The Royal Ballet in Balanchine: Three Signature Works

The Royal Ballet and Opera, London
March 31, 2025

It’s been a while since the Royal Ballet presented a Balanchine evening but it proved well worth the wait to enjoy three of Mr. B’s signature works.

Serenade is an extraordinary ballet. It is not one where you marvel at the technique or dramatic ability of the dancers but a ballet where you allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the poetry. Originally written for the students of the newly founded School of American Ballet and not for seasoned professionals it challenged Balanchine’s considerable powers of invention and gave us one of the most original and enchanting ballets ever.

After the iconic quiet opening it becomes a ballet on the move with wafting skirts and dancers running fleetfooted in intricate patterns. The unusual structure, uneven numbers and random use of soloists is unlike his later works. It also serves to create a dramatic undercurrent that allows infinite interpretations.

The three female soloists are all individual personalities. It was a pleasure to see Olivia Cowley and Annette Buvoli in featured roles. Cowley, her ports de bras initially a little too sharp, entered totally into the romance of the work as she entered wrapped around Nicol Edmonds and shading his eyes. Buvoli, beautifully paired with Reece Clarke, releases her long hair skilfully in this deliciously Balanchine moment.

The women all drape exquisitely, whether falling to the floor, being raised to statuesque height or lifting limp hands to their temples; romantic but far from fragile. Mercurial in her speed and lightness, Anna Rose O’Sullivan gave an eloquent lead in the Russian Doll section. Also, high praise for the female corps of seventeen, the backbone of the ballet.

Cesar Corrales was firing on all cylinders from the get-go in the title role of The Prodigal Son, a powerhouse of energy with phenomenal elevation and raring to make his mark in the world. His forceful opening made the homecoming all the more poignant with him scoring high on both the technical and dramatic scale. Choreographed for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in 1929, it again proves Balanchine’s facility with movement and his easy adaptation to Prokofiev’s modernity.

The Siren, Mayara Magri, relishes the extraordinary pointe work each unusual move building her predatory character as she gleefully demolishes the Prodigal. Téo Dubreuil and Joonhyuk Jun as the servants deal with the props and delight in some tricksy moves while the Drinking Companions have a grotesquerie all of their own. Georges Rouault pungent designs meld primitive Russian into Biblical fantasy to provide a setting as unique as the choreography.

Conductor, Fayçal Karoui, who brought to life the magic of Tchaikovsky and the drama of Prokofiev, set a blistering pace for Bizet’s Symphony in C and the dancers rose to match it. The Royal Ballet has an enviable roster of principal dancers with talent filtering down to all levels. Symphony in C makes demands from all and this performance was sheer delight.

The standout treat was the partnership of Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov, so at ease and so perfect. In the second movement Taisuke Nakao, replacing Daichi Ikarashi, gave a brilliant performance of soaring jumps and high energy matched by Sae Maeda’s polished technique and eloquent epaulement. Marianela Nuñez and Reece Clarke added elegance to the lyrical second movement with Leticia Dias and Joseph Sissens making the final movement fizz and sparkle. It proved a well-balanced evening showcasing the range of George Balanchine’s great talents.