Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London
June 15, 2024
Part of the Next generation Festival in the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre, New English Ballet Theatre and Norwegian National Ballet 2 came together for a wonderfully varied, enjoyable evening that mixed out-and-out classical ballet with contemporary dance.
The Oslo-based junior company had the edge in what proved an excellent triple bill made up the second part of the evening, the three appealing works showcasing the young dancers in the best way possible.
Where It Began is a terrific new short by Anaïs Tourer to a throbbing, insistent, almost industrial score by pianist, composer and Norwegian National Ballet repetiteur Joey McNamara. The five dancers, all in greyish-white garments work together like a machine, their ever twisting, turning movement always close to the floor. The synchronicity was outstanding. At the work’s heart is an equally impressive and highly tactile duet for Hannah Thi Dvergsdal and Dmytro Litvinov full beautifully executed of supports and lifts. Where It Began may only be ten minutes, but it packs quite a punch.
After one of the better films that introduced us to some of the company’s dancers, Limerence, by Kumiko Hayakawa, teacher at the Norwegian National Ballet School, was fifteen minutes of flowing neoclassical joy. The dancers clearly revelled in the opportunity to show off their classical technique, none more so that Taeryeong Kim, delicate but strong with a beautiful arabesque line. But there was so much to admire. Everything was crisp, neat and sharp. A male quintet oozed energy, every turn and leap full of energy and absolutely secure, while a pas de deux for Alicia Rose Couvrette and Giuseppe Ventura was quite delicious, with some excellent partnering.
Norwegian National Ballet 2 closed out with Step Lightly by Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot, the first piece they created together for Nederlands Dans Theater way back in 1991. Set against a wintery forest backdrop and to a medley of Bulgarian folk songs, it’s a work of poetry and mystery.
It starts in silence, however, the six dancers rolling across the stage, tiny creatures in front of the tall trees behind them. As the tempo picks up, bewitching female voices in the music accompany the work’s coming to life.
The dance remains grounded but becomes more energetic with scraps of folk dance appearing in sequences. In their long dark green dresses, the women’s choreography often seems to have a sense of lamentation about it. Proving their versatility, the young cast were again on top of their game. Kim again shone, although the highlight was a unison duet for two of the men.
Step Lightly touched in surprising ways and, like the rest of NNB2’s presentations, engaged utterly.
First of New English Ballet Theatre’s two works was Acts of Exaltation, a new commission from The Royal Ballet principal, Matthew Ball. Set to music by Montiverdi, the quasi-religious work for seven dancers is divided into three sections, ‘The Stage,’ ‘The Sacred’ and ‘The Secular.’ As might be expected, that religious element is at its strongest in the second, in which the dancers done black cowls and that’s full of momentarily static friezes reminiscent of religious art. It does often feel static, though, with what happens between quite pedestrian.
‘The Secular’ is better. With the hoods removed and the dancers in garb that hints at Ancient Greece, the work takes on a slightly folksy feel. There’s also some neat use of a piece of very light black fabric that floats in the air. Quite why the women ditch their pointe shoes is unclear, however, although perhaps their being worn for ‘The Sacred’ is an indication of how the footwear is seen.
Totally unnecessary is the opening that sees Ball walk on from the stalls and find the gap in the curtain before it opens (on this evening his Eric Morecambe-like efforts provoked audible titters from the audience), followed by the dancers walking on still limbering, putting on make-up, greeting each other and so on. There’s even a sports-style huddle. Ball also makes an appearance at the end that equally adds nothing.
Baroque Encounters by Daniela Cardim remains a joy. The work has a warm elegance, Cardim’s choreography translating perfectly into neo-classical movement two works by J.S. Bach. Much use is made of April Dalton’s long skirts (for men as well as women) in the opening ensemble section. The highlight is the pas de deux that follows, beautifully danced by Emily Pohl and Jose Alves. Most joyful was the trio of Genevieve Heron, Dan Corthorn and Noah Benzie-Drayton, though. Heron in particular appeared to be having a lot of fun.