balletboyz tour 2022

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BalletBoyz Deluxe 2022 review ★★★★ ★

Balletboyz’s deluxe , an exciting double bill of contrasting works, returns to the stage at sadler’s wells with new personnel after a run cut short by covid.

By Teresa Guerreiro on 26/3/2022

Undaunted, BalletBoyz directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, who have a prolific sideline in film-making, made the programme available through an online stream. However, nothing can make up for the thrill we’ve come to expect of BalletBoyz live on stage, and it’s good to be able to report that the new cohort of this small all-male company more than live up to the expectations generated by their predecessors.

Deluxe marks a departure from previous BalletBoyz programmes, in that it’s made up of two works choreographed by women, a new experience for both dancers and choreographers.

The first piece, Ripple , comes from the Shanghai-based choreographer Xie Xin; and in a short film screened before the performance she spoke of how challenging it had been to deal exclusively with male energy, when she’s used to working with both men and women balancing their respective, very different, energies.

Ripple builds on ancestral Chinese culture, its concepts skilfully blended with contemporary dance and a hint of martial arts. It’s an ever-flowing, work, where the dancers use deep plié and soft arms in a push and pull of fluid connection, lulled by composer Jing Shaofeng’s dreamy and very organic score.

If Ripple represents emotion as the soft concentric waves of a pebble plunging into water, the second piece in the programme, Bradley 4:18 (pictured top) is something else entirely.

Created by Maxine Doyle, best known for her work with the experimental theatre company Punchdrunk , Bradley 4:18 could be subtitled ‘Masculinities in Question.’ Set at 4:18am when the generic Bradley returns home after a night on the tiles, this is a testosterone-fuelled piece, where every dancer represents one aspect of the Western male, with his sense of entitlement, his vulnerabilities, his fears and deep complexity. Cassie Jinoshi’s stunning, very jazzy score was composed in the studio even as the choreography was taking shape.

Moody lighting tinges the stage blue. The choreography is jerky, full of barely contained violence addressed mostly at themselves. Some of the dancers speak directly to the audience, in frantic little rants that are at once funny and poignant.

When they spoke to Culture Whisper just before lockdown, Trevitt and Nunn said that one of the big challenges this show presented to the dancers was how to use a short 20-minute interval to completely shift their approach from the softness of Ripple to the urban grittiness of Bradley 4:18 .

Sadler's Wells

Michael nunn, william trevitt, jiang shaofeng, maxine doyle, cassie kinoshi.

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Grace and strength, and a troubled man: the BalletBoyz in Deluxe

Sadler’s Wells, London March 25, 2022

The BalletBoyz 2020 tour of their Deluxe double-bill lasted just seven shows before the pandemic hit. It soon appeared online as part of Sadler’s Wells’ digital offerings and the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine festival, but now it’s back where it belongs, live on stage.

The 2022 ensemble is much changed from that of two years ago. And what an adaptable group they are, mostly having to learn already created choreography rather than having work made on them, and two very different pieces at that.

In the introductory, illuminating video that provides a window into the frustrations, doubts and joys or the creative process, Chinese choreographer Xie Xin (謝欣) reiterated the comments made to SeeingDance about the challenges of working with an all-male group of dancers.

Her Ripple is a beautiful, fluid work that remains true to its title. It constantly reminds one of shifting water, more often than not gently rippling, but every now and again the softness interrupted as though a stone has been tossed into the pool causing a more dramatic splash.

The work was inspired partly by the memory of a person, a point Xie Xin references by opening and closing it with one dancer gently rocking another’s head side to side.

Thereafter, and with the dancers dressed in the earthy loose shorts and baggy pants so loved by several choreographers from the region, circles are at the heart of the choreography. Torso, arms, legs, everything constantly spiral, although every now and again they are interrupted by a punchier straight line as if a stone had been tossed into the pool of thought causing an unexpected, even violent, splash.

Duets are complex but rarely involve physical contact, the dancers instead appearing to be connected by invisible strings, or perhaps just thoughts. Always there is energy and power, but equally invariably, it is contained, controlled and graceful. And if that wasn’t enough, it sits perfectly with Jiang Shaofeng’s (姜少峰) emotionally lush but slightly experimental score.

Maxine Doyle’s Bradley 4.18 could hardly be more different. Based on the lyrics of spoken word artist Kate Tempest’s ‘Pictures On A Screen’, it traces the mixed up mind of the title insomniac at 4.18am, unsure whether he is actually awake or asleep.

There are actually six Bradleys, all in suits and with bruises painted on their faces (not at all obvious from distance), although how they got them is left for us to wonder. One by one, and then two together, the dancers stagger and wander onto the stage as if inebriated.

The choreography suggests a man troubled and ‘on-the-edge’, if not quite falling. There are odd moments of playfulness but they never last, the dance largely as introspective as you might imagine. Bradley is haunted, and well and truly worn down. In the ensemble sections, there’s a lot of staggering, shoving, clinging onto each other. There’s text too, although it’s hard to pick up exactly what it’s about (I did hear references to milk and tomatoes going off in the fridge) over Cassie Kinoshi’s saxophone and music that’s as tortured as the man we see.

