The Chosen
★★★★★ Edinburgh Festival Magazine
'it uniquely appeals to our times'
★★★★ The Herald
'a thoughtfully elegiac, life-affirming dance piece'
★★★★ the Scotsman
'more than once I found myself in tears at the thoughts and feelings evoked by the movement and its touching execution'
★★★★ the List
'Intensely physical;athletic, near violent, exhilarating'
★★★★ the National
"This is not maudlin or miserable, but a stylish, compassionate piece urging us to live right now."
★★★★ Edinburgh Guide
'layered metaphors and rich depth of emotion'
★★★★ Scots Gay
'an impressive piece of choreography by Kally Lloyd-Jones'
★★★★ Broadway Baby
'a beautiful and moving piece'
★★★★ the Fountain
'As an ensemble piece, it was flawless....With a cast of such impressive dancers/actors, stunning choreography, and excellent technical back-up, I wonder if this production is destined for greater fortunes'
Fest Mag
'the Chosen is demanding. The cast works hard....it is intense and tests stamina'
Recommended by the Guardian, the Herald, the List, BBC Arts and is a highly recommended show in the Fringe Review.
Lady Macbeth: unsex me here
"bold and haunting" **** The Guardian
"elegant and eviscerating" * * * * * The Stage
"a masterpiece of intellect and imagery" ***** Edinburgh Guide
“Visually, the piece is compelling, from the blood-red skirts worn by the performers to the visceral, frenzied interpretation of the sleepwalking scene” **** The Times
"To peel back and examine each layer of Company Chordelia’s new work in a review this size is an impossibility. So rich in thought, detail and execution is it, you would need an entire thesis to do it justice" **** The Scotsman
"a dance-drama of quite troubling beauty, psychological insights and richly symbolic imaginings” **** The Herald
“an original and successful take on one of Shakespeare's most famous dramas"
***** Plays To See
Nijinsky's Last Jump
Number 5 in Judith Mackrell's top 10 Dance for 2015.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/dec/16/judith-mackrell-top-10-dance-of-2015?CMP=twt_gu
Daily Telegraph: Mark Monahan's Review of the Year included Nijinsky's Last Jump in it's highlights of 2015 - "almost intolerably moving two-hander .. This burnished little pearl was the work of Company Chordelia"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/dance-in-2015-has-the-royal-ballet-lost-the-plot/
“Lloyd-Jones does not sentimentalise her material, yet in this impeccably researched, beautifully performed piece, she conjures a world in which genius and insanity, youth and age speak to each and make perfect sense.”
***** The Guardian
“a remarkable new piece by Company Chordelia” ***** The Herald
“By its close Nijinsky’s Last Jump shapes up into a memorably tender but unsentimental portrait of the love and loss of self.” **** The Times
"Bouquets to director Kally Lloyd-Jones for turning such tricky material into a concise, precise emotional experience." The Spectator
“devastating” **** The Skinny
“The intriguing central notion of a meeting (as well as the love and loss) of one’s self is realised with uncommon sensitivity and intelligence.” **** The List
"Countless books, plays and films have tried to capture his glamorous rise to fame, then tragic descent into schizophrenia - and with Nijinsky’s Last Jump, Company Chordelia can count itself among the more successful endeavours."
**** The Scotsman
"The dancing was beautiful, the acting superb – the show simply has to be seen!"
***** ScotsGay Magazine
Dance Derby
“The Company Chordelia cast are truly remarkable” ***** The Herald
“an intelligent, touching show” **** The Independent
“a beautifully wrought landscape of public humiliations and private griefs that reach beyond our entertainment to a cruel reality that is maybe not so bygone as we would like to think”
“acting and dancing with a fierce integrity that truly honours those long ago contenders” ***** The Herald
“It’s a testament to both the dancers, and choreographer Kally Lloyd Jones, that we believe in the contestants’ exhaustion as they dance round and round the stage endlessly – yet never tire of it ourselves.” **** The Scotsman
Seven Deadly Sins
“Kally Lloyd-Jones’s Scottish Opera/Company Chordelia co-production of The Seven Deadly Sins was sharp, sexy and bitterly sad.” ***** The Independent on Sunday
“Kally Lloyd-Jones’s Scottish Opera/Company Chordelia co-production is sharp, witty and dark. The incisiveness of Lloyd-Jones’s directing is matched by the sharpness of Janis Hart’s 1930’s set. Do not miss” **** The Times
“Kally Lloyd-Jones, directing as well as choreographing, has created some highly-charged and sensuous movement.” The Opera Critic
“Visually full of flair and invention” **** The Herald
“The collaboration with Company Chordelia is particularly exciting – their ability to bring such a grand tale as this to life through dance is unrivalled.” Metro
“This ballet chanté format allows Scottish Opera and Company Chordelia to work together in a co-production that boasts the best of both artistic worlds … There’s a strong narrative drive expressed through song and dance, and it’ll grip you in a way that ballet or opera alone may not.” Metro
“Sins was an inventively realised and vibrant spectacle” **** The Scotsman
“Credit for the successful revival of this period piece must go to director Kally Lloyd-Jones and designer Janis Hart, who have figured out a way to make everything that happens onstage look not only fresh and appealing but pertinent to our times.”
**** Total Theater
Cabaret Chordelia
“a seamless hybrid of vocals and dance, combining sometimes gender-bending torch songs with fluid movements from a trio of dancers, sometimes poignant, sometimes saucy, and in the end deeply affecting“
**** The Scotsman
Previous Works
“beautifully staged” The Herald
“Lloyd-Jones, as befits a director for Scottish Opera, is confident when creating evocative moments: a duet in the darkness, illuminated by a torch; a cowled Pierrot attending Miranda; a piano apparently playing itself.” The Skinny
“It’s stunning both to look at and to listen to” Metro
“a deadly and erotically charged tale” The Herald ****
“spookily atmospheric” Metro ****
“a sparkling, offbeat production” The Big Issue ****
“admirable in both its originality and its ambition .. the kind of production we see too little of on the Scottish stage” The Sunday Herald
“Company Chordelia held us transfixed. The word “haunting” scarcely does justice to the experience” West Highland Free Press
“emphasises the vulnerabilities, pathos and longing” The Herald
“genuinely rewarding to watch” The Herald
“the choreography ignites” Sunday Herald
“the fantastically dextrous Kally Lloyd-Jones plays a trio of dancers” Metro
“a darkly comical and quirky show for those who like their dance fast, fresh and very contemporary” Scotland on Sunday
“an abundance of performing talent” The Herald
“laugh at the funny bits and gawp at the virtuoso dancing… eye-popping aerial manoeuvres” Metro
“witty and good fun and full of charm” The Times ****
“lively and attractive mix of styles done with a lightness of touch” The Herald
“full of lovely witty touches” Sunday Herald
“Injecting the art form with fun, energy and character” Evening News
“full of teasing, pleasing promise” The Herald
“quirky humour… comedic and engaging” Dance Expression
“Company Chordelia are not scared to make dance funny” Scotland on Sunday
” a tongue-in-cheek caper about girl-power on the dance floor… great fun”
The Herald
“a sassy bit of fun… this is a dance show with balls – glitterballs that is”
Sunday Herald
“It’s certainly a good dance night out” Edinburgh Guide
“brings together positive energy and social commentary” The Guardian Guide
“Injecting the art form with fun, energy and character” Evening News
“fun dance programme full of inventions and humour” Edinburgh Guide