reviewed by Jennifer Shennan Li Cunxin, known from his memoir and the associated film as Mao’s Last Dancer (Viking/Penguin 2003) now goes by another name as well—The Lucky Son, which is the title of his memoir sequel, recently published (Penguin, 2026). This second book, artfully because briefly, summarises the first one for anyone who may not have read it, and
17 October 2026. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre Melanie Lane’s MOUNTAIN is, once again, a magnificent example of the work of an exceptional choreographer. Lane has a huge ability to create a complete work of art in which the audience can become fully immersed. Made on five dancers, in this case Sara Black, Max Burgess, Tyrel Dulvarie, Madeleine Bowman and
by Jennifer Shennan The intrepid Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova, said goodbye to the Maryinksy in St. Petersburg where she had trained and performed to great acclaim, then joined Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company dancing Giselle, Les Sylphides, Pavillon d’Armide, and more besides. She was offered the title role in the creation of Fokine’s l’Oiseau de Feu/The Firebird but did not
My review of We Come Together to Dance was published online by CBR CityNews on 17 October 2026, following its premiere performance on 16 October. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Follow this link to the CityNews review. ****************** 16 October 2026. Belconnen Arts Centre, Canberra We Come Together to Dance is the 2026 production for Quantum Leap Australia’s Chaos project.
Little Theatre, Lower Hutt. 27 September 2026reviewed by Jennifer Shennan Varshita is a graduating student from Mudra Dance Academy in Wellington, where for over 30 years Sri Vivek Kinra has taught hundreds of pupils the technique and art of Bharata Natyam, classical Indian dance. Himself a graduate of the renowned Kalakshetra school in Chennai, Vivek has prepared close to 50 pupils to perform their arangetram—a
News just in is that Melanie Lane will take on the leadership of the Melbourne-based contemporary dance company, Lucy Guerin Inc, beginning in 2027. Guerin recently announced that she is retiring from the artistic directorship of the company she has led for 25 years. The company will take on a new name once Lane takes on the role. The appointment
Early in September I had the pleasure again of seeing a performance from the Bachelor of Creative Arts second and third year students in Dance from the Adelaide College of the Arts, working together with fellow students in Technical Production & Design. I wondered, I have to andmit, about the name of the work. Who was Maisey? Well, it seems
My review of The Whole Cake was published online by CBR CityNews on 28 September 2026, following its premiere performance on 27 September. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Follow this link to the CityNews review. ************************* 27 SEptember 2026. The Hall Pavilion, Hall ACT It would be hard to envisage a more unusual dance performance than The Whole Cake. Created
22 August 2026. Michael Fowler Centre, Wellingtonreviewed by Jennifer Shennan Turid Revfeim is director of Ballet Collective Aotearoa and she never says No to a challenge, which leads to a range of interesting projects for the collective, both locally and nationally. Tānemahuta Gray is an established free-lance choreographer and force majeure for integration of Maori history and myths into the
My review of All in was published online by CBR CityNews on 25 September 2026, following its opening performance in Canberra on 24 September. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Follow this link to the CityNews review. *********************** 24 September 2026. The Theatre, Belconnen Arts Centrre, Canberra All in from Dance Makers Collective, a