccupied by Snow White and Cinderella. Turns out Sleeping Beauty is the one who if she pricks her finger is destined to die, thanks to a mean wicked fairy who places a curse on her at birth. Luckily a kind fairy partially reverses this enchantment so Sleeping Beauty will only fall asleep for one hundred years. The inevitable happens and the princess falls into a deep sleep for a century until awoken by a prince who breaks the spell, then they all live happily ever after.

Once I’d recapped all that, I was free to enjoy the dancing on the Royal Opera House stage, which was, as usual, quite spectacular. Unfortunately we were once again slumming it in the slips... as previously in the interval I skipped down a few floors to take up empty stalls seated but on this night the stewards were having none of it. It seems to me that the posher the theatre the ruder the stewards are, it is a rule that certainly applies to the Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall. We were unkindly escorted back upstairs, the power hungry manager didn’t believe I even had tickets!

As is often the case in ballet, the narrative is loose and to a certain extent unimportant. The beautiful score by Tchaikovsky tells the story as much as any indications on stage and it is the dancing and awe-inspiring skill that the crowd come to see. Marianela Nunez is radiant as the pretty in pink Princess Aurora, she lights up the whole auditorium with her glowing smile and dances with an elegant ease. Nunez is amazingly light footed and yet possesses a strength that shows confidence and maturity.

I am not in a position to judge ballet technique and yet all the fairies, particularly the Lilac Fairy, Claire Calvert and Helen Crawford as the Fairy of the Woodland Glade really stand out as exceptional, perfectionist dancers, completely faultless throughout. Marius Petipa’s choreography is dynamic, especially the ensemble work and he takes extra care with the final poses making full use of the stage.

I was disappointed with the set, rather lacklustre and flimsy it doesn’t evoke the magical fairytale world I was hoping for, luckily the dancing makes up for it. It was a real shame about the stewards, as their officiousness threatened to ruin our night and at somewhere like the Royal Opera House I would expect more from the staff.

The Sleeping Beauty continues until 21 December, book here.

Napoletango, the Latin Neapolitan musical, London Coliseum

With summer comes the arrival of foreign touring companies, ready to delight London audiences with their best material. It is a chance for us to see something a little different. A few nights ago I was invited see Napoletango, the Latin Neapolitan musical, on the great Coliseum stage; the European company had a big task to fill the famous auditorium. After acclaimed performances at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, and a sold out run across Italy, I was excited to find out what is so special about this show.

The story is quite simple: the Incoronato family are a travelling troupe of twenty entertainers, all have a passion for Tango and hope to achieve their dream to perform on Broadway. The production includes every aspect of the group’s journey from street to stage. Embracing individualism and celebrating the human spirit, the group is made up of very different characters, in an effort to show that anyone, with passion and determination can dance the tango.

It is the scenes from everyday life that are the most touching. We watch the company sleep in a squalid tavern, shower naked (!), even cook an Italian dish on stage - it is endearing and affecting, and seemed to immediately capture the hearts of the Coliseum audience.

The show is often mad and completely chaotic, and at times I was completely lost... it doesn’t help that much of the spoken conversations on stage are not translated. However the musical is imaginative and sensual, and I personally always enjoy experiencing something completely new even if I leave feeling a little perplexed. Every member of the large cast seems completely devoted to their role and and contributes to the magical spirit on stage. In the curtain call one girl seemed to be crying with pride, so chuffed by the audience's standing ovation and rapturous applause.

Of the cast, only two are professional tango dancers. Pablo Canaro is the most spectacular, moving with elegance and charisma across the expansive stage. Originally rejected and mistreated by the Incoronato family because they don’t understand the dance steps, he is eventually accepted and gives a staggering final performance in the Argentinian Tango.

Sadly Napoletango only visited London briefly with performances at the beginning of August, but it is worth checking out the website here to find out more about this exceptional and truly unique theatre company.

http://www.teatroeliseo.it

Devil's Festival at The Print Room

After a successful first year The Print Room present to you The Devil's Festival, an eclectic mix of dance, music, theatre and art projects. This two week summer bonanza brings together all aspects of the creative world in some exciting contemporary pieces, celebrating the inspiring new work of talented young artists, choreographers, and performers. I went along to the final invited dress rehearsal to check it out before anyone else.