For all that, Doyle actually doesn’t reveal much. The introductory film suggests we are supposed to see different aspects of the title character from different dancers. I didn’t. And although we see masculinity, it is very much of a sort. It feels stereotypical and superficial. The longer Bradley 4.18 goes on, the more it seems to get lost in itself, although I suppose that could be a perfect reflection of the man himself.

Deluxe by the BalletBoyz continues on tour. Visit www.balletboyz.com for dates, venues and booking links.

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Balletboyz. Were you there?

November 2023

• Wed 8 Nov ➙ Sat 11 Nov London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Balletboyz - England On Fire
• Sat 14 May Lighthouse, Poole Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Thu 12 May Worthing, Connaught Theatre Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Tue 19 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Mon 18 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Mon 11 Apr York, Grand Opera House Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Thu 24 Mar ➙ Sat 26 Mar London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Sun 20 Mar ➙ Tue 22 Mar Cambridge Arts Theatre Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Tue 8 Mar Brighton, Theatre Royal Balletboyz - Deluxe
• Fri 22 May ➙ Sat 23 May Belfast, The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) Deluxe Balletboyz
• Mon 18 May New Theatre Oxford Deluxe Balletboyz
• Fri 15 May Guildford, G Live Deluxe Balletboyz
• Wed 13 May Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Mon 11 May High Wycombe, Swan Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Tue 5 May ➙ Wed 6 May Cheltenham, Everyman Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sun 3 May Bromley, Churchill Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Thu 30 Apr Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal Deluxe Balletboyz
• Tue 28 Apr York, Grand Opera House Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sun 26 Apr Bath Theatre Royal Deluxe Balletboyz
• Fri 24 Apr London, artsdepot Deluxe Balletboyz
• Wed 22 Apr Bradford, Alhambra Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sun 19 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sat 18 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Deluxe Balletboyz
• Thu 16 Apr Northampton, Royal & Derngate Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Tue 14 Apr Yeovil, Octagon Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Thu 9 Apr Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn Deluxe Balletboyz
• Mon 30 Mar ➙ Tue 31 Mar Exeter Northcott Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Wed 25 Mar ➙ Fri 27 Mar London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sat 21 Mar Worthing, Connaught Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Wed 18 Mar Lighthouse, Poole Deluxe Balletboyz
• Thu 12 Mar ➙ Sat 14 Mar Leicester, Curve Deluxe Balletboyz
• Tue 10 Mar Blackpool, Grand Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sun 8 Mar Edinburgh, Festival Theatre Deluxe Balletboyz
• Thu 5 Mar Darlington Hippodrome Deluxe Balletboyz
• Sun 1 Mar Glasgow, Theatre Royal Deluxe Balletboyz

September 2019

• Wed 25 Sep ➙ Thu 26 Sep London, Trinity Laban Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Wed 18 Sep Brighton, Theatre Royal Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Sun 15 Sep ➙ Mon 16 Sep Cambridge Arts Theatre Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Sat 14 Sep Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Mon 9 Sep Milton Keynes Theatre Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Fri 6 Sep Reading, Hexagon Balletboyz: Them/Us
• Wed 31 Jul ➙ Thu 15 Aug Edinburgh, Underbelly Bristo Square Balletboyz
• Mon 3 Jun ➙ Sat 15 Jun London, Vaudeville Theatre Them/Us Balletboyz
• Sat 27 Apr ➙ Sun 28 Apr Bristol Old Vic Balletboyz
• Thu 25 Apr London, artsdepot Balletboyz
• Tue 23 Apr New Theatre Oxford Balletboyz
• Tue 16 Apr High Wycombe, Swan Theatre Balletboyz
• Sun 14 Apr Glasgow, Theatre Royal Balletboyz
• Wed 10 Apr Guildford, G Live Balletboyz
• Sun 7 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz
• Sat 6 Apr Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz
• Thu 4 Apr Chester, Storyhouse Balletboyz
• Mon 1 Apr ➙ Tue 2 Apr Exeter Northcott Theatre Balletboyz
• Fri 22 Mar ➙ Sat 23 Mar Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northern Stage Balletboyz
• Wed 20 Mar Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal Balletboyz
• Mon 18 Mar Bromley, Churchill Theatre Balletboyz
• Tue 12 Mar ➙ Wed 13 Mar Salisbury Playhouse Balletboyz
• Tue 5 Mar ➙ Sat 9 Mar London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Balletboyz

February 2019

• Thu 28 Feb Lichfield Garrick Theatre Balletboyz
• Tue 26 Feb Yeovil, Octagon Theatre Balletboyz
• Sat 23 Feb Edinburgh, Festival Theatre Balletboyz

November 2018

• Tue 13 Nov ➙ Sat 17 Nov London, Wilton's Music Hall Balletboyz
• Thu 12 Jul ➙ Sun 15 Jul Southwold, Henham Park Latitude Festival 2018 The Killers, Solange, alt-j, Belle & Sebastian, The Vaccines…
• Tue 29 May High Wycombe, Swan Theatre Balletboyz
• Sun 27 May Swindon, Wyvern Theatre Balletboyz
• Sat 19 May Worthing, Connaught Theatre Balletboyz
• Wed 16 May Truro, Hall For Cornwall Balletboyz
• Mon 14 May Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Balletboyz
• Fri 11 May Reading, Hexagon Balletboyz
• Wed 9 May Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn Balletboyz
• Mon 7 May Colchester, Mercury Theatre Balletboyz
• Fri 4 May Nottingham Playhouse Balletboyz
• Wed 2 May Darlington Hippodrome Balletboyz
• Mon 30 Apr Bristol Old Vic Balletboyz
• Thu 26 Apr ➙ Sat 28 Apr London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Balletboyz
• Thu 19 Apr Lighthouse, Poole Balletboyz

