Mariinsky Ballet, Cardiff
For this rare and brief visit to Wales, the St Petersburg company is focusing on contemporary rather than classical ballet. Wayne McGregor’s Infra forms the centerpiece of the first programme, with the Russians promising a very different style of performance than the original cast at the Royal. The second (16 to 17 Apr) consists of a double bill of celebrated Russian scores – Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 2 in F major and Stravinsky’s Rite Of Spring – choreographed respectively by the great Alexi Ratmansky and German experimentalist Sasha Waltz.
Millenium Centre, Thu to 17 Apr
English National Ballet: She Said, London
With women choreographers still woefully underrepresented in ballet, this all-female triple bill from Tamara Rojo is something of a rarity. Its three choreographers work in very different styles: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa collaborates with director Nancy Meckler to tell the story of Frida Kahlo, with Rojo and former Bolshoi star Irek Mukhamedov in the two leading roles. Aszure Barton uses her own hybrid of contemporary and classical vocabulary to create an ensemble work set to a score from composer and DJ Mason Bates. Finally, Yabin Wang relocates the story of Medea to classical China.
