Northern Ballet's "Sketches"

Edgar Degas, Little Dancer

Photo Daderot Licence  CCO 1.0 Source  Wikimedia Commons

 

Northern Ballet Sketches Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds 5 May 2023 19:30

One of the highlights of my coronation bank holiday weekend turned out to be Northern Ballet's choreographic showcase Sketches at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre on 5 May 2023.  Six of the company's dancers presented short ballets that they had created.  There was also a work by Jamaal Burkmar and a screening of an extract from Every Little Thing is a Change.  The reason why that show turned out to be one of the highlights of my weekend was not that I was underwhelmed by events in London.  It was because the show had exceeded my expectations.   I had attended choreographic workshops by Northern Ballet before which were good as far as they went.   Sketches was so much better.

The evening began with an introduction by Federico Bonelli.  He explained that this was an opportunity for the company's dancers to try their hand at choreography.  For several of them, it had been their first opportunity to do so.  He said he would present each of the choreographers to the audience and invite them to describe their works.  He asked us to bear in mind that some of the works were unfinished.  He added that the dancers had been mentored by three established choreographers: Northern Ballet's own Kenneth Tindall, Sharon Watson, Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and former Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Company and Mthuthuzeli November of Ballet Black.

The first of the company's choreographers was Gavin McCaig.  Readers of this blog will know that I have followed that dancer's progress with interest ever since he joined the company.  I interviewed him in Meet Gavin McCaig of Northern Ballet on 3 Sept 2014 and he was my first guest at The Stage Door during lockdown (see Gavin McCaig in Conversation with his Friends 4 May 2020.  McCaig offered us A Trio of Sketches: a solo for George Liang, a work for an ensemble and a duet for Liang and Julie Nunès which I believe he said he will expand into a pas de deux,  He added that the last of those works had been commissioned by Elmhurst Ballet School for its 100th-anniversary celebrations.  The dancers for his group work were Nunes, Rachael Gillespie, Dominique Larose, Kaho Masumoto, Harriet Marden, Aerys Merrill, Alessia Petrosino, Aurora Piccininnim, Sena Kitano, Bruno Serraclara, Andrew Tomlinson, Antoni Cañellas Artigues, Harry Skoupas, Stefano Varalta and Mackenzie Jacob.

This was not the first time that I had seen McCaig's work.  I had been impressed the last time I had seen his choreography which was before the pandemic.  This time I marvelled at how far his style had developed and matured. McCaig is still a young man with many years on stage ahead of him but I have no doubt that he will have an equally impressive career as a choreographer.

Katherine Lee created Sweet Rain for Filippo Di Vilio, Kaho Masumoto, Archie Sherman, Gemma Coutts and Sean Bates to the music of Beach House.  In the programme notes, Lee stated that the dancers invoke the music to express something about despair and hope.

Bruno Serraclara presented Starlit Minds. That consisted of a solo for Andrew Tomlinson and a group piece for a group consisting of  Tomlinson, Artiguesm, Sherman, Skoupas, Jun Ishii, Varalta, Jacob, Petrosino and Harris Beattie.  In the programme, Serraclara wrote that bad times are golden because they lead to better things and that receiving empathy and support from strangers can  transform our moodes.  

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Expressions (Norhern Baller's inclusive dance festival) and also to give the dancers a rest, Bonelli introduced  Every Little Thing is a Change.  One of the few positives from the pandemic has been the blossoming of the dance film as a new art form.   Directed by Ben Wright the film is a collaboration between dancers from Northern Ballet and dancers on the company's Ability course.   From the snippet that we saw, the  project seems to have worked well.  I look forward to watching and reviewing the complete work,

Filippo Di Vilio presented Us, a piece for Sherman, Beattie, Nunès, Coutts and Jackson Dwyer. In his programme notes, de Vilio explained that his work did not necessarily have a  story and that the audience should make their own interpretations.  The movements of his dancers represented everyday experiences in life, some good and others not so good.

Burkmar is a Leeds based choreographer who trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.  While still a student he created Ocean for which he received an award.  On 8 Sept 2015 he won the New Adventures Choreographic Award from New Adventures: Re Bourne  (a charity set up by Sir Matthew Bourne) against still competition from other promising young choreographers (see the press release NACA 2016 WINNER ANNOUNCED 8 Sep 2015).   Burkmar's work Whack World included Joseph Taylor, Sarah Chun. Jonathan Hanks as well as Bates, Ishii, Petrosino, Merrill and Helen Bogatch.  According to the programme, this was the first time that the choreographer had worked with classically trained dancers. We were told that much of the show was improvised which seems to account for its spontaneity and exuberance. The convergence of two very different dance schools is risky because it does not always work. This time it did.

Harris Beattie's Men Undone explored male depression and suicide and focused on the difficulties that men face in expressing their emotion and seeking to connect with each other.  To stress that point he  placed his dancers side by side rather than face to face as he might have placed women. Beattie danced in his piece together with koupas, Serraclara, Dwyer and Tomlinson.  I took that as a sign of commitment to his work.  II found it very thoughtful and thought-prpvoking.  It also took courage for a young choreographer to address such a complex and difficult theme so early in his career because the message might easily have been lost.

One of my favourite works was George Liang's Out of Breath.   His dancers were Taylor. Bates,  Hanks, Ishii, Sherman, Di Vilio, Bogatch, Nunès, Bramante and Kirica Takahashi.  I liked his music and wish the programme or website had stated what it was.  I also liked Liang's message "If you find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of excitement ot despair, remember to pause and take a breath.."  I copied it from the programme but I would have guessed it from the choreography.

I was pleased that Bonelli introduced each work personally.  Although he has been in post for only a year, he is already making a difference to the company.   I have seen him at every performance that I have attended since he became artistic director.   I think that is appreciated by the dancers and reciprocated in their performances.