BRB2 in Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection

Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London
June 13, 2023

It should be a given that the dancers in second ensembles of major companies are good. In fact, those of BRB2 are very, very good. But, watching them at the Royal Opera House, two other things struck. First, Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection is just that. Yes, a few pieces are more contemporary than others, but a deep belief in classicism underlines all. That’s not always the case, even with ballet company second ensembles. Second while the dancing was outstanding, it was invariably backed up by super artistry. Everyone looked like they understood the roles and were dancing with and for each other. Connection was everywhere. It was very much not only about technique, as essential and important as that is.

Formed only this year, it is planned that BRB2 will take around six new graduate dancers each year, all staying for two years. Thus, half will be in the first year each season, half in their second. To make up the numbers for 2023, seven younger company members have been drafted in to bring the roster up to the right number. As a one-off, Linbury audiences also got to see Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Momoko Hirata guesting in the Diana and Actaeon Pas de deux.

The evening is bookended by the dancers arriving and leaving as if for a class or rehearsal, with much of the second half then situated in a café setting. Both ideas work well.

A fine opening came courtesy of Frieda Kaden and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg in Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody, both dancing with total commitment. Kempsey Fagg has two younger and equally talented brothers working their way through training. What chance all three being at Birmingham Royal Ballet together, I wonder?

Guesting from the main company, Olivia Chang-Clarke and Eric Pinto Cata produced fine performances in the pas de deux from La Sylphide. Chang-Clarke made light of Bournonville’s intricate, fast footwork, while Pinto Cata showed great lightness and ballon in his jumps. The couple later came together very nicely again in a scene from Carlos Acosta’s just a little sexy Carmen, which Acosta Danza will be performing in full at Sadler’s Wells in July 2024.

I felt Maïlène Katoch and Mason King looked a tad nervous, not quite hitting the mark in the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake. No such issues with Regan Hutsell (also guesting) and Jack Easton in the following The Dying Swans, however, Acosta’s interesting take on the familiar and overdone Mikhail Fokine.

The sound of cold winds that precedes the usual score hints at the coming end. The two swans are beautifully contrasting: Hutsell more classical, more traditional; her dying partner, Jack Easton, more contemporary but full of gorgeous clean lines. Despite the difference in movement, there was a distinct sense of togetherness between them. It was also very nicely lit with just the right amount of shadow, reflecting the couple’s approaching death.

As a one-off, the evening’s London audience got to see Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Momoko Hirata alongside Riku Ito in Diana and Actaeon. To say it closed the first half on a high would be an understatement. It takes a lot to outshine Hirata but Ito managed it in a strong and powerful performance that was full of sheer virtuosity. There was the rock solid and held one-arm lift, incredible height on soaring jumps and lighting fast turns. And all perfectly placed. The pas de deux is very Russian. In a way, very old fashioned. It often feels like it too. Not on this evening.

The second half got off to a fine start with Ben Stevenson’s gentle, deeply expressive, soulful End of Time. Lucy Waine, fresh from dancing Calliope in Balanchine’s Apollo, and Kempsey-Fagg produced all the sensitivity the choreography and situation calls for. Waine later returned as a sort of grand yet ghostly figurine from the past in Will Tuckett’s slightly odd Nisi Dominus.

In Latin mood, Kaiden and Easton were top notch in Lorenzo Mollajoli’s tango-inspired À Buenos Aries, danced to Astor Piazzolla. More cooly seductive that steamily passionate, maybe, but an approach that works.

Ben van Cauwenbergh’s Je ne regrette rien is often a struggle. The song is just too iconic, Edith Piaf’s distinctive, powerful, aching voice just too much. But Hutsell at least got close. Piaf loved men, life and drink. And there is plenty of the last two of those in Le Bourgeois, van Cauwenbergh’s playful dance translation of the well-known Jacques Brel song. Enrique Bejarano Vidal charmed and delighted in a dance of drunken antics that oozed personality.

Majisimo by Jorge Garcia to music from Jules Massenet’s El Cid proved a perfect way to round off the evening. Shifting easily between duets and small groups, it’s bright and uplifting. I especially enjoyed the men’s dance, which comes with a sense of competition but also camaraderie and support. Vidal stood out once again. One to watch, I think.

BRB2 is a fine initiative that deserves to succeed; and yet more evidence of the fine work Carlos Acosta is doing in Birmingham.

BRB2 have one date left this season, at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton on June 24.