Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London
June 20, 2022
Maggie Foyer
In an atmosphere of celebration, enthusiasm and commitment, the students of Rambert School took to the Linbury stage (as part of the Next Generation Festival) in a programme dedicated to Lord John Sainsbury who, with his wife Anya, has given such sterling support to the institution. It was a hefty programme with works by choreographers established and emerging, and performed by third and second year students.
Linking with tradition was Christopher Bruce’s simple and profound Dancing Day. Staged by Paul Liburd, the work was performed with precision in the movement and sensitivity to Gustav Holst’s score. The relationships between the dancers were expressed with care and kindness effectively disguising the complexities in the partnering.
Very different in mood was Innocent Children from Alleyne Dance. A powerful work with chairs adding a new dimension to the choreography while shaping the drama. The dancers showed great commitment holding tension and focus as the power balance shifts through the piece. It has a dark, dystopian feel as the women fight for dominance with some distinctly uncomfortable moments. The dancers held the collective rhythms working with total cohesion.
Photo Chris Nash
Mthuthuzeli November’s A Place of Gathering also demands an inherent sense of rhythm and the dancers responded splendidly. The choreography, particularly for the men, is powerful and athletic with an expansive use of the upper body. The women, on pointe, successfully blended contemporary movement with bourreés.
A Place of Gathering was the only balletic influence on the bill although Matthew Bourne, with an ironic nod to the ballet repertoire offered excerpts from Act 2 of Highland Fling and his take on the Vision Scene from The Sleeping Beauty. Both rely on the ballet trope of a princely figure searching through a corps of fantasy creatures for his one true love and Bourne successfully exploits the many comic possibilities this offers. The dancers showed a lively sense of comedy and obvious enjoyment in using their dramatic skills. It was a treat to see Highland Fling again but, enjoyable as the Vision Scene was, a contrasting work from Bourne’s vast repertoire, possibly the Fairy variations from his Sleeping Beauty would have provided more technical challenges for the dancers.
The other works, A Vessel for Everything by Richard Chappell, Shall We Try from Cree Barnett Williams and Being by Darren Ellis all showed current trends in contemporary dance. Fluid floor work was combined with bursts of gymnastic virtuosity and a great deal of close coordinated movement. The students now face the huge challenge of finding a job in a difficult funding environment and we wish them well.