Dido & Aeneas

Mark Morris and his dance troupe were, and are, fond of re-imagining classic works from the repertoire (The Nutcracker became The Hard Nut, for example). This version of Dido, with Morris in the two main female roles of queen Dido and the wicked Sorceress, is full of beauty both in the voices of the soloists and the fluid movement of the dancers.

Shot in film style with a compact palette of colours and a small, core group of dancers, this 'Dido' is full of energy and spirit without sacrificing the tragedy of its central story and characters, infusing the characters with joy, mischief, or sadness as the story demands.

Lingering long in the memory after you've seen it, this ballet repays many later viewings and succeeds on every level, both as dance and as opera. Perhaps Morris's crowning achievement as a dancer and as a choreographer.