Lest We Forget – reviews of ENB's 'ambitious' new ballets
New dance works commemorating WWI thrill many critics, but for some they trivialise the suffering

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
What you need to know A new mixed bill from the English National Ballet, Lest We Forget has opened at the Barbican, London. The programme presents new dance works by contemporary choreographers Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Liam Scarlett, commemorating the First World War.
Maliphant explores the sacrifice of lives in Second Breath, while Khan's work Dust explores the role of women in the war, and Scarlett's No Man's Land, conveys the sense of loss and longing for those left behind. A reworked revival of George Williamson's Firebird with a Stravinsky score completes the programme. Runs until 12 April.
What the critics like The English National Ballet's Lest We Forget is both "moving and ambitious", says Zoe Anderson in The Independent. It's Tamara Rojo's most bold and exiting move since she became director of the company, and Khan's Dust, is superb.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The theme of the First World War tinged the evening with melancholy, but "the overall impact was thrillingly uplifting since the works were simply so good", says Sarah Crompton in the Daily Telegraph. Scarlett's No Man's Land is a work of great intensity, and Maliphant's Second Breath is devastatingly effective.
"This is exactly the kind of shot in the arm that English National Ballet needs," says Debra Craine in The Times. Three of Britain's top choreographers have created ballets that ignite the repertoire with their passion and reach.
What they don't like The English National Ballet's "fatuous commemoration" of the suffering in Flanders is "War for Beginners", says Clement Crisp in the Financial Times. This is unspeakable suffering as souvenir, along with a revival of an inane company version of Stravinsky's Firebird, whose relevance defeats even ENB's eager casuistry.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
10 things you need to know today: September 30, 2023
Daily Briefing Government shutdown looms after failed House vote, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at 90, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
All about Zealandia, the Earth’s potential 8th continent
The Explainer The secret continent went undiscovered for over 300 years
By Devika Rao Published
-
A reckoning over looted art
The Explainer Thousands of artifacts in U.S. and European collections were stolen from their countries of origin. Should they be sent back?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Boys from the Blackstuff review
The Week Recommends A 'powerful' adaptation of Alan Bleasdale's 'masterpiece'
By The Week Staff Published
-
MG4 EV XPower review: what the car critics say
Feature The XPower just 'isn't as much fun' as a regular MG4
By The Week Staff Published
-
Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance review
The Week Recommends Fitzwilliam Museum exhibition features lives affected by the Atlantic slave trade
By The Week Staff Published
-
Private Lives review: a 'witty' revival of Noël Coward's classic comedy
The Week Recommends Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers play the warring exes in this 'delicious retro treat'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Wilderness review: a soapy drama set in the American southwest
The Week Recommends Amazon series starring Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen is 'full of twists'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Volkswagen ID.5 review: what the car critics say
Feature The ID.4's 'sportier, more stylish twin' – but 'don't believe the hype'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Jamaica Inn review: a small patch of Caribbean heaven
The Week Recommends Guests will feel like one of the family at this boutique beach resort in Ocho Rios
By Natasha Langan Published
-
Scottish Women Artists review
The Week Recommends Exhibition uncovers the work of female artists long hidden in 'historical obscurity'
By The Week Staff Published