December 2017

• Sat 2 Dec Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz
• Fri 1 Dec Richmond Theatre, Surrey Balletboyz

November 2017

• Tue 28 Nov ➙ Wed 29 Nov Brighton Dome Balletboyz
• Sun 26 Nov Bath Theatre Royal Balletboyz
• Tue 21 Nov Guildford, G Live Balletboyz
• Sat 18 Nov Lichfield Garrick Theatre Balletboyz
• Mon 13 Nov ➙ Tue 14 Nov Exeter Northcott Theatre Balletboyz
• Thu 9 Nov Dundee Rep Theatre Balletboyz
• Tue 7 Nov Edinburgh, Festival Theatre Balletboyz
• Thu 2 Nov London, artsdepot Balletboyz

October 2017

• Mon 30 Oct Chester, Storyhouse Balletboyz
• Sun 22 Oct ➙ Mon 23 Oct Cambridge Arts Theatre Balletboyz
• Tue 10 Oct ➙ Sat 14 Oct London, Sadler's Wells Theatre Balletboyz
• Thu 13 Jul ➙ Sun 16 Jul Southwold, Henham Park Latitude Festival 2017 The 1975, Goldfrapp, The Horrors, Tinariwen, Mystery Jets…
• Thu 25 May Bromley, Churchill Theatre Balletboyz
• Tue 23 May Truro, Hall For Cornwall Balletboyz
• Tue 11 Apr Inverness, Eden Court Balletboyz
• Thu 6 Apr ➙ Sat 8 Apr Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northern Stage Balletboyz
• Sun 2 Apr Bristol Old Vic Balletboyz
• Sat 1 Apr Bristol Old Vic Balletboyz
• Tue 28 Mar Salford, The Lowry Balletboyz
• Mon 6 Mar Nottingham Playhouse Balletboyz

November 2016

• Sun 20 Nov Reading, St. Barts Theatre Balletboyz
• Sat 19 Nov Reading, Hexagon Balletboyz

Balletboyz image © George Piper

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BalletBoyz: Deluxe – Sadlers Wells , London

Reviewer: david guest.

Choreographers: Xie Xin and Maxine Doyle

Bold, brash and beautifully innovative, for more than 20 years the BalletBoyz have been storming the dance world with breath-taking creative energy. With Deluxe we are presented with a stunning contrast that in one half leaves us in a state of dreamlike calm while the other offers a pace so frenetic that the audience is breathless.

Pandemic lockdown hit Deluxe after just seven shows back in 2020, just as BalletBoyz were setting off on a tour to mark their 20 th anniversary. Thankfully the production quickly appeared on the Sadlers Wells digital Facebook Premieres platform and was part of BBC’s Culture in Quarantine festival, giving an intimate filmed experience of the new works.

Now relaunched on stage with a mostly new team of dancers the two parts have been switched from their original order, creating an aura of mindfulness to begin followed by what can only be described as a frenzied exploration of toxic masculinity. It’s a thrilling showcase not just for the versatile performers but also for the two female choreographers, neither of whom had previously worked with an all-male troupe, and for the composers and musicians behind the accompanying soundtrack.

It’s becoming a cliché to invoke the spirit of Covid in all post-pandemic productions, but it’s hard not to sense the emotions of the last two years in the contrasting peaceful energies of Ripple and the frustrated angst of Bradley 4:18 which seem to sum up global hope and despair, even though they predate shutdown.

The first UK commission for Shanghai-based choreographer Xie Xin, Ripple is a wonderfully fluid piece demanding understanding and response from its eight dancers. While drawing from the richness of Chinese contemporary dance it touches on other aspects of the culture, with repeating patterns that are as smooth as flowing satin one moment then as relentless as a stormy sea the next.

It’s a piece of enormous subtlety and interconnectivity, tapping into nature and the wells of deep peace, a study of what is happening at the heart of ripples caused by a stone being thrown into water. It isn’t, perhaps, how we would normally expect male dancers to move, so there is a contained energy that is electrifying and pulsating, accompanied by Jiang Shaofeng’s score that occasionally resembles the enthralling experimental sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

The second half couldn’t be more different, drawing inspiration from Kae Tempest’s lyrics to Pictures on a Screen , with six dancers representing different facets of a successful young man wondering, “Is he awake or asleep? He can’t tell, he can’t dream, he can’t feel, he can’t scream…”

Bradley 4:18 explores every aspect of the question, “Is this really what it means to be alive?” as he is haunted by questions, experiences, dreams, nightmares, insecurities and anxieties at 4.18 in the morning. Each performer in Maxine Doyle’s potent choreography shows a side of the character in a solo spot before all come together in a way that is provocative, ferocious, frightening, volatile and disturbingly sexy. It’s a magnificent example of edgy ensemble work.