It was pouring with rain, and visitors to the Print Room were huddled in their tiny foyer pleased to be somewhere dry. First up in the rehearsal was the dance piece, 'Kanaval' choreographed by Hubert Essakow. The routine is inspired by the photographs of Leah Gordon and the film The Devine Horsemen, some of which are on display elsewhere in The Print Room vicinity. It is performed by Benny Maslov, Benjamin Ord, Hannah Rudd and Fukiko Takase and is the longest of the four featured festival pieces. There is something instantly aggressive about the movement and gestures we are watching, the dancers are almost animalistic. It is striking and in some places quite harrowing to watch such force, but I found it moving and gripping, and was hugely impressed with the dancers' unfaltering stamina.

The next two plays were'Swan Song' by Anton Chekhov and 'Fewer Emergencies' by Martin Crimp. The Chekhov piece is only 18 minutes long, and the playwright claimed to have written it in just one hour and five minutes. The play shows a brief encounter with aging actor, Svetlovidov and is pretty much a monologue, an afterthought of his life in the theatre and his love of the stage. Malcolm Rennie gives a stunning performance as Svetlovidov, nuanced and believable and carefully thought through. Despite its brief length it felt like we were being given a real insight into this characters life.

The second dramatic piece is a short play from trendy and fiercely modern playwright Martin Crimp. Don't expect to understand it, I couldn't, we listen to bursts of conversation excerpts that are entirely abstract and bizarre. The acting here is impressive too, with particularly convincing performances from the two girls Emma Dallow and Nicola Harrison.

Finally we are treated to Petra Jean Philipson's incredible sound and light installation. While we wait in the foyer a huge white tent is put up in the theatre, filled entirely with white fluffy pillows. We are invited inside, but not until we have slipped into more appropriate outfits: all in one white paper boiler suits complete with hoods and booties! After everyone stopped giggling and got over the novelty of the idea it was quiet and contemplative in the tent. ‘Of the things we do not see’ is an experience that is supposed to heal your body using creative stimuli. Amazing Mongolian singing and music sooths you gently and the vibrations melt peacefully into your body. It is an amazing concept and the 20 minutes of meditation were not enough for me, I soon fell asleep and would have been quite happy to spend the night in this wonderfully calm structure.

The Festival is on now, for two weeks until Saturday 2 July. Only on Saturdays will all four pieces be available to see, on weekday nights the shows will alternate, each pair showing every other night, book here.

Manon, Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House

Last Thursday I attended Manon, Massenet’s ballet at the Royal Opera House, in what was the 223rd performance of the piece at this venue. It is a popular programming choice and offers two wonderful lead roles that are surprisingly character driven. We had (the cheapest) £6 standing tickets, in the upper slips, and so our view was rather restricted. Craftily though, before the lights went down, we clued up on which seats were left empty in the stalls, and in the first of the two intervals we crept down to enjoy the rest of the show from a premium vantage point!

Manon, a French girl is on her way to enter a convent. Her brother Lescaut, noticing a wealthy gentleman’s attraction to Manon comes to an arrangement with him. Meanwhile she falls in love with Des Grieux, an attractive young student. Torn between wealth and love, Manon struggles throughout the ballet to decide on which man to choose. As a result of her mischievous behaviour, her brother is killed and she is arrested and deported as a prostitute. The faithful Des Grieux follows her to America, where an exhausted and frail Manon dies in his arms.

Due to Edward Watson’s last minute injury, the role of Des Grieux was played by Steven McRae, an Australian dancer who I saw most recently in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Watson’s absence was our gain: McRae gave a heartbreaking rendition of the desperate lover, as believable as it was skilful. Leanne Benjamin is pretty and tempting as the enchanting minx, Manon. She dances superbly, and despite being very petite, fills the stage with her perfect pointe and fluttering steps. As I watched I could hear the audience members around me gasping at her intensity and brilliance.

Kenneth MacMillan's choreography is impressive in its vitality and dramatic strength which brings the story to life. Occasionally some of the chorus routines feel a little clumsy and less composed than the sublime solo moments. The design, from Nicholas Georgiadis is stunning - I love the final mysterious jungle, with long green vines twirling down through which the main couple dance.

Perhaps not as inventive as the brilliant Alice ballet, but beautiful nonetheless.

Manon continues until 9 May 2011, book here.

