La Fille Mal Gardée, London
Frederick Ashton himself described this sweetly comic ballet as a “tribute to nature… my poor man’s Pastoral Symphony”. In fact, it’s one of the most perfect works he created. Based on the 1789 ballet by Dauberval, Ashton combines a stageful of sparklingly virtuoso classical dance with rich elements of British folk dance and comedy, including dancing chickens and a music-hall clog dance. With witty designs by Osbert Lancaster, this 1960 ballet has never dated. This season’s revival sees some very promising debuts, including Vadim Muntagirov (Colas) and Natalia Osipova (Lise), as well as the return of pitch-perfect partnership Marianela Nuñez and Carlos Acosta.
Royal Opera House, WC2, to 5 May
Children’s Ballet, London & Milton Keynes
Over two decades, London Children’s Ballet (Peacock Theatre, WC2, Sat & Sun) has earned a superb reputation for creating child-friendly ballets. This year’s show, an adaptation of the Grimms’ fairytale Snow White, comes with an original live score and a cast of 55 dancers aged between nine and 16. Northern Ballet is a more recent comer to the growing market for children’s ballets, but has already earned a Bafta for the TV adaptation of its version of The Ugly Duckling. Elves & The Shoemaker (Milton Keynes Theatre, Fri; touring to 13 Nov) is a version of another Grimms’ tale, with new music by Philip Feeney.