The music here is by Cassie Kinoshi, a thrilling jazz score played by SEED Ensemble that blends nostalgic film noir with the dangerously contemporary, matched by the nervy, neurotic moves of the athletic dancers. The mood is enhanced still further by the atmospheric lighting by Andrew Ellis, giving the choreography further depth, shadows, and timelessness.

Both pieces are prefaced by a short film giving insight into the creative process as we see the choreographers at work in rehearsals, hear their thoughts and meet the dancers Dan Baines, Paris Fitzpatrick, Seirian Griffiths, Ben Knapper, Luigi Nardone, Alecsander Nilsson, Dom Rocca, Kai Tomioka. They provide an effective curtain-raiser to each work.

Veering between the sedate and the aggressive the works in Deluxe are deeply personal and yet tackle the divergent emotions of everyman. And both prove once again that Michael Nunn and William Trevitt’s BalletBoyz are still a veritable force to be reckoned with, an enterprising company always willing to discover new things and never scared to blur or cross boundaries.

Runs until 27 March 2022 and touring

The Reviews Hub Score

Delicious, defiant, dexterous - deluxe.

The Reviews Hub - London

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One comment.

Just wasted a lot of hard earned cash on Balletboyz Deluxe at Storyhouse Chester. What a load of rubbish!! Eight so called Royal Ballet male dancers performing total arty farty junk. The first half accompanied by an incoherent Japanese/ Chinese score was boring beyond belief. The second half, which I hoped to be an improvement, actually made the first half look brilliant. Legs and feet were made for dancing but this was just all rolling about on the floor. Definitely will not be repeating the experience, give me Northern Ballet any time. As a dancer of 65 years, this was the worst performance I have ever seen.

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The BalletBoyz - Deluxe

Archive listings.

BalletBoyz Announce New Film RUMPELSTILZCHEN and the Return of DELUXE

Rumpelstilzchen film will be released from 21 December in Curzon Cinemas and on Sky Arts and Freeview on 23 December.

The internationally acclaimed BalletBoyz has today announced their return to both screen and stage. In March they will return to live performance with Deluxe, a double bill fusing beautiful dance with original music and engaging film content, in the company's unique and unmistakable style. Ahead of that, this Christmas, they are set to present their third feature film, Rumpelstilzchen.

A Sky Original, it is directed and produced by International Emmy Award-winning BalletBoyz Artistic Directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt with Richard Jones , with music composed by David Sawer and movement direction by Sarah Fahie . The spellbinding fable is brought to life anew for the screen with an all-star cast including Jane Horrocks in the title role, alongside Tanya Reynolds, John Marquez, Daniel Francis -Swaby, Edward Davis , and Bailey Pepper.

The music is composed by David Sawer . Rumpelstilzchen film will be released from 21 December in Curzon Cinemas and on Sky Arts and Freeview on 23 December. Deluxe will embark on a nationwide UK tour from March to May, including London's Sadler's Wells between 24 and 27 March. It is a co-production with Sadler's Wells. Press Night will be on 25 March 2022. Further tour dates to be announced.

Rumpelstilzchen

An engrossing and original fantasy film, the creative team of Rumpelstilzchen have brought the age-old Brothers Grimm tale to life in a playful, novel re-imagining for all ages. In the tradition of the stars of the silver screen and with a nod to the colourful, genre defining world of Powell and Pressburger, the actors communicate the story through movement and gestural narration. Featuring scenes that include a pool of tears, the transformation of straw into gold, a wild wedding reception and a spooky dance around a fireside, the one-of-a-kind film combines theatre, dance, and music, set to a score performed by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. It is a ballet without dancing, an opera without singing, a drama without speaking.

A Miller boasts to the King that his daughter can spin straw into gold. Three times the King demands she does so, promising marriage. If she fails, her life is forfeit. Three times she despairs until Rumpelstiltskin appears, spinning straw into gold in exchange for a gift. The third time the girl promises her first born child to Rumpelstiltskin, should she be queen. Years later, the new queen bears a child and Rumpelstiltskin arrives for his gift. He will only relent if within three days the queen can guess his name...

International Emmy, Rose d'Or, and Golden Prague Award winners BalletBoyz are renowned for their use of film and technology in their performance work and were the first ever dance company to release a full length feature film in 2016.

The full cast includes: Jane Horrocks , Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), John Marquez (Doc Martin); Daniel Francis -Swaby (Small Axe); Edward Davis (Emma); Bailey Pepper (Doctor Who).

Deluxe was planned for 2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking all male ensemble, the production was one of the first pieces of work to be adapted in lockdown for broadcast, premiering online and later on BBC Four.

Deluxe sees Shanghai-based dancer and choreographer Xie Xin (TAO Dance Theatre, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui 's Eastman) choreographing Ripple for BalletBoyz set to an original score by composer Jiang Shaofeng. Described by the choreographer as a memory like an ocean, the piece explores movement inspired by the memory of a person and energy that such memories possess.

Renowned as the choreographer behind immersive theatre trailblazers Punchdrunk, Maxine Doyle will present Bradley 4:18, as the second part of Deluxe, to live jazz music composed specially for the piece by Cassie Kinoshi, of the Mercury Prize-nominated SEED Ensemble. Doyle's piece was inspired by Kate Tempest 's poems, in particular, Pictures on a Screen and it explores insomnia and modern western masculinity.

