Molli: Claire, you will never have occasion to use the words ‘Osipova’, ‘Watson’ ‘sparkling pas de deux’ and ‘shepherd’s pie’ all in the same sentence when writing a dance review.
Claire: I just did!
And here it is….http://londondance.com/articles/reviews/ardani-gala-london-coliseum/
London Children’s Ballet photo: Johan Persson
La Fille Mal Gardee
Royal Ballet
Thursday 23 April, Royal Opera House
In The Royal Ballet’s ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’ Natalia Osipova was a delightfully convincing Lise, the wayward daughter who continually tricks her mother in order to flirt with her beau (an equally mischievous Steven Macrae). The whole cast danced with wit and aplomb and superb comic timing, all of which were essential to compensate for a plot wispier than an ear of corn. Add a pantomime dame, a clownish suitor, a beautiful white pony, clever dancing with ribbons and youthful exuberance and there you have it: a charmed audience going home smiling.
Snow White London Children’s Ballet Saturday 25 April, Peacock Theatre London Children’s Ballet’s dramatic Snow White provided an elegant contrast: whereas in La Fille Mal Gardee nearly all the cast were acting as young teens, in Snow White the children and young teens were behaving in a very adult way to successfully deliver their performance. Poise, dedication and discipline shone through in every age group, from as young as nine. The standard never dropped as a cast of 55 brought the much loved fairytale to life with a special charm that only children can convey. Yet another triumph for London Children’s Ballet’s annual production, memorably choreographed this year by Jenna Lee.
Take a Bow Wow: Royal Ballet : Natalia Osipova as Lise, Steven McRae as Colas her lover, Paul Kay as Alain her suitor, Peregrine the pony.
London Children’s Ballet : Sophie Searle and Cleo Badcock as Snow White, James Lovell as The Prince, Georgia Dumont as the Evil Queen, the delightful Seven Dwarves.
Dance UK’s first national conference was held in London April 9-12. The theme was the Future of Dance and Molli and Claire were assigned to two events to write about them for the well-known dance website londondance.com
One of the assignments was to cover the panel discussion, chaired by Arlene Phillips CBE,on the future of musical theatre. Coincidentally, we had just been to see Evita, performed by the youth group of the Little Theatre Company,at Burton-on-Trent’s Brewhouse Theatre, that same week (see previous post).
The production was full of freshness, vigour and enthusiasm, backed up by a high level of professionalism and dedication from adult supporters – a winning combination.
The conference panel discussion was about the challenges facing musical theatre, and it became clear that one problem is how jaded the creative teams feel about putting on the much-loved classic musical revivals. The two choreographers in the panel – both leaders in their field – were frustrated that the financial backers didn’t want the winning formula to change. There was little or no scope for development, which was leading to a creative sclerosis. Musicals were no longer an art form, they said, they were merely part of the tourist industry mass money making machine.
To me, this was a red rag to a bull, especially as I had just seen such a good production. Despite Molli’s advice not to pitch in (we were there to report not take part) I raised my hand. Tourists, I pointed out, have hearts, and minds, They have brains, they even have artistic sensibilities and critical faculties. They go to musicals for a different experience to going to a play or seeing art. They go for the feel good factor, to be cheered up, emotionally engaged and uplifted. To come away with a song in their heart and a lightness of step.
The choreographers pointed out that musical theatre is regarded with snobbery by other art forms. That is unfortunately probably true. But why? There is a current trend in literature as well as the arts, of perceiving anything cheerful as less ‘intellectually worthy’ than something that mires you in sadness and leaves you feeling down.
And yet, isn’t raising morale and lifting spirits the most worthy outcome of all? Think of the role of songs in the war for marching troops. and the vital role of music hall in raising morale. Light heartedness has its serious side, because without morale we flounder. Today we are constantly exposed to negative news from all corners of the globe and musicals are one way of counteracting that.
The best and brightest of the classic musicals are needed now more than ever. They should be revered, not derided, and it is worrying to hear that people in the industry feel that they are inferior, at least in London’s West End. Let’s hope attitudes change. In the meantime here’s an immediate challenge – keeping a long running production as fresh for every night’s audience, as the youth production of Evita was last week. That should keep everyone involved on their toes.
For the report on the panel discussion
Evita
Brewhouse Theatre, Burton-on-Trent
Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 April
Extraordinary. I’ve seen Lloyd Webber’s musical Evita on the West End stage, Molli and I have both seen the film, and last night we saw the Little Theatre Company’s youth group’s opening night at the Brewhouse Theatre in Burton on Trent. And guess which one was most enjoyable? This one.
