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.
The Soldier's Tale
Christchurch
11/03/2021 - 11/03/2021
"Timely production for multiple reasons..
The Ryman Healthcare season of The Sleeping Beauty
Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Invercargill, Napier
29/10/2020 - 06/12/2020
"An evening at the ballet..
"A ballet with lockdown at its centre..
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UNDERCURRENT
Raumati, Tauranga, Auckland, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington
24/10/2020 - 12/11/2020
"Blistering new dance works..
"Wariness, disconnection, and partying with careless abandon..
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UNBRIDLED
Lyttelton
31/10/2020 - 08/11/2020
"Dancing in celebration..
Kristian Fredrikson: Designer
Global
04/10/2020 - 30/09/2021
"A major theatre designer of his generation..
MANTRA
Christchurch
13/11/2019 - 13/11/2019
"Doesn’t so much transcend emotions as unsettle them..
"Slow moving tableaux..
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OWLS DO CRY
Oamaru, Auckland
05/10/2019 - 02/11/2019
"Dancing to the Frame of the beat..
"Singing from the Dead Room..
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ONEPU
Wellington, Christchurch
19/07/2019 - 03/08/2019
"Deep local connections..
"Rippling wind at the rim of the world..
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MEREMERE
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Gisborne
14/10/2016 - 13/10/2019
"Weaves text, movement, light and sound in startling and compelling ways..
"Life-enhancing encounters..
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THE CLEARING
Nelson, Wellington, Palmerston North, Auckland, New Plymouth, Christchurch
31/07/2019 - 02/11/2019
"A perplexing shadow world..
"Perplexing, intriguing, ambiguous, unknowable..
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Insitu Project 2019
Christchurch
03/04/2019 - 04/04/2019
"New dimensions and a common purpose..
TUTUS ON TOUR 2019
Christchurch
18/03/2019 - 18/03/2019
"Make believe and inconsequence?..
HEMISPHERES
Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington
15/02/2019 - 03/03/2019
"Footnote Dance's collaboration with Chinese company transcends boundaries..
"Connectivity and positive insight..
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ORBIT (2018)
Christchurch
30/11/2018 - 01/12/2018
"Contemporary practice informed by traditions..
The Nutcracker (2018)
Dunedin, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Napier, Auckland
31/10/2018 - 09/12/2018
"Conscious magic..
"A coming of age story..
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BALANCING POINT
Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington
16/08/2018 - 29/08/2018
"Contrasting works danced superbly..
"Rewarding double bill..
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Haybales and Chandeliers
Lyttelton
23/06/2018 - 01/07/2018
"Menace and hilarity prove engaging..
LUMINA
Auckland, Napier, Wellington, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Christchurch, Nelson
19/08/2015 - 23/05/2018
"Precision, passion and athleticism..
"Stunning!..
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IN SITU PROJECT 2018
Christchurch
28/03/2018 - 30/03/2018
"Sharing a sense of discovery..
THE PIANO The Ballet
Dunedin, Auckland, Napier, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Wellington
23/02/2018 - 28/03/2018
"Divine duets and perfect partnering..
"Ballet unfolds with almost cinematic fluidity..
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VEINS - Hagley Dance Company
Christchurch
08/12/2017 - 09/12/2017
"Boundless energy, determined focus, and promise of more to come..
CONTRAST
Greytown, Tauranga, Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Havelock North
22/10/2017 - 11/11/2017
"Spellbinding the audience..
"Energy, conviction and intriguing contrasts..
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AS NIGHT FALLS
New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin
22/06/2017 - 30/06/2017
"A desperately beautiful piece of dance..
"Exhilarating and life-affirming..
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