The current BalletBoyz Company includes: Dan Baines; Paris Fitzpatrick; Seirian Griffiths; Ben Knapper; Luigi Nardone; Alecsander Nilsson; Dom Rocca; Kai Tomioka.

Over the last 20 years BalletBoyz has made 38 pieces of original and innovative new work for the stage, won 13 international awards including an Olivier and National Dance Award, and collaborated with 25 choreographers, ranging from some of the world's finest and most established to emerging and unknown choreographers including Christopher Wheeldon , Akram Khan , Kristen McNally, Matthew Bourne and Liv Lorent to name a few. As well as an extensive body of work on stage, the company has had success on the screen with their first feature film Young Men (2016) winning the Golden Prague Arts Award and the Rose d'Or in the Arts Category.

BalletBoyz is a pioneering force in making dance accessible and continues to be celebrated across four continents by audiences and critics alike; the company has performed their work more than 400 times around the UK and in 13 countries across the world, with over 350,000 people having seen one of their productions over the last 20 years. Many people have also attended their regular dance workshops and classes for both children and adults, including specialised classes for people with learning disabilities and Parkinson's, held at their studios in Kingston.

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BalletBoyz Deluxe

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• Balletboyz-Deluxe

Mon 1 Jan 0001 - Thu 19 May 2022 , Octagon Auditorium

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• DATES/TIMES & BUY TICKETS

Bold, boisterous and beautiful: BalletBoyz are back. Meet the eight extraordinary young dancers who feature in this explosion of mesmeric dance, fused with the witty and distinctive BalletBoyz trademark use of film and behind the scenes content.

Winners of numerous awards across the world, BalletBoyz are one of the most cheekily original and innovative forces in dance, thrilling audiences and critics with their unique style, blending achingly beautiful dance both exhilarating and graceful, with stunning music and film.

Deluxe features work by some of the world’s most exciting artists, including choreographer Xie Xin , composer Jiang Shaofeng , Punchdrunk ’s Maxine Doyle and jazz musician and composer Cassie Kinoshi of the Mercury-nominated SEED Ensemble .

Tickets: £19.00 Concessions: £17.50 Footlights / Groups 10+: Discount applies

A £1 ticket levy is included in all stated ticket prices. 

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Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

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Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

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• Ballet / Dance news & information

Moscow City Ballet 2022 Tour

By TSR101 November 21, 2021 in Ballet / Dance news & information

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I thought I would post that the MCB are doing performances of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake at Richmond Theatre

I am rather dubious about the quality of these productions given that the quote they use to sell it is from this forum! 

This is one of the most intelligent settings of Swan Lake I have EVER seen. Bravi

- BALLETCO FORUM

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/moscow-city-ballet-presents-swan-lake/richmond-theatre/

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/moscow-city-ballet-presents-the-nutcracker/richmond-theatre/

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We saw this danced at Nottingham by this company a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jan McNulty

They are performing at the Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent too.

They seem to be visiting several places throughout January.

https://moscowcityballet.com/press/

On 21/11/2021 at 17:13, TSR101 said: I thought I would post that the MCB are doing performances of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake at Richmond Theatre   I am rather dubious about the quality of these productions given that the quote they use to sell it is from this forum!    This is one of the most intelligent settings of Swan Lake I have EVER seen. Bravi

Clearly their pr people realise that there are many very knowledgeable people who write on this forum!  

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Hungary's PM meets Putin for talks on Ukraine

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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has arrived in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on the war in Ukraine.

The visit has been criticised by EU leaders, who have emphasised that Mr Orban is not acting on behalf of the bloc.

Mr Orban is the EU's only head of national government to have kept close ties to the Kremlin following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He described the trip as a "peace mission" in a post on X. It comes days after he visited Kyiv.

In footage of the meeting, Mr Putin said the Hungarian prime minister was visiting "not just as a long-time partner" but as a European Union representative.

Hungary has just taken over the EU's rotating presidency, and will hold it to the end of the year.

Viktor Orban, speaking in the meeting, said: "Hungary will slowly become the last European country that can talk to everyone."

Some European leaders openly condemned the Moscow trip. Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called it "disturbing news", while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted: "The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine."

He went on: "The rumours about your visit to Moscow cannot be true, @PM_ViktorOrban, or can they?"

"Appeasement will not stop Putin," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

"Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

In a statement, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said the trip "takes place, exclusively, in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia".

Who is Viktor Orban, Hungarian PM with 14-year grip on power?

Russia's president told Mr Orban he would be happy to discuss "the nuances" of his recent Ukraine settlement plan, in which he offered talks if Ukraine pulled out of Russian-occupied regions.

The Kremlin leader voiced a number of tough pre-conditions for negotiations, but Kyiv and its Western allies say these would be tantamount to Ukraine's capitulation.

Earlier this week, Mr Orban visited Kyiv, saying "a quick ceasefire could be used to speed up peace negotiations".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - who has had frosty relations with Mr Orban - did not publicly respond to the proposal.

Many Ukrainians believe any ceasefire would simply cement Russia’s hold over territory it has seized from Ukraine and, if negotiations were to take place, they would prefer them to be conducted from a position of strength rather than on the back foot.

Mr Orban has been a vocal critic of Western support for Ukraine. He previously slowed agreement on a €50bn ($54bn; £42bn) EU aid package designed to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia.