It had the fizz and energy of youth. The cast was very well rehearsed both musically and choreographically. No allowances appeared to have been made for their age (mainly mid and late teens). The result was a mature and enjoyable performance, which really did bring to life the very adult theme of Evita’s ruthless meteoric social climb against a backdrop of macho and cutthroat Argentinian politics. The impact of the singing (which only occasionally wobbled a little) was probably aided by the theatre space where a long, fairly narrow auditorium with well stacked seats magnified the sound. Slick set and costume changes meant that the relatively small stage succeeded in getting away with putting on a mega musical in a restricted environment.
The crowd scenes worked really well in conveying bustle and noise, with lusty singing and plenty of energy and movement. The standard of music was pleasingly and very consistently high with especially good performances by the leads.
Katie Ireland as a younger Evita was ruthless, calculating and sophisticated, ŷet her portrayal of a frail Evita at the end of her life had a great and touching depth. Ireland was ably supported by Jack Dent as a very presidential Juan Peron while Ryan Gardner as Che deftly wove the show together with his delightfully insouciant sung commentary on the rise and fall of Evita’s fortunes.
Special mentions to Georgia Ratcliffe as the usurped mistress (a delightful rendition of Another Suitcase in Another Hall) Oliver Last as Magaldi the cabaret singer, and Emily Haywood as the Child (a beautifully sung Santa Evita).
The biggest coup – to use a political term – was by the backstage staff. Their dedicated rehearsal, support and direction combined with a young, enthusiastic and talented cast produced a winner of a musical production.
Winner of Emerging Dancer 2015, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 23 March. (photo by ASH)
A couple of days have elapsed since ENB’s wildly popular Emerging Dancer competition Final, held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Seven finalists nominated by the company took up the challenge to dance for the coveted title, with Jinhao Zhang deservedly carrying off the prize.
Now in its seventh year, the event reflected the meteoric rise in both artistry and technical skill of the ballet company. Molli overheard one audience member say that compared with the first year of its existence, the standard of dance was incredibly high. Everyone was a winner: dancers, orchestra, ENB, and the audience who clearly loved every moment.
While the judges – all luminaries from the dance world – were deliberating we were treated to last year’s joint winners, Alison McWhinney and Junor Souza, performing an extract from No Man’s Land by Liam Scarlett.
At the beginning of this post I mentioned that a couple of days had elapsed since the competition, and the visual treat that stayed with me the most was actually the short film of each of the seven dancers. Each one was beautifully shot, each one gave the dancer the same verbal and visual exposure, all seven made a delightful and satisfyingly balanced series, with the content of each different, yet complementing each other. Just like a good ballet company.
Take a Bow Wow: Laurent Liotardo for the short films of the dancers
Last week’s performance of Rhiannon Faith’s ‘The Date’ has become even more poignant in view of today’s fire at the venue, Battersea Arts Centre. Ballet Bichon loved the building (it was a first visit) and reviewed the work for the dance website londondance.com. You can read the review here
http://londondance.com/articles/reviews/rhiannon-faith-the-date-battersea-arts-centre/
English National Ballet
Modern Masters
Sadlers Wells, Tuesday 10 March
Photo by ASH
English National Ballet thoroughly deserve their four star ratings from the critics for their Modern Masters triple bill. Ballet Bichon overheard the buzz during the intervals and after the show – indeed, was asked to contribute an opinion (four stars, definitely).
Consistent high level dance was what this production was all about. The subject matter was secondary; what was most apparent was that every member of the company was dancing at their best and clearly relishing it.
‘Petite Mort’ (the clue is in the title) turned out to be all about sex. It was neither pornographic nor erotic but felt very ‘male’ in its choreography. While Claire was totally riveted by the powerful, precise movements of both the male and female dancers, Molli checked the programme. Yup. Choreographed and designed by Kylian, a Czech male Exactly what he was trying to convey really didn’t matter because the execution made a wonderful showcase for the dancers. Go and see it, just don’t take the kids.
‘Spring and Fall’ was a complete contrast. Chiselled men in loose white trousers and wispy women in simple white smock dresses portrayed the beginnings of young love. The energetic jumping and gymnastics of the men contrasted with innocent flirting movements of the women. Again, the whole company danced as one though most beautiful of all was the waif-like, ethereal delicacy of Alina Cojacaru, who seems to be revelling in her role as lead principal with ENB. At the end she brought choreographer John Neumeier onto the stage amid much applause for this fantastically choreographed and very well performed work. It was clear he was much smitten by her. Weren’t we all?
‘In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated’ by William Forsythe was in stark contrast to the previous piece. Rhythmic crashing sounds formed a backdrop for nine dancers whose task was to keep forming and reforming in groups with different numbers and shapes. Sometimes upstage, sometimes in the spotlight, wearing green leotards, arms bare, the dancers showed off their athletic prowess. They moved like powerful machines. The music and dancing was really to showcase taller athletic dancers so it was a surprise that Cojacaru made an appearance. To start with I thought she was too dainty for the piece, but by the end POW! she was as strong and hefty as the rest of them, then proceeded to completely dazzle in a final duet with Alejandro Virelles.
