Legacy at the Linbury

Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London
October 29, 2024

The continent of Africa has never lost its connection with dance and Africans have carried this love of the artform in their bodies as they were cruelly trafficked across the world. Europeans were slow to realise the wealth of talent in the African diaspora and it took time to relax the exclusivity of classical ballet by opening the doors to darker skinned people. However, the situation is slowly improving and now Joseph Sissens, principal with the Royal Ballet, does his bit to move things on. In Legacy, he celebrates pioneer black dancers who have gone before and also dancers in the current generation. It’s a packed evening of a dozen short dance works brimming with talent.

The two middle works: ‘Sinner Man’ from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, and Eightfold: Strength by Hope Boykin drove a positive black image forward. In the latter, Isabela Coracy, no stranger to interpreting powerful black women, did the honours. Choreographically the work is somewhat predictable, but it is unapologetic and bold. Boykin has the message and Coracy delivers.

‘Sinner Man’ that most powerful section in Revelations was danced with messianic fervour by Christopher R Wilson, Xavier Mack and, most impressively, by Chalvar Monteiro who, like Superman, can fly!

Sissens made a good choice to include two extracts from the best loved classical ballets. Frederick Ashton’s Awakening pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty danced by himself with Marianna Tsembenhoi glowed with sweetness and love, the dancers’ impeccable technique balanced by gentle charm.

He has recently made an impressive debut as Siegfried but this evening the Swan Lake second act pas de deux was danced by Céline Gittens and Yasiel Hodelín Bello from Birmingham Royal Ballet. Gittens, one of our most established black ballerinas, is a seasoned Odette and gave an emotional performance although I felt more of this could have been focused on Bello who proved an attentive partner. I would have loved to have seen him in a role that gave more dance opportunities.

Gittens also gave a feisty rendition of Ben van Cauwenbergh’s Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. The solo, to Edith Piaf’s memorable song, translates the fierce emotion into virtuoso tricks but it doesn’t quite match up and this was despite her strong performance and confident execution of the difficult choreography.

A real treat was the world premiere of Ax², choreographed by Hannah Joseph, a recent graduate from the Rambert School, now a dancer with Company Wayne McGregor. The percussive score from Cairo Brown gives a powerful undercurrent and the lighting from Joshie Harriette, adds shape and purpose to the structure. The women, Rebecca Stewart with the choreographer, open the piece striding confidently through the pathways of light. Two men, Emile Gooding and Francisco Serrano, join later. The movement is dynamic, using particularly the upper body, in fascinating ways. I loved the pulsing elbows. It is an intelligent and original work with a clear sense of direction. However, it would benefit from a little editing towards the end.

The men had a goodly share of the evening. An excerpt from Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, danced by Caspar Lench, Serrano and Sissens opened the show in a blaze of brilliant white light, mirroring the impact of the premiere way back in 2006. The fierceness of the dancers was overwhelming with Sissens leading the cut and thrust of thrashing legs in a forceful opening to the evening.

Lench scored another triumph with Takademe by Robert Battle, a display of fluid explosive body moves to the plosive bursts of sound in the Padhant recitation. A clever piece of choreography given a brilliant interpretation.

The male duet extracted from Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, was given a first-class performance from Lench and Gooding. The two young men are so perfectly matched and delighted in leaving barely a hairsbreadth between their timing and execution of the fast and furious movements.

The evening found its emotional centre in two beautiful pas de deux. This Bitter Earth, by Christopher Wheeldon, danced by Precious Adams and Junor Souza from English National Ballet, delves into centuries of harsh injustice, delivered with quiet insistence to Dinah Washington mixed with Max Richter’s haunting melodies. The two dancers, with a wealth of experience between them, gave meaning to each touch and hold in a performance with a potent afterlife.

From the Staatsballett Berlin, Leroy Mokgatle and Gregor Glocke danced Reminiscence by Craig Davidson. Newcomers to London audiences they did not disappoint. Davidson’s choreography flows in waves as the bodies come together and separate, with a deep sense of need and longing. The fluidity of Mokgatla’s limbs is a joy to behold while Glocke, a strong supportive partner, made light of the intricate lifts and extended movement phrases in a quality performance.

The final work was also a world premiere. Pass It On, from Arielle Smith didn’t quite match in wit and verve the works we have seen from her before. However, the frivolity seemed just right to close a weighty evening and the sparkle that came from the dancers, Adams, Gittens, Miranda Silveira, Blake Smith and Tsembenhoi carried it through.

Sissens gave us an evening of great interest and inspiration and I hope for more such opportunities to celebrate diversity. The one great sadness is the untimely death of Michaela Mabinty DePrince that deprived us of a star of the first magnitude and someone who did so much to promote black female ballet dancers.

A footnote: The Royal Swedish Ballet has just premiered Gustavia, a ballet celebrating the famous black dancer, Baden. Born a slave he rose to prominence in the court of Gustav III, who founded the Swedish ballet in 1773. So, the heritage goes back a long way with at least one black dancer in evidence at the birth of ballet.