Alice in Wonderland ballet at The Royal Opera House

I booked tickets for the Royal Ballet’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ at The Royal Opera House way back in September which was lucky because despite only starting its run this March the entire run sold out last October six months ahead of the performances, too early for the popularity to be explained by the Black Swan phenomenon. So what is it that has made this new ballet such a predetermined hit?

Alice is the first full length work to be created by the Royal Ballet since 1995. Here finally is a piece to rival the Nutcracker’s supremacy, perhaps enough to knock it off the top spot. The mysterious tale is popular with adults and children alike as witnessed by the success of Tim Burton's recent film. It was just a matter of time before it was adapted and staged as a ballet.

This is storytelling at its very best, with no detail of Lewis Carroll’s original book neglected. Christopher Wheeldon is a provocative choreographer who seems to have examined the qualities of the narrative. The magic is all there, magnified even with an exquisite set and breathtaking puppetry. Even with the financial support that Wheeldon was fortunate to receive, the staging presents some seemingly impossible tasks... episodes like the growing and shrinking Alice are achieved miraculously.

Lauren Cuthbertson is a fresh, gracious and inquisitive young Alice. She has the ability to capture real emotion through both her dancing and her cheeky facial expressions; she is utterly engaging throughout. It is a big role to play, she barely leaves the stage, and when she isn’t falling or racing about, her time is spent twisting and twirling. The narrative is slightly altered in this adaptation: though lured down the rabbit hole by the bonkers white rabbit, it is the gardener’s boy (Sergei Polunin) she is keen to pursue, a love interest that is very much a part of the new storyline.

The music, by Joby Talbot, is suitably weird and wonderful; led by a huge percussion section of five bold players, the melodies soar and the rhythms match the dizzying story perfectly. I was sitting directly above the orchestra (high up in the £8 seats!) and could see the power and energy of the conductor Barry Wordsworth, the new score is obviously exciting them as much as it is being gratefully received by us. The music is at times very filmic but nonetheless very danceable and appropriate for Lewis Carroll.

I have played an evil red Queen in my time as a performer and can say she is a fabulously fun villain to be; fierce Zenaida Yanowsky triumphs as the Queen of Hearts relishing every ounce of nastiness much to the delight of the audience. She arrives in a red heart chariot, eyes glaring and finger pointing at anyone who dares look her way. The carriage later opens to reveal the poor tired King kneeling at her feet, kicked about by her dangerously pointed shoes. I have never heard the Royal Opera House roar with laughter like it did while Yanowsky frolicked about on stage, long gone are the pretty ballerinas.

The mad hatter, played here by a very talented Steven McRae, is meant to be a rambling chatterbox – a character that is difficult to convey in speechless ballet. Wheeldon replaces chatter with tap dancing, his marvellously frenzied footwork contrasts with the classically dancing Alice. The magnificent costumes leave little to the imagination, no expense is spared, everyone looks outrageous. I particularly loved the little kids rolling about in spiky outfits as the hedgehogs and the pink clad girls delicately hopping on one leg, mimicking flamingos.

I found the first act a little long, and was ready for the interval when it came. The second half moves more quickly, with awe inspiring dances, one after another. The choreography here is not as complex or virtuosic as it might be but amazes because it is beautiful and full of panache.

Long live Weeldon’s Alice, I predict it will be an immortal classic, a success that the Royal Ballet has been craving for a while. It is criminal that there are only six performances.

See more on the Royal Opera House website here.

Shoes at The Peacock Theatre

After a rather desperate dash to the Peacock Theatre my cousin and I were very relieved to find we had two minutes to spare before the performance of SHOES. It is the newest offering from Sadler’s Wells' dance company extraordinaire, and quite simply takes us through the ages commenting on the progress of footwear, slipper to stiletto, and illustrates how our culture has evolved into the shoe frenzied lot we are today.

The Peacock Theatre, near Holborn is spacious and provides well for movement productions. And this show certainly needs space, designer Tom Pye has created a very ambitious set with many complex props coming on and off stage for each number. The structure of the show immediately struck me as being a little bizarre, with a lack of sensible story. The musical is a collage of short and sweet dance numbers, some of which are better than others, but as a whole the show lacks coherence.