Tuesday's visit to Kyiv was his first in 12 years, while he met Mr Putin repeatedly during that time.

During Mr Orban's joint appearance with Mr Zelensky, the body language between them was not warm, and neither took questions from the media after they gave their statements.

But for the next six months Mr Orban's position as head of the Council of the European Union means he has an influential role as a figurehead for Europe.

He came to Ukraine on his second day in that role for discussions, saying there was a need to solve previous disagreements and focus on the future.

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French parliamentary election tracker 2024

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Leila Abboud and Ian Johnston in Paris and Alan Smith , Steven Bernard , Joanna S Kao and Clara Murray in London

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Second round voting — July 7

Official candidate lists published by France’s ministry of the interior for Sunday’s run-off show that Rassemblement National will take part in more than 350 two-way races after leftist and centrist parties pulled hundreds of candidates from the second round.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

The withdrawal of candidates from the high-stakes election is a co-ordinated attempt to keep the far-right RN out of power after they secured the most first-place finishes in the first round of voting.

Seat projections published by Harris Interactive on Wednesday have revised downwards expectations of RN winning the 289 seats required for an absolute majority in Sunday’s second round of voting.

However, such projections are not reliable as they have had a patchy record in previous elections. Those published by major pollsters after the first round of voting in 2022 overestimated the seats President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance would win and underestimated the performance of Marine Le Pen’s RN.

First round results — June 30

Le Pen’s far-right RN won 33.2 per cent of the vote in the first round of the French parliamentary elections, according to projections by pollster Ipsos.

The leftwing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance finished second with 28.1 per cent, while Macron’s Ensemble alliance secured 21 per cent of the vote.

Speaking from her Hénin-Beaumont constituency in northern France on Sunday, Le Pen hailed the first-round result, which she said had “practically erased” Macron’s centrist bloc.

The projections suggest the RN and its allies are on track to win the most seats in the National Assembly in the final round of voting on July 7.

There are 577 seats in the lower house, which could end up with a hung parliament or an uncomfortable power-sharing arrangement known as a “cohabitation” in which two opposing parties must govern together.

By 5pm local time on Sunday, 59 per cent of voters had already cast their ballot, compared with 39 per cent in 2022 — making it the highest first-stage turnout since 1986 , according to Ipsos researcher Mathieu Gallard.

Latest polling

Surveys carried out by pollster Ipsos on June 27 and 28 show that the RN is popular with all but the youngest French voters.

The far-right party is also the top choice for France’s most “disadvantaged” voters, who are the least likely to vote for Macron’s Ensemble alliance.

To address concerns about the cost of living, RN has promised to lower value-added tax on energy and fuel, while France’s prime minister Gabriel Attal, who is leading Ensemble’s campaign, has argued against large public spending plans due to the country’s deficit.

Le Pen’s popularity has been rising since 2012, particularly in France’s rural areas, which are most likely to vote for her party.

The outgoing assembly

Despite beating Le Pen in the 2022 presidential election, Macron’s party failed to win an outright majority in that year’s parliamentary vote, forcing his government to strike deals with other parties to pass laws.

The government has at times overridden lawmakers to pass budgets and reforms using a constitutional clause, known as the 49.3, which then exposes it to a no-confidence vote.

The first round of the 2022 legislative elections was predominantly a battle between the centre and the left, with Ensemble in run-offs against the Nupes.

How the National Assembly elections work

The first round of voting takes place on June 30. The top two candidates in each constituency progress to a run-off on July 7. But they can be joined by another candidate who gains the support of at least 12.5 per cent of registered voters in their constituency, meaning turnout is key in this election.

Given the dramatic stakes of the RN being able to claim the prime minister’s office if they win a majority of 289 seats, there is pressure in the second round on centrist and leftwing parties to strategically drop out in certain districts so as not to divide the vote.

To contact the team that maintains this page, email [email protected]

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International Edition

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban visits Moscow, angering E.U. allies

With Hungary holding the European Union’s rotating presidency, the trip by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to see Vladimir Putin drew sharp disavowals in Brussels.

BRUSSELS — Fresh off his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow on Friday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin — a striking break with the European Union’s collective foreign policy just days after Hungary took over the bloc’s rotating presidency.

Even before Orban’s plane touched down Friday, the trip drew sharp disavowals from Brussels.

Josep Borrell, the E.U.’s top diplomat, preemptively noted that the Hungarian leader’s travel is not official E.U. business and “takes place exclusively in the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.”

But with Hungary now holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the trip represented a diplomatic triumph for Putin, who has repeatedly accused NATO nations, particularly the United States, of prolonging the war he started. Putin has also blamed them for not forcing Ukraine to negotiate a surrender of territory that Russia has seized by force.

Greeting Orban at the Kremlin, Putin immediately stressed his guest’s leadership role in the E.U.

“‘Welcome to Moscow, to Russia,” Putin said. “I understand that you have come this time not only as our long-standing partner, but also as the president of the European Council. I hope we will have the opportunity to exchange ideas on building bilateral relations in this difficult situation and, of course, to talk about the prospects for the development of the biggest European crisis, I mean, on the Ukrainian track.”

