Hofesh Shechter: From England With Love; International Draft Work – review
Shechter’s young dancers thrill in his hellish vision of England. Elsewhere, emerging choreographers from Brno to Birmingham showcase short works
March 2024
Birmingham Royal Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty; Dimitris Papaioannou: Ink – review
Carlos Acosta’s BRB revels in an expansive revival of Peter Wright’s 80s classic, while the Greek choreographer’s sensational-looking Ink tantalises and terrifies
February 2024
Lycett, Acosta and Duran Duran condemn Birmingham’s 100% arts budget cut
Napalm Death, visual artist Pogus Caesar and Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight also among city’s cultural figures warning over ‘horrifying’ move
December 2023
The best theatre to stream this month
The best theatre to stream this month: The Old Man and the Pool, Bedbound and more
Watch Mike Birbiglia’s hit comedy about mortality, Colm and Brenda Meaney in Enda Walsh’s two-hander or choose from a flock of Swan Lakes
October 2023
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Black Sabbath – The Ballet; English National Ballet: Our Voices – review
The fathers of heavy metal have gained at least one new fan thanks to an inspired new Carlos Acosta commission. And the music’s the star in the English National Ballet ambitious new mixed bill
September 2023
Black Sabbath: The Ballet review – riveting riffs, endless kisses and flying limbs
Paranoid pirouettes – inside Black Sabbath: The Ballet, already a headbanging hit
July 2023
Observer New Review Q&A
Carlos Acosta: ‘At 50, I have to dance in a way that I can still walk off, and not call an ambulance’
The Cuban star on returning to the Royal Opera House stage, commissioning a heavy metal ballet and diversity in the arts
April 2023
BRB2 review – great start for Carlos Acosta’s young squad
Birmingham company’s offshoot ranges from classical showpieces to modern shorts, allowing its dancers to tackle roles usually kept for principals
February 2023
Riffs and tutus: Black Sabbath ballet to be staged in Birmingham
Rock band to lend eight songs to the ‘world’s first heavy metal dance experience’ performed by Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Royal Ballet in September
November 2022
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Into the Music review – an allegro trio
From dancers partnering with projections and CCTV-style surveillance to an engrossing piece inspired by Edvard Munch, Carlos Acosta’s company is continuing to carve out a niche
June 2022
Birmingham Royal Ballet: On Your Marks! review – Carlos Acosta sketches a bright future
The director manages to stretch ballet’s mould while retaining mass-market appeal with an exhilarating summer triple bill
March 2022
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote review – delusions and grandeur
Elaborate sets and bejewelled dancers abound as Carlos Acosta brings Don Quixote and Sancho Panza’s chivalrous adventure to the stage
June 2021
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Curated by Carlos review – a kick and a promise from Acosta
The artistic director’s first commissions include an ode to the city’s industrial heritage and a swelling take on the climate crisis
May 2021
Reopening culture
From McKellen’s Hamlet to a comic Hullabaloo: what to see as theatres and comedy clubs reopen
As stage shows return, we pick the best post-lockdown offerings – featuring Egyptian gods, rebelling vicars, dancing youths ... and Ian McKellen playing the Dane at 82
March 2021
Lockdown culture
The best new dance films to make your heart leap
Lockdown culture
Masked moves and ballet in the bath: a year of digital dance
February 2021
London venue plans ignored rest of UK
Carlos Acosta: ‘There’s a danger we’ll lose a whole generation of young dancers’
October 2020
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Lazuli Sky review – bold opener from Carlos Acosta
Will Tuckett’s intricate new work takes its inspiration from nature and was the shimmering centrepiece of an ambitious and enjoyable programme at the reopened London dance venue