The cast includes four singers who impressively perform most of the show's music. At the start I found them a little too shrill for my taste but as they warmed up they improved and did, on the whole, provide some enjoyable commentary. The songs tend to drag on, much of the repetition is not needed. Having said that I absolutely love the final song before the intermission, ‘Desire: The Brand’. A group of women dressed as nuns sing a hypnotising hymn-like piece about the most popular shoe designers: Jimmy Choo, Prada, Louboutin etc. It is actually quite beautiful, and amusing too, thanks to clever lyrics and perfect timing.

The dancing is exciting and thoughtfully choreographed by Stephen Mear and his team. They use the variety of footwear to the best of their ability and manage to include several different types of dance... the tap dancing in platforms is particularly inventive. The sequence, ‘Old Shoes’ stands out in the second half, a hysterical number about a pair of wedding shoes passed through the generations.

This is an interesting concept for a show, and a lot of work has clearly gone into the production, though I fear it is a show that really needs to find its feet before it succeeds completely.

SHOES continues until 3 April 2011. Book here.

The V&A: Shadow Catchers and Diaghilev: The Ballet Russes

A few days ago I walked up the big steps to the V&A, after weeks of promising myself I would go “this weekend”. Surprisingly there were tickets available for Shadow Catchers and the Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes shows, so I bought tickets to both. With nearly two hours I assumed there would be plenty of time to explore all the work. After an hour however I’d barely finished the first exhibition and rushed to start the Diaghilev, a show touted as a must-see.

Shadow Catchers investigates the mystery and magic of camera-less photography, showing the work of five international artists – Floris Neusűss, Pierre Cordier, Garry Fabian Miller, Susan Derges and Adam Fuss. Each use different processes and techniques to catch shadows for their art. Often this is dependent on light and natural encounters, manipulating what they find to create beautiful and imaginative works.

It is particularly illuminating to watch the film in which each of the artists has about three minutes to describe their work and influences. A great deal of the work on display appears abstract, accidental patterns captured just for a fleeting moment (like a conventional photograph) but with an added fragility – these images are completely original because they are not made from negatives. Neusűss has dedicated his career to extending the practice and study of the photogram. His work often deals with opposites, stark contrasts that focus the attention on form. My favourite artist of the selection was Susan Derges who reveals hidden forces of nature in her work. Derges’ images are mesmerising, but with a natural serenity. I loved her “Vessel No.3” that showed the tiniest adorable little frogs amidst a wonderful stillness.

Diaghilev is an epic show that you need at least an hour and a half to look round. Serge Pavolovich Diaghilev (1872-1929) was regarded as many things: dictator, devil, sorcerer, charmer, but above all he was a lover of art, music and dance. Through much dedication and driving ambition he created the radical dance company – the Ballet Russes, a groundbreaking troupe that pushed the boundaries in a such a way that their work continues to influence cultural activity today.

As an individual, Diaghilev remains elusive but through his work with Ballet Russes we slowly discover more about the man and his life. I was struck by the detail the V&A have gone to, exploring every facet of the ballet company and surrounding art and music that you soon realise are vital to its success. I adore costumes and was thrilled to see the outrageous dancing outfits displayed throughout the show. How they danced in such heavy ornate clothes is astounding, and there are clips of film to show the original performances alongside the decorative costumes.

Music is a big part of this exhibition, Diaghilev chose unexpected contemporary music for his ballets, more than half of which he commissioned himself. Satie, Poulenc and Stravinsky all wrote for Diaghilev and his dancers. Erik Satie said about the great man “Diaghilev’s a likeable man, but awful”. Stravinsky rose in fame through association with Diaghilev, both representing the Russian national style. In 1913 Diaghilev’s company performed Stravinsky’s specially commissioned ‘The Rite of Spring’, a particularly disorientating piece of music. It was a revolutionary statement that made others notice this shocking masterpiece, and since then over 200 versions of 'The Rite of Spring’ have been choreographed.

There were five main choreographers for the Ballet Russes, including Diaghilev’s lover Vaslav Nijinsky who was an utterly brilliant lead in many of their productions. All the choreographers were adapting or rejecting traditional ballet to create a new original style of dance that was constantly evolving.

For the sets, Diaghilev had the best up and coming artists on board. And often he would enlist the help of his friends, such as Coco Chanel, to help find potential patrons to help with the insanely large production costs. The influence of Cubism was vital to Diaghilev’s later shows. The bold forms and theatricality of the Ballet Russes suited the Cubist and Art Deco aesthetic perfectly. An amazing enormous cloth hangs in the V&A, an enlarged version of a tiny Picasso painting.

