From bold reimaginings to centenary celebrations and the occasional critical curveball, Limelight readers flocked to dance reviews in 2025. Our most-read critiques of the year reveal an appetite for adventurous new Australian work, major festival commissions and classic repertoire seen through fresh eyes.

Whether it was the psychological unravelling at the heart of Carmen, the massed community joy of Mass Movement or the quiet illumination of ADT’s A Quiet Language, these were the productions that kept audiences – and our critics – talking.

The Australian Ballet’s Carmen: Jill Ogai and Callum Linnane. Photo by Kate Longley

1. Carmen (The Australian Ballet)

Based more closely on Prosper Merimée’s novella than Bizet’s opera, Johan Inger’s Carmen got inside Don Jose’s head – and it was a dangerous place to be. “Callum Linnane gives Don José the blank affect of a person right at the edge of sanity,” wrote Limelight review Deborah Jones of an edge-of-the-seat production.

2. The Chronicles (Stephanie Lake Company & Sydney Festival)

This Sydney Festival event showcased immaculate work from Stephanie Lake’s company of 12 but, wrote Deborah Jones “there may be less to The...