Review Archive
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.
Welcome to the review archive.
Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Royal New Zealand Ballet
Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Auckland
12/10/2024 - 12/11/2024
"Curiosity piqued, this perfect Christmas confection presents our zesty national ballet company...
"The perfect storm of enchantment..
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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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