When he died in 1929, Diaghilev left behind an astonishing legacy of music, dance and art. The V&A explores every aspect of this legacy in a stunning show that will surely be remembered as one of the great exhibitions of 2010.

Diaghilev continues until 9 January 2011, Shadow Catchers until 20 February 2011, visit V&A website here.

The Nutcracker at The Coliseum

Everyone has something that makes them feel specially festive around this time of year. Maybe it’s the Christmas lights going up around London, or your first mince pie, for me it is the English National Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Every year The Coliseum hosts this wonderfully Christmassy show, and this year is their best production yet.

My first experience of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker was at the age of 12, when I performed in the chorus with my choir. We stood in the massive orchestra pit to sing the short snowflake chorus part, which comes just before the interval. I sung in the ENO Nutcracker for the next three or four years, a magical experience; it always felt like the start of the Christmas season for me. When the production changed and they no longer needed children singing live, I was sadly out of a job, so I went to see the ballet instead. This has been a tradition ever since.

Now, at the age of 22 I thought I knew what to expect, but this year was honestly more sublime than all the other productions that have come before it. The show celebrates 60 years of The English National Ballet in true style and splendour. This year the ENO welcomes a new production, a World Premiere - the creative team must be congratulated on their vision, which is perfectly realised on the great Coliseum stage. Wayne Eagling’s choreography is meticulous but measured and shows the dancers to be confident and daring. The players are as stunning as ever, but this year, with a new lease of life from a fresh production, they seem renewed. Even the youngest dancers stand out as having exceptional talent, tip-toeing their tiny feet across the massive stage. I was delighted to find that the production is, once again, using live singing for the snowflake chorus... twenty or so kids stand tall in the box closest to the stage singing their hearts out.

Peter Farmer has created a magical design for the story that plays with the central themes of fantasy and fun without the vulgarity of Gerald Scarfe’s previous production. Last year The Nutcracker had a cartoon feel, this is replaced by Farmer with an image of Victorian elegance, and an air of romantic nostalgia. I am so glad that this classic has been returned to its rightful character, attempts to modernise it damage the magic of the show.

The Nutcracker is on until Thursday 30 December, with Matinee and evening performances on most nights, book tickets here.

Move Choreographing You: an art and dance exhibition at The Hayward Gallery

Most art exhibitions are calming or thought-provoking but the Hayward Gallery is offering up something quite different this month. ‘Move: Choreographing You’ explores the interaction between art and dance from the late 1950s to the present. The work comes from a collection of wacky artists including: Janine Antoni, Pablo Bronstein, Robert Morris and Franz West. The show allows spectators to participate throughout, making us more than just audience members. It feels a bit like an assault course on School Sports Day except more of the contenders are fully grown adults!

This is a perfect Half Term activity for all the family to enjoy. The real downfall is the queues to have ‘your go’ on each piece of art. For the first major construction I had to wait about 15 minutes before I was allowed to go through. You climb through several compartments, including a central inflated clear bubble, and an area filled with balloons. The actual experience is fun, but after waiting for so long and hyping myself up for something other-worldly, it definitely didn’t live up to expectations.

My favourite activity is the maze of swinging hoops that you have to climb your way through (see image above). I managed to get about halfway before becoming hideously twisted in the ropes and falling to the ground totally defeated. I was definitely not dressed suitably – and spent half the time pulling my dress down to avoid any public indecency. Annoyingly my friend managed to make it through with heroic speed, and stood quietly gloating as I struggled. Other installations include films and outdoor artworks on the roof. There are also pieces that look at the history of movement and dance, and a beautiful little video of some clog dancers in one of the rooms. I have to say, participating in this exhibition involved more exercise than I had experienced in a long time, and I could definitely notice the ache in my muscles the next morning.

It is always interesting to go to something a bit different and exciting, especially when it is hands on but I was expecting more for my £11 ticket.

Move Choreographing You continues at The Hayward Gallery until 9 January 2011.

Flashdance at The Shaftesbury Theatre

It’s always exciting to see a musical for the first time. Flashdance has just opened at The Shaftesbury Theatre and after hearing all the hype I was looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations, and definitely didn’t live up to Hairspray (the last musical I saw at The Shaftesbury).

