Sara Veale

Skirt-swishing and stomach-dropping: Ukrainian Ballet Gala, at Sadler’s Wells, reviewed

Plus: the climax to Hofesh Shechter's new work is a Tarantino-esque danse macabre, in which the carnage is palpable

Olesia Shaytanova's rousing turn in the big-bang finale of Don Quixote, part of the Ukrainian Ballet Gala at Sadler's Wells. Image: ©Elliott Franks 
issue 25 September 2021
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  • Ukrainian Ballet Gala

    Sadler’s Wells

  • Hofesh Shechter Company — Double Murder

    Sadler’s Wells

Like musical supergroups and Olympic basketball teams, ballet galas tend to prize individual gifts over group cohesion. A recent one produced by dramaturg Olga Danylyuk and Royal Ballet alumni Ivan Putrov gathers Ukrainian dancers stationed at companies around America and Europe, plus soloists from the Ukrainian National Ballet, for a showcase of homeland talent.

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