The reviews are in for English National Ballet’s Rhythm Riot, the triple bill that opened the company’s season at Sadler’s Wells on 24 September. Artistic director Aaron S. Watkin sets George Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements beside two world premieres, Micaela Taylor’s Bow Out, inspired by the Nicholas Brothers, and Jae Man Joo’s Auguries of Innocence, after William Blake, with the ENB Philharmonic under Maria Seletskaja in the pit. The Balanchine is the one thing almost nobody quarrels with. Bow Out is the highlight of the night for The Live Review and First Night Magazine but leaves Gramilano cold, and Auguries of Innocence splits them most sharply: Bachtrack and British Theatre Guide admire its daring, while The Live Review calls it a self-indulgent disappointment.
The verdict: thirteen reviews in so far. Eight carry a rating: one five-star notice, five four-star and two three-star, an average of 3.9 out of 5. Gramilano, British Theatre Guide, Ballet Herald and Artbite publish no score, and The Times sits behind a paywall. Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements is the piece nearly every critic admires; the two world premieres are where they part company.
What are critics saying about Rhythm Riot?
Everything Theatre
Reviewer: Sara West
"The thread that connects the three very different pieces is that of rhythm and how that moves us in all aspects of our lives. Each piece introduces a very different rhythm to the audience, showcasing a mix of vibrant cultures, energy and styles. All accompanied by the extraordinary talent of the orchestra, where the voice of individual instruments, particularly in strings and brass, becomes as much a character of the piece as the leading dancers, and the thud of the drum beat is an integral part of the movement."
The Guardian
"this triple whammy brings zing, grit and chills"
Reviewer: Lyndsey Winship
"The choreography has peppy energy as Swanice Luong arrives with a zing in a bubblegum pink leotard, bouncing into a jazzy tuck jump like a Gap advert. She, Emma Hawes and Ksenia Ovsyanick are like a trio of mean girls competing to be queen bee. Sharp of gesture and brilliant of smile, Ovsyanick is particularly aloof. It’s such a specific technique and ENB aren’t a Balanchine company, but they do it justice."
Bachtrack
"gloriously challenging and diverse"
Reviewer: Graham Watts
"This was a significant test for the company, particularly after the mixed reception to its previous double bill, Body and Soul, and the whole team from director to newest corps recruit rose superbly to the challenge. Virtually the whole company populated the Balanchine and then split into two halves for the following works, which were created in splendid isolation from one another, but joined together in quality and contrast like matching pieces of a jigsaw."
First Night Magazine
"Superb middle section and satisfying conclusion make up for clunky opening"
Reviewer: Guillermo Nazara
"I expected more in some segments, but those blemishes are minuscule compared to the sparkle the show generally flaunts. After passing the test and sitting through a not-too-arresting opening, the real spectacle begins. And once it unfurls, it’s truly unstoppable. And a fair reminder of why the English National Ballet should remain in high regard."
LouReviews
Reviewer: Louise Penn
"Taylor’s dancers, led by the two duetting couples of Jaime Almaraz Balzan and Thiago Silva, Gustavo Carvalho and Thalina Chapin, are bold and dynamic. At one point they all lie prone on the floor, belly-flopped like fish thrown out of water. At another, they freeze frame, challenging you to catch up and process what you have seen."
The Live Review
Reviewer: Sophie Clark
"It seems brutally unfair to review this show as a whole, instead of giving star values for each individual dance, because the second dance in this curation was possibly the best thing I’ve seen all year and strides above the rest of the programme."
The Arts Dispatch
Reviewer: Saskia Bibb
"Symphony in Three Movements presents complete cohesion between music and dance, a unified vision. This serves to emphasise how the new works fail to engage deeply with heavyweight music. That said, it is an evening that abounds in captivating dance and innovative visual worlds."
Gramilano
"Balanchine outshines two world premieres at English National Ballet"
Reviewer: Matthew Paluch
"How exciting to witness exciting ballet. The Stravinsky score is literally a riot, the dance is nonchalant athleticism, the Karinska costumes are ballet-core chic and it’s all topped off with swishing ponytails and balletic pheromones. You can’t watch this work without being intoxicated."
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: Vera Liber
"English National Ballet has launched its 2026/27 season in adventurous style in a terrific triple bill, eclectic and fresh. And the dancers seem to be up for anything—a lot of work has gone into this challenging bill."
Ballet Herald
"A Trio Connected By Strength, Beauty, And Authenticity"
Reviewer: Hannah Lukey
"The contrast, and depth of authenticity within the world of each choreographer and their respective work, is strong and beautiful. It is a bold and exciting curation, the two intervals during the evening giving each piece their own space to be witnessed and digested by the audience."
Artbite
Reviewer: Gabriel Wilding
"Despite the vague links, Watkin has brought together different angles on that slippery creature we call dance, all embodied with thundering power from the musicians below and pummelling pointe from the dancers above. “Long live art in all its swishing legs and flaring toes,” I mutter under my breath as the final interval (the end) begins."
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Siobhan Murphy, three stars, "Tonally scattered") and The Times ("Rhythm Riot review — what a thrill to see this Balanchine gem"), whose reviews sit behind paywalls.
Production photographs by ASH.
For more of this week’s verdicts, read our roundups of The Standard of Living and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Chichester.
Rhythm Riot runs at Sadler’s Wells until 3 October 2026.