I booked tickets for a Saturday 3 o’clock matinee... which seemed like a good idea – tickets tend to be slightly cheaper and it is less likely that I will fall asleep from exhaustion (as I increasingly do at evening shows!) When we arrived I was delighted to find that our (cheap, Grand Circle) tickets, had been upgraded to top price Stalls tickets. I was initially ultra smug about this, before realising that in fact this meant the show was likely to not be selling very well, hence all the empty seats. This was the first suggestion that the show may not be as fabulous as I hoped.

It starts with a bang, of light, music and movement. No-one can deny this production has overwhelming energy throughout. I enjoyed the electrifying atmosphere initially, but as the show went on and continued to grow more and more deafeningly loud, I began to feel like I was in a nightclub, and one with bad music at that! (Druggy criminals and skimpy outfits included.) It isn’t all bad, there is the odd recognisable song, ‘What a Feeling’ and ‘She’s a Mania’, both quite enjoyable, and sung well.

Arlene Phillips should be commended, she really is a wonder with her choreography; it is quite astounding when you think that Phillips, who is now 67 years old, can still think up routines as contemporary and complex as those seen in Flashdance. Strictly Come Dancing were silly to let her go, her judging was their biggest asset. The dancers are good in Flashdance, some are very good, but the narrative is dull and this makes even the dancing boring after a while. In fact the plot is very similar to Billy Elliot – the heroine Alex Owens works in a Pittsburgh steel mill by day and as a dancer in a showbar at night, with the ambition of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Alex Owens was played by Twinnielee Moore, although the part is normally taken on by Victoria Hamilton-Barritt. Moore is a competent enough dancer, but the sentimental acting sort of ruins her part for me. Also in the cast is Matt Willis (from boy band Busted), who I’m sure will excite the younger girls in the audience!

The feel-good ending is rushed and insincere, leaving the audience with a bitter aftertaste; I left feeling a bit cheated. Flashdance is similar to Dirty Dancing and Fame, and the dancing talent definitely compares to these shows, but unfortunately the direction and songs do not, and I predict this will shorten its run in the West End.

Book tickets here.

TRACES at The Peacock Theatre

Traces is certainly a show with a twist. It was first seen in the UK in 2007 at the Edinburgh Fringe, and is now making an impact on London audiences at Sadler’s Wells Peacock Theatre. This is a thrilling circus type show from Canadian company Les 7 Doigts de la Main.

Interestingly a number of art forms are combined – while one performer dances, another draws on a projector screen and a third accompanies on the piano. The energy is buoyed by the atmospheric music (very well chosen I thought) and the immaculately timed fast lighting changes. I found the narrative a little disorientating; it is set in a makeshift urban warehouse with five characters living out what they believe could be their final days. This confusion only intensified my experience. The players tell stories about their pasts, touchingly sharing with us their personal strengths and weaknesses.

The urgency and precision of the show is attention grabbing from start to finish. The five performers excel, leaping across the stage with confidence and gusto. The acrobatic skills of the young cast (Antoine Carabinier Lepine, Antoine Auger, Genevieve Morin, Philip Rosenberg and Jonathan Casaubon) are alone enough to bring in a large audience.

Traces has both solo showcases and ensemble pieces, held together with speech and musical numbers. They incorporate a wide variety of circus skills within the show; of these the German wheel and the Chinese poles were my favourite, although there is a real wow-factor from the teeterboard act, where a seesaw-like jumping board is used to hurl one performer high into the air.

This is an awe inspiring show that reminded me of the great Cirque de Soleil.

Traces continues at The Peacock Theatre in Holborn until 30 October 2010.

Pineapple dance classes

It can be a real struggle getting into an exercise routine. Let’s be honest, if you had the choice between a cinema outing or going to the gym... the film is likely to win. In London, there are so many things to experience and explore, for me exercise always gets pushed to the bottom of the list. Every morning I have to be at work at 8.30 am so pre-work work-outs don’t ever happen.

Pineapple Dance Studios could change all that. I started going a while back with a friend who, like me, also felt she needed more exercise. Pineapple, located in the heart of Covent Garden is cheap and easy to get involved in. With classes all day, every day (seven days a week) you can go whenever. I usually go straight after work, as weekend classes can be overcrowded.

