Almost thirty years ago (gasp!) the Royal Ballet started their occasional touring production of Dance Bites; regular visitors to the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe (our nearest decent theatre at the time) over a period of four years we enjoyed the likes of Darcey Bussell, Adam Cooper, Jonathan Cope, Deborah Bull and the two Billys (Trevitt and Nunn) performing short, stunning pieces, largely choreographed by the new young stars of the day. They were fantastic nights out, and the memory of them remains a true pleasure.
Fast forward to today, and Carlos Acosta has put together a programme of twelve short pieces for his Classical Selection tour, performed by some of the younger members of the Birmingham Royal Ballet – BRB2, a name modelled, no doubt, on the fantastic NDT2, the youth department of the Nederlands Dans Theater who have always been at the forefront of showcasing their young dancers. So we were very much looking forward to seeing what BRB2 can do – and it was a thrilling performance.
With a combination of recorded soundtracks and live music from Jeanette Wong on the piano and Antonia Novais on the cello, the dancers covered a whole range of styles from the ultimate classic Swan Lake to modern interpretations of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel. The first half of the show was devoted to traditional classical ballet – with just a hint of modernity; the second half to contemporary dance – with just the occasional hint of classicism. It’s a superb blend.
The presentation of the show is refreshingly unstuffy. I’m a big fan of going full pelt on classical ballet, with several dancers modestly surrounding the main performer and graciously recognising their talent, pausing for a round of applause every few minutes. It’s stylised, rewarding, and unique. But the presentation of this show is the complete opposite – and it really works. The curtain rises to reveal a long barre at the back of the stage, towards which the dancers unceremoniously make their way, change out of their day clothes and do a gentle warm-up, whilst chatting to and supporting each other. Then a curtain falls in front of the barre and the first pair of dancers emerge to perform their piece.
When it’s over, they take their applause, and then we see them make their way back to the freshly revealed barre, clearly discussing how the performance went. This structure continues throughout the first half; in the second half, the barre is occasionally removed for a blue background that provides the scenery for a few short dances that merge into each other. At the end, they all return to the barre, pack up their dance bags and drift off into the wings. It’s a very unshowy approach, very much in keeping with the youth of the performers. And don’t worry, you do get the chance to give them a final big round of applause at the end.
The first dance was the pas de deux from Rhapsody, choreographed by Ashton, and danced superbly by Alisa Garkavenko and Mason King; then came the pas de deux from La Sylphide danced with charm and grace by Sophie Walters, and a bravura performance from Tom Hazelby. Next came the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake, with Maïlène Katoch exquisite in her balance and expression, faultlessly supported by Alfie Shacklock: for me the best partnering of the first act. Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg then performed Dying Swans. Not just the traditional Saint-Saëns/Fokine swan but accompanied by an Acosta-choreographed contemporary addition; I was uncertain of this duet at first but quickly realised how clever the updating of it is. The first act finished with the return of Alisa Garkavenko and Mason King in the pas de deux from Diana and Actaeon; both on terrific form and with some crowd pleasingly elegant and dynamic solos.
After the interval, the mood changed with the return of Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg in Ben Stevenson’s End of Time, performed to the third movement of Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata in in G Minor. Simply but stunningly staged, it was another immaculate performance of a truly powerful dance. The mood then changed again as the set became an Argentinian nightclub with Gustavo Mollajoli’s crackingly exciting A Buenos Aires, a cunning combination of tango with classic and contemporary styles, rivetingly performed by Maïlène Katoch and Tom Hazelby. Then Ariana Allen performed a truly eloquent solo to Edith Piaf’s Je ne regrette rien, followed by an (almost) show-stealing dance by Jack Easton as Brel’s drunken antagonist in Les Bourgeois, combining brilliant dance with comic characterisation.
The final three pieces were a simply romantic dance to the second intermezzo of Bizet’s Carmen, choreographed by Carlos Acosta and movingly danced by Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg; then a more challenging modern piece choreographed by Will Tucket entitled Mirrored, danced by Frieda Kaden and Jack Easton to music by Ravel. The finale came with Jorge Garcia’s joyful Majisimo, with four couples dancing to several styles from across Spain in a combination of classical and contemporary choreography – a true crowd pleaser to finish.
It’s a terrific way to expose the younger dancers to a variety of styles and audiences, and they all thoroughly earn their stripes! These are not ballet stars yet; but many of them will be. If I were to highlight the dancers whom I think have the full potential to make it big, I would plump for Alexandra Manuel, Maïlène Katoch, Jack Easton and Tom Hazelby; but everyone gives an immense performance and show the Birmingham Royal Ballet to be in the rudest of health! Their tour continues to Canterbury and Peterborough – very well worth catching!
Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!