A floating opera written by Monty Python star Terry Jones and impromptu Shakespeare recitals on the Tube by award-winning actor Mark Rylance are among the cultural events that will run alongside the Olympics in London this summer.

Ukrainian who quit Royal Ballet faces uncertain future after losing right to dance in Britain

A Slice of Britain: There's not a sugar plum fairy in sight as English National Ballet pops its Nutcracker back on the shelf and prepares to bring favourite Gershwin tunes to life at the London Coliseum

For the end of their London Christmas season, English National Ballet dive into Strictly Gershwin with a will. Derek Deane’s production blends ballet and ballroom, with a dollop of tap dancing and a fair bit of padding. The dancers do it all with care and attention. At the back of the American in Paris crowd scenes, you can spot corps dancers giving their steps a flirtatious edge.

You expect to see The Nutcracker staged at Christmas – but this year's snowstorm of productions is overwhelming. The trouble is there's not much else to take its place, says Jessica Duchen

Jonathan Miller’s triumphant staging of Donizetti’s comic masterpiece 'The Elixir of Love' returns to the London Coliseum this September for a limited run of only nine performances, while Fiona Shaw brings her unique creative flair to a major new production of Mozart’s immensely popular classic 'The Marriage of Figaro' in October.

This Romeo is all over the place. On the one hand, it stars the Bolshoi's magnificent Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova – charisma to their fingertips, his lithe warmth to her fizzing attack. On the other, this is a production where designs, performance styles and even venue haven't been introduced to each other.

Strictly Gershwin is an in-the-round extravaganza, stuffed with guest stars and glittering with Swarovski crystals. The dancers of English National Ballet are joined by singers, ballroom and tap dancers.

My parents were... very kind people. My father was in the RAF and my mother trained as a nurse. I had a very distant relationship with them, though, mostly because of their work commitments.

Birmingham Royal Ballet's Cinderella has swift storytelling, marvellous designs and a tender heart. New last Christmas, it has been a success on tour and on television, and arrives at the London Coliseum looking as bright as ever.