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Reviews 

  • "Joe Powell-Main, makes a great deal of the material that stretches the dancers to their limits". (Maggie Foyer for Seeing Dance, November 2021). 

  • " It was a moving interpretation, enhanced by Joe Powell-Main’s beautiful expressive shoulders and arms which also spun his wheelchair with incredible speed and strength. " (Joanna Goodman for Terpsichore November 2021) 

  • "You get the really rich movement from his chair, the gliding motions … It’s like an extension of his body.” (Isabel Lubach, First Artist of the Royal Ballet, interview for the Guardian written by Dalya Alberge. August 2022)

  • "We were so pleased to see some rehearsal footage from Alexander Campbell and Kristen McNally’s Sleepwalker, a contemporary reimagining of La Sonnambula. The piece is a high-intensity duet between Isabel Lubach and School alumnus and wheelchair dancer, Joe Powell-Main." (The Royal Ballet School on World Ballet Day 2022 Live Stream). 

  • "The way that Joe moves is only making the whole thing better." (Alexander Campbell Former Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet and Director of Sleepwalker). 

  • "Joe Powell-Main a differently abled dancer whose talent and ability is truly inspiring." (Rebecca Royall, I am 8 review for Entertainment South Wales. May 2023) 

"Freelance dancers Hannah Rudd and Joseph Powell-Main captivated us in Kristen McNally’s Sleepwalker." (Bachtrack Deborah Weiss 2024). 

  • "It was the penultimate piece that I found to be the pivotal moment of the evening. Powell-Main’s solo Passionately Defiant, his own choreography, to the Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black (LSO arrangement) was a triumph over adversity. He is Royal Ballet School trained, but after having knee surgery, followed by a serious car accident, he dances/partners in his wheelchair and on crutches. His solo was remarkable in all aspects. His passion for dance, his lyricism, the hope he offers, the emotional depth that saturates his being, was intoxicating. More please, from this talented young man." (Bachtrack Deborah Weiss 2024). 

  • "Kicking off with an electric start, Hannah Rudd and Joseph Powell-Main (a differently abled dancer and gala ambassador) dominate the stage, and ooze with presence as they perform a reimagining of La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker), directed by Alexander Campbell and choreographed by Kristen McNally, set to the striking composition of Sophie Cotton." (Nancy Brie West End Best Friend 2024). 

  • "But the showstopper of the night must be the jaw-dropping world premiere of Joseph Powell-Main’s Passionately Defiant. Ingeniously underscored by The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’ (in an arrangement by The London Symphony Orchestra), this number explores Powell-Main’s personal “journey back to dance” after sustaining injuries that led him to acquire a disability. With dazzling choreography (also by Powell-Main), this is a stunning must-see for anyone who has ever been told they cannot do something." (Nancy Brie West End Best Friend 2024). 

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  • 'The result of his exploration and invention was really moving and beautiful, and I'm not saying that only because of the empathy with a disable person. The two excerpts from the new choreography (inspired by the Welsh legend Lady of the Lake) that we saw on Friday were very emotional, technically demanding and also very resourceful". (Martina Klimova on Joe Powell-Main's piece for The Royal Ballet Festival of New Choreography: Live at Lunch. Theatre and Arts Blog 2024). 

  • "He is a powerful advocate for inclusion in dance, and the piece he choreographed for Next Generation, Strength in Adversity, perfectly reflected its title. He and his six fellow-dancers showed how far one can push through barriers if one is determined and talented." (Amanda Jennings Bachtrack 2024) 

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