Pineapple cover every genre of dance and more and this is what initially interested me. Aside from all the standard classes: ballet, jazz and tap, Pineapple offer many others that combine styles, sometimes the teachers even invent their own. My friend and I vowed to try all the wackiest of classes from Bollywood to Breakdance and Salsa to Street. They even have a Michael Jackson dance class for those MJ fans.

I recently tried the Brazilian Zouk, hard work but hilarious. The class involved lots of bum shaking and hair swishing, neither of which I was very good at. I left the class feeling a bit dizzy, but massively exhilarated by the new experience. I have since tried Fusion Yoga which I would recommend to anyone – a fun class with a very motivational instructor.

Take a look at the timetable and prices here, and start your exercise routine today!

Tanguera at Sadler's Wells

Sadler’s Wells in Islington is one of London’s most prestigious dance venues. I have always had enjoyable experiences at this theatre despite my limited knowledge of dance. Last year I was lucky enough to see their breathtaking production of West Side Story. A few days ago I went back for more and watched Tanguera.

The Argentinian show, Tanguera is showing at Sadler’s Wells for a limited run, after selling out all over the world. Sure enough on Tuesday night the auditorium was packed to the brim and the audience around me were enthralled, with several people on their feet joining in. I hope the rest of the run does as well because the full theatre makes the atmosphere electric.

The storyline of Tanguera is a bit lack-lustre, and often the narrative of what is essentially a dance production can be unnecessarily contrived. However as ‘tanguera’ translates to ‘tango musical’ some kind of story is inevitable. There is no doubt that this cast is very talented. Leticia Fallacara is enchanting as the innocent Giselle, dancing with speed and precision but also creating a seductive lead character. There are some impressive routines too from the men, all dancing together in playful sequences. Some soulful vocal accompaniment is provided by Marianella, who has triumphed in many productions including her critically acclaimed interpretation of the role of Grizabella in ‘Cats’.

The music is beautiful throughout Tanguera, I could have listened to it alone all night. The show begins with a short interlude from the six piece band, this is charming and illustrates the musician’s natural understanding of the music they are interpreting. The musical ensemble is made up of two bandoneons (a type of concertina instrument similar to an accordion), piano, double bass, guitar and violin, all parts interweaving to create a full and dramatic sound.

I enjoyed the encore most. A powerful 10 minutes of Tango dancing that was far more passionate than the narrative that had preceded it. An overwhelming surge of energy washed over the stage and it was here that I felt the power of the movement as well as the rich culture of Buenos Aires.

Tanguera continues at Sadler’s Wells until 22 August 2010.

Billy Elliot the Musical

Billy Elliot the Musical has become a Worldwide phenomenon. Winner of 10 Tony Awards, including ‘Best Musical’, this show will not disappoint. The show is based on the smash hit film, it is adapted by Lee Hall with music by Elton John. It tells the poignant tale of a young boy with an unusual talent.

I have seen the show several times and come away amazed every time. The repetitively infectious music and perfect dance sequences are a pleasure to watch, and appeal to all ages. The thing that always surprises me most about Billy Elliot is the jaw-dropping talent displayed by the children in the production. Unlike most musicals, it is a show that relies heavily on one child – Billy, a part that has to be played by a boy with an unbroken voice (so usually not older than 13). At the moment all four London Billys are 12 years old, but there have been much younger boys playing the role. The boys train intensively for months at the 'Billy House', and during each performance there are always at least two of the Billys in costume ready to perform if anything should go wrong.

I saw the adorable Ollie Gardner as Billy. He was just as brilliant as expected, and danced and sang with exhilarating power and passion. Genevieve Lemon took on the role of Mrs Wilkinson, her knowledge and experience of theatre showed as she interacted naturally with the gaggle of girls that make up her ballet class. The rest of the cast were faultless. My favourite character is Billy’s best friend, Michael. Another challenging role for a child, this character must show wit as well as musical theatre talent. I recently saw Jake Pratt as Michael, he was so funny I felt like I wanted to be his friend. It is hard to imagine where these children will be in a few years time if these are the sort of performances they are giving as kids.

Billy Elliot appeals to all and is the musical I recommend to everyone if they want something fun to do in London. For those of you who perhaps haven’t seen many musicals this is a good place to start.

Book here.