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Two of the first films made in spring’s UK lockdown captured the moment of sudden confinement, DIY spirit and the simple need for connection and hope. Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Céline Gittens danced Fokine’s Dying Swan in her living room, linked up with musicians at home. Meanwhile, ex-New York City Ballet dancer Robbie Fairchild and his flatmate Chris Jarosz threw juicy shapes on their Manhattan rooftop. They brought a tear and a beaming smile, respectively. Read the full review.
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Among a number of artists addressing issues brought to the fore by Black Lives Matter this summer, Jonzi D’s Our Bodies Back was particularly powerful. It had a strong anchor in the defiant text of Detroit poet jessica Care moore, lamenting the lost lives of Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor and other black women. And it had three distinctive and potent performers: Nafisah Baba, Bolegue Manuela and the unignorable intensity of Axelle “Ebony” Munezero.