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Dr Ian Lochhead is an art historian who taught at the University of Canterbury from 1981 to 2014. His interest in dance dates from seeing the Royal Ballet perform Giselle in Christchurch in 1959. Since then he has attended dance performances from London to New York and from Paris to St Petersburg. He has a particular interest in the connections between dance and the visual arts, the Ballets Russes and the history of dance in New Zealand. His article, ‘‘Poetry in Motion, Sound and Colour’: Anna Pavlova in New Zealand’, appeared in the Turnbull Library Record in 2009 and his reviews of ballet and dance performances have appeared in The Press, DANZ and Theatreview.

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Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream - Royal New Zealand Ballet

Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Auckland

12/10/2024 - 12/11/2024

"The perfect storm of enchantment..

"Taonga of the Royal NZ Ballet’s repertoire..

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Solace

Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch

01/08/2024 - 17/08/2024

"Rising upwards like an exhalation of breath..

"Connections between human emotion and an emerging mythology..

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Vismaya : Celebration

Auckland, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Nelson, Christchurch

29/06/2024 - 06/07/2024

"Immediacy, vitality of the performance, captivating..

"Dancers are galvanised into brilliance..

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Swan Lake - The Royal NZ Ballet

Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland

18/07/2013 - 05/05/2024

"Freshness and immediacy of a newly minted work..

"Sumptuous production..

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Tutus on Tour 2024

Raumati, Hastings, Christchurch, Hamilton

16/02/2024 - 14/03/2024

"A joyful celebration..

"Will leave the audience captivated..

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HANSEL AND GRETEL (RNZB)

Wellington, Palmerston North, Napier, Christchurch, Auckland, Dunedin

06/11/2019 - 29/10/2023

"Serious themes at the heart...

"Vale Jon T. Thank you...

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Platinum

Wellington

13/10/2023 - 13/10/2023

"Well-chosen title for this single performance..

"Scintillating, suave, saucy, debonair..

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Lightscapes

Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland

27/07/2023 - 12/08/2023

"Dancers dancers dancers you are symbolic and meaningful. ..

"Entering its eighth decade the company is clearly in good heart..

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Romeo and Juliet 2023

Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North

04/05/2023 - 03/06/2023

"A gripping romantic tale...

"Devote attention to the company’s past as well as to its future...

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Tutus on Tour 2023

Raumati, Wairarapa, Hamilton, Christchurch

23/02/2023 - 11/03/2023

"This is one of the stronger programmes of recent years...

"Blend of tradition and the avant-garde, with something to offer audiences...

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Venus Rising RNZB 2022

Christchurch, Wellington

24/11/2022 - 03/12/2022

"The Whole Cast Shines..

"Venus Rising on stage after four Covid postponements for RNZB triple bill..

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Tutus on Tour 2022

Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington

07/10/2022 - 09/11/2022

"An Eclectic Programme With Flare and Versatility..

"Tutus a mixed bill..

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Requiem

Lyttelton

17/09/2022 - 24/09/2022

"Requiem - a reflection on extraordinary times in the region..

Black Grace Life O Le Olaga

Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington

04/09/2022 - 10/09/2022

"Life – O Le Olaga - reflective and deeply personal..

"Black Grace - Richness, depth and elegance of O le Olaga..

CINDERELLA

Wellington, Auckland, Napier, Christchurch

03/08/2022 - 28/08/2022

"Cinderella - what ‘happily ever after’ means in the twenty-first century..

"Cinderella - stylish and glamorous, with the feeling of 60’s retro Chanel and Dior..

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DRY SPELL

Dunedin, Christchurch

13/08/2022 - 20/08/2022

"Cohesive, generous, beautiful, interesting, considered – and fun..

"Mincing, Lurking and Dreary Smirking..

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Ad Parnassum – Purapurawhetū

Christchurch

21/06/2022 - 04/07/2022

"A compelling, multi-layered work..

Dance Danced Dancing 2021

Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Hastings

29/07/2021 - 17/08/2021

"It is a suspensive sculptural experience...

"Stripping back of the so-called real and metaphoric smoke and mirrors...

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OneOne - Matariki 2021

Christchurch

09/07/2021 - 09/07/2021

"An alchemy of science and ancient knowledge...

"Complex and mysterious..

TE WHEKE

Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Whangarei, Hastings, Palmerston North, Dunedin

11/06/2021 - 19/10/2022

"A Graceful Whakapapa..

"Te Wheke Has Many Tendrils..

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The Case of . . .

Lyttelton

19/06/2021 - 20/06/2021

"Caught between two realities,..

Giselle

Wellington, Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Napier, Dunedin

12/05/2021 - 09/06/2021

"It would have been a mistake, however, to have left at the interval..

"“Ballets are the dreams of poets taken seriously”..

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Subtle Dances

Auckland, Dunedin

15/03/2021 - 15/04/2021

"The audience collectively captivated and spellbound..

"Whoops and whistles of delight..

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