Apart from Cojacaru, the evening belonged to the men. But who’s complaining? Not me and not Molli.
Take a bow-wow: Alina Cojacaru; all the male dancers
Take a look at @ThePlaceLondon’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/ThePlaceLondon/status/573188067722432515?s=09
On 13 February I attended the third and final performance of my Resolution! 2015 review assignments. Molli stayed indoors all day because she is superstitious, so that gave me the opportunity to do the full set of three reviews myself! Five weeks in, 22 nights, 66 performances, and Resolution! is still full of energy and surprises. I was glad I went. The review was originally posted on The Place’s blog, here is the link:
In Cul de Sac a man and a woman sit next to each other yet seem worlds apart. Each tries to attract the other’s attention using circus skills. She shins up a Chinese pole and flings herself downwards in spectacularly controlled drops, finally gaining his interest. He attempts to impress her with advanced juggling skills but she’s comatose after her efforts. He even drags her round the floor by her head (a slightly alarming stunt) and gradually she responds. They move and intertwine, eventually sitting back on their chairs and, this time, pulsating to the same beat. Not awesome but nice.
Kate Jackson’s solo – an excerpt from The Sense of an Ending – depicts one of three real-life stories of Northern women. This is effectively portrayed at the start as Jackson dances with abandon to Do It Like a Rock Star, only to be regularly knocked off balance, emotionally and physically, by the invisible force of domestic violence. But she keeps getting up, a testament to the victim’s resilience and courage. We next see her in reflective mode intoning positive mantras from therapy. In the second half, her feelings of overwhelming despair need to be more rawly portrayed to do full justice to this gritty extract. When she finally picks up her suitcases to leave home, though, I wanted to cheer. Not gut-wrenching but engaging.
In Egress six bodies lay in a heap on the floor, a silent scrum of arms and legs. Extricating themselves one by one, the dancers start to move around, finding their feet and shaking out their limbs. As two musicians play a syncopated rhythm on cajon and guitar, the cast responds, dancing in a loose line with their backs turned. As they spin round you get the sense that their lives are improving. Whirling and swirling, together and separately,they increase energy and momentum. The music gathers pace and volume, encouraging the six into riotous free motion. Finally they lower three bright globes, bursting them open to release masses of tickertape, then gyrate joyfully through these multi-coloured symbols of life’s possibilities, now within their reach. Not earth-shattering but good fun.
Here is my second review of performances at the Resolution! 2015 new contemporary dance festival at The Place. These were performed on 28 January and I found the double headed coin before Molli so went again! However, the performances were more difficult to appreciate this time,(serves me right for using a double headed coin, says Molli, she would never have done that…) overall the middle one, Sick and Tired, was the best. The review was originally published on The Place’s Resolution! 2015 blog and can be viewed at http://www.theplace.org.uk/blog/resolution-review-2015/wed-28-jan-coegilam-dance-companyodd-company
Coegi Rural Living
LAM Dance Company Sick and Tired
ODD Company Ahimsa
In Rural Living Grace Nicol lines up a dozen apples on the floor, moving them about in an orderly way while Theo Samsworth’s yoga inspired dancing stirs his memories of a Herefordshire orchard. But his fellow performers deny him the satisfaction of verbally sharing them. The two musicians finally scatter crates of apples over the stage, the fruit now symbolising reminiscences that were not valid because no one else could remember them. Donning garish wigs, the two dancers gyrate through an apple strewn floor. I preferred their impressive hip wiggles to the wigs and overall would have liked more coherence to squeeze out more cider, less vinegar.
In Sick and Tired four performers danced with much fluidity and grace while remaining oblivious to each other. Dark blue costumes and golden lighting emphasise their expressive hand and arm movements which indicate their individual mad obsessions. Pleasing use of space and distance meant they created a coherent tableau even when dancing alone. We are all part of a bigger picture even when we don’t realise it, seemed to be the message.
Towards the end words vied with the music, diluting the effect.’The cure for the world’s ills is change. There is no change without reason. There is no reason without sanity’ intoned the male lead before being stripped to his underpants to a version of Silent Night. How do we know who is sane and who isn’t? It made me think.
Ahimsa, from the Sanskrit meaning ‘not to injure’ is a brave attempt at something different. Three dancers wearing white Sci-fi costumes with helmets portray the effects of trauma, scarcely moving on the stage, standing stuck closely together, while loud violent sound overpowers both them and the audience. At last they start to move a little and eventually – to my relief – even stretch out their limbs. Whether trauma is slight or great, physical, mental or emotional, they conveyed its ability to overwhelm and paralyse. Finally they seemed to recover through the healing power of touch, mutual support, and sheer resilience. A powerful piece but pointless as entertainment.
Claire Cohen
Ballet Bichon 