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In a three-hour-long meeting behind closed doors, the two leaders discussed “the shortest path to peace,” Orban said after the talks, according to Russian state media. From Moscow’s perspective, that path typically means Ukraine should capitulate to Russia’s demands to annex about one-fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

Putin on Friday rehashed his demands for ceasing hostilities, including Ukraine’s surrender of that territory, something that Ukrainian officials repeatedly deemed a non-starter. The Russian leader also took up a new line of attack, claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “reluctant” to stop fighting because it would force the country to end martial law and hold presidential elections.

“For the authorities who have lost their ratings and legitimacy, the chances of winning them are close to zero,” Putin said. He offered no evidence to support his analysis of Ukrainian domestic politics. Recent polling has suggested that Ukrainians broadly support the war effort and oppose giving in to Russia’s demands — with nearly 75 percent believing that Ukraine will eventually succeed in liberating its territories.

Orban said his meeting with Putin took place “at a time when Europe really needs peace,” which “will not come by itself.”

Speaking Thursday at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Putin suggested resuming negotiations that took place in Istanbul in 2022 shortly after Russia’s invasion when Ukraine was in a perilously weak position.

Those talks broke down after Russian forces retreated from their attempt to capture Kyiv, leaving behind evidence of atrocities against Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in Bucha, Irpin and other suburbs of the Ukrainian capital. Putin on Thursday accused Britain and the United States of directing Ukraine to end the negotiations — a charge that U.S. and British officials deny.

The six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the E.U. typically involves convening meetings and overseeing legislative minutiae in Brussels, not shuttling between foreign capitals at war. But Orban, a right-wing leader who prides himself as a proponent of “illiberal democracy” and has long clashed with other European leaders, is clearly intent on using the role as a platform.

Orban has repeatedly broken with other E.U. and NATO leaders by calling on Ukraine to consider making concessions to Russia, and he has refused to allow donated weapons to be transferred to Ukraine through Hungary, which shares a long border with Ukraine. Orban also has repeatedly slow-rolled the E.U.’s efforts to aid Kyiv and advance Ukraine’s application to join the bloc.

A spokesperson for Orban described Friday’s trip as a “peace mission” but did not offer other details on his purpose or plans.

Earlier Friday, Orban sought to justify his travel, writing on X that you “cannot make peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels.”

“Even if the rotating EU-Presidency has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the E.U., we cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end,” he wrote. “We will serve as an important tool in making the first steps toward peace.”

Borrell, in his statement, stressed that Orban could not speak for the E.U.’s 26 other member countries. “The E.U. position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is reflected in many European Council conclusions,” he said. “That position excludes official contacts between the E.U. and President Putin. The Hungarian Prime Minister is thus not representing the E.U. in any form.”

When Orban visited Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday, there were no such clarifications. Instead, the E.U. flag was positioned prominently behind him along with the Hungarian and Ukrainian flags.

During the visit in Kyiv, Orban suggested that Ukraine should agree to a cease-fire with Russia as part of an effort to begin negotiations to end the fighting.

Zelensky has put forward a 10-point peace plan that does not include agreeing to a cessation of hostilities while Russian troops are still occupying Ukraine.

The cease-fire proposal that Orban pitched would leave Moscow in control of roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, potentially giving Moscow a chance to rearm and renew its efforts to seize more territory. Russia first invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Eight years later, in February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion seeking to capture Kyiv.

A number of European officials and leaders have dismissed the notion that Orban can play peacemaker, particularly on behalf of the E.U.

“The European Council is clear,” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, posted Thursday. “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.”

Orban, after meeting with Putin, acknowledged the difficult of reaching a peace deal “We need to work for it,” he said. “The positions are far apart.”

Ilyushina reported from Berlin. Serhii Korolchuk in Kyiv and Kate Brady in Berlin contributed to this report.

Modi’s Russia Visit Dents West’s Efforts to Cast Putin as Pariah

(Bloomberg) -- Worried by deepening China-Russia relations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading to Moscow next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin, his first visit to the country since the Kremlin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting, which will help Putin to counter Western efforts to cast him as a pariah, comes two months after Putin went to China for the first foreign visit of his new term. That trip underlined Moscow’s increasing dependence on Beijing, which India has eyed warily.

“The deepening of the strategic alignment between Russia and China is uncomfortable for New Delhi because it’s like your best friend sleeping with the enemy,” said Swasti Rao, an associate fellow at Manohar Parrikar Institute For Defence Studies and Analyses, a Defense Ministry-backed research group in New Delhi. “Given that we have these concerns it makes sense for the prime minister to go there and talk to Putin at the highest level.”

It will be Modi’s first bilateral visit since he won a third term in office, with the prime minister breaking convention by visiting Russia instead of neighboring countries like Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, where he chose to go after previous election wins. 

That underlines the importance New Delhi places on its ties with Moscow, people familiar with the matter said. India, the world’s third-largest crude consumer, has become a major buyer of Russian oil, and is reliant on its military hardware supplies. At the same, relations between China and India have been at a low point since land-border clashes in 2020.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues although no breakthrough agreements are likely, according to Indian officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private. The agenda includes a logistics supply agreement to bolster cooperation between the two militaries, restarting discussions on the joint development of a fifth generation fighter aircraft, and collaboration on nuclear power, the people said. 

India’s Ministry of External Affairs wasn’t immediately available to comment when contacted for further information.

