Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet)

Anthony Dowell (Drosselmeyer); Alina Cojocaru (Clara Stahlbaum); Ivan Putrov (Nutcracker/Hans-Peter); Miyako Yoshida (Sugar Plum Fairy); Jonathon Cope (Sugar Plum Fairy's Prince);

"Peter Wright's production is gloriously traditional, brilliantly choreographed, lavishly spectacular...The camera is always in the right place and Tchaikovsky's miraculously inspired score, of which one never tires, is marvellously played..." (The Penguin Guide)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet)

Miyako Yoshida (The Sugar Plum Fairy); Steven McRae (The Prince); Gary Avis (Drosselmeyer); Iohna Loots (Clara); Ricardo Cervera (Nephew / Nutcracker);

"All in all a fine performance of a justified favourite is given the presentation it deserves." (Musicweb International)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet)

Lauren Cuthbertson (The Sugar Plum Fairy); Federico Bonelli (The Prince); Francesca Hayward (Clara); Alexander Campbell (Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker); Gary Avis (Herr Drosselmeyer);

"fresh and reinvigorated - Nutcrackers come and Nutcrackers go but the Royal Ballet's version is a hardy perennial. Peter Wright's version of Lev Ivanov's original 1892 ballet has undergone changes since its debut in 1984 but it remains the one by which all others must be judged." (The Stage ★★★★★)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet)

Marianela Nuñez (The Sugar Plum Fairy); Vadim Muntagirov (The Prince); Anna Rose O'Sullivan (Clara); Marcelino Sambé (Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker); Gary Avis (Herr Drosselmeyer);

"The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker is both opulent and cosy. The heroine’s magical journey takes her from a family party to the glitter of the Land of Sweets, where Marianela Nuñez is a Sugar Plum Fairy of radiant warmth and grandeur. Anna Rose O’Sullivan, who danced Clara on opening night, is rising through the company’s ranks. She’s a poised, stylish dancer, with a vivid response to the music – I love the way she’ll slow or open out a phrase as she dances it, highlighting the rhythm and emotional impact. There was gorgeous dancing from Nuñez’s Sugar Plum, partnered by Vadim Muntagirov. With burnished technique and elegant line, they also make the grand pas de deux a conversation: those formal gestures are full of give and take, connection and response. As the magician Drosselmeyer, Gary Avis directed the action with heart as well as swagger, while the company dancing was bright and confident." (The Independent ★★★★)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet)

Leslie Edwards (Dr Stahlbaum); Betty Kavanagh (Frau Stahlbaum); Rudolf Nureyev (Herr Drosselmeyer/The Prince); Merle Park (Clara); Keith Martin (Fritz); Ann Jenner (Louisa); Wayne Sleep (The Nutcracker);

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty (Dutch National Ballet)

Sofiane Sylve (Aurora); Gaël Lambiotte (Prince Siegfried);

"Nobility and refinement in a unique production...With it’s lush sets and costumes, and the gold covered glittering castle, The Sleeping Beauty is still the most beautiful thing ever to appear on Dutch stages." (NRC Handelsblad)