The visit to Moscow, which is expected to take place on July 8-9, partly coincides with a separate summit in Washington of members of the North American Treaty Organization. Modi’s Russia trip was long overdue and the timing had no connection with the alliance’s meeting, people familiar with the matter said. Modi is expected to visit Vienna on a two-day trip after Moscow.

The US has sought to strengthen ties with India to counter China’s dominance in Asia and has been tolerant of New Delhi’s relations with Russia. Asked about those relations, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state, said last week Washington has raised concerns about India-Russia ties with New Delhi, but that it had confidence in India and wants to expand relations with the South Asian country.  

Modi has skipped annual in-person summits with Putin for the past two years amid discomfort in New Delhi over the worst fighting in Europe since World War II. Even so, India has avoided censuring Russia for invading neighboring Ukraine, abstaining at United Nations votes on the issue, and has advocated diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

Oil sales by Russia to India are helping to maintain ties, even if they aren’t as close as during the Soviet era. As Russia offers deeper discounts on its oil amid Western energy restrictions, India has increased its purchases of Russian crude more than 20 times compared to 2021, exceeding 2 million barrels a day.

India saved $13 billion by importing cheaper crude oil from Russia over the previous 23 months, according to a study by ICRA, the rating agency, published in April.

A Moscow meeting with the Indian prime minister is a diplomatic win for Putin, whose country’s been hit with unprecedented sanctions over its attack on Ukraine. He’s also wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, which has restricted his travel abroad.

In June, Putin on a rare foreign tour visited North Korea, where he signed a military defense pact with Kim Jong Un that alarmed the US and its allies. Last year, he didn’t attend the Group of 20 leaders’ meeting hosted by India or the BRICS emerging economies’ summit held in South Africa.

A former Indian envoy to Russia, who asked not to be identified, said New Delhi’s ties with Moscow are stable and strong, although economic and defense interactions have slowed recently. The relationship has always been driven from the top, and summits between the leadership have their own importance, the person said. 

“The visit of a leader of a state such as India demonstrates that Russia isn’t facing international isolation, and for the Kremlin this is very important,” said Aleksei Zakharov, an expert on India based in Moscow.

India, which has refused to join punitive measures against Russia, has worked to resolve problems affecting trade caused by Moscow’s need to reduce its use of the US dollar.

India now pays largely in UAE dirham for Russian oil, and the two countries have found a solution to a deadlocked payment system for weapons and other goods. That had led to Russian companies amassing as much as $8 billion worth of rupees in accounts in India which they couldn’t spend, according to senior officials who didn’t want to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Under the agreement, Russia has used the funds to invest in Indian enterprises and buy more electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, agricultural tools and textiles, said officials directly aware of the details.

From New Delhi’s perspective, the commercial relationship remains unbalanced, however, with India importing about $60 billion a year and Russia buying less than $5 billion from India.

Russia, meanwhile, is seeing its once-dominant position in India’s arms market weaken as New Delhi looks to Western suppliers led by France and the US, as well as to its own defense industry. There have been no new major arms deals with Russia for the last three years, and India’s push to diversify looks set to continue after delays in the delivery of Russian S-400 air defense systems.

Russia for now remains India’s main supplier, accounting for 36% of arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But that’s down more than half from a decade ago.

Wary of sanctions risks and payments difficulties, Indian businesses also are cautious about operating in Russia, and top Indian officials and executives have been reluctant to attend major economic gatherings in the country.

Modi’s last trip to Russia was in 2019, when he attended a far eastern economic forum in Vladivostok.

“This is about maintaining the status quo,” said Zakharov, the Moscow-based India specialist. “Ties are not deteriorating but there’s no particular drive to improve relations either.”

--With assistance from Rakesh Sharma and Dan Strumpf.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

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• Élections législatives 2024

Législatives 2024 : la participation s’est élevée à 66,7 % au premier tour, en très forte hausse

Les observateurs avaient anticipé un fort taux de participation, et ce, alors que l’abstention lors des élections législatives est habituellement élevée. En 2017 et en 2022, moins de la moitié des personnes inscrites sur les listes électorales étaient allées voter pendant les deux tours.

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La participation au premier tour des élections législatives s’est élevée à 66,7 %, dimanche 30 juin, selon les résultats officiels définitifs . Celle-ci se situe bien au-delà des 47,51 % de 2022, mais en deçà des 67,9 % des dernières législatives organisées après une dissolution, en 1997.

Les observateurs anticipaient un fort taux de participation pour ce scrutin, et ce, alors que l’abstention lors des élections législatives est habituellement élevée. En 2017 et en 2022, moins de la moitié des personnes inscrites sur les listes électorales étaient allées voter lors des deux tours.

Plus de 2,6 millions de procurations ont été établies depuis le 10 juin, selon le ministère de l’intérieur ; un nombre quatre fois supérieur à celui d’il y a deux ans sur une période comparable. Les Français de l’étranger ont, quant à eux, été plus de 410 000 à voter en ligne de mardi à jeudi, un niveau qui n’avait jamais été atteint.

Mise à jour le 4 juillet à 12 h 40 : le taux de participation renseigné était celui concernant les suffrages exprimés, il a été remplacé par celui de la totalité des votants, qui inclue donc les votes blancs et nuls.

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