Eun-Me Ahn Dance Company DragonsAlhambra Theatre, Bradford 22 Mar 2025 19:30
The phrase "Hic Sunt Dracones" (Here be Dragons) appeared on an early 16th-century globe to indicate unexplored regions. I mention it because the show is called Dragons. That early cartographer's term is apt to describe the performance of the Eun-Me Ahn Dance Company at the Bradford Alhambra on 22 Mar 2025 because it defied classification. It was presented by Dance Consortium as contemporary dance, but it was also a light show with holograms and special effects.
Eun Me Ahn, who was born in Seoul in 1963, is a South Korean dancer and choreographer. Her company consists of 7 Korean dancers. She describes her company's work in an interview for Dance Consortium on YouTube. For its tour of the UK, her company has teamed up with 5 young artists from other East Asian countries, all of whom were born at the turn of the millennium.
The show starts quietly with a single figure slowly crossing the stage, manipulating what seems to be a pneumatic tube. After exiting to the right, a second figure appears and then more. In the course of the show, still and moving images are projected onto a gauze screen at the front of the stage. These seem to mingle with the dancers so that it is impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality.
To describe the show as controversial would be an understatement. A couple from Skegness whom I had met in the bar before the show did not appreciate it at all. Others found it exhilarating. Like the unknown regions in the 16th-century globe, it was on the edge of expectations.
I wish I could say more about Eun-Me Ahn and her company. I could not buy a programme in the theatre and I found very little on the internet. My most intriguing find is a page of links to Dragons and other works on the Gadja Productions website. Some of these have very odd names like "Dancing Grandmothers" and "Dancing Middle-Aged Men". I recommend North Korea Dance, which combines marching with fan and other traditional folk dances.
Birmingham Royal Ballet CinderellaSunderland Empire 15 Mar 2025 14:00
Between 6 Feb and 12 Apr 2025, the Birmingham Royal Ballet took Sir David Bintley's Cinderellaon a nationwide tour. I caught it at the Sunderland Empire on 15 March 2025. I had already reviewed it in Bintley's Beston 2 Mar 2017. I wrote in that article that I liked everything that I had seen of Bintley's work, but I thought Cinderella was the best. That is still my view now.
The reason I admire the ballet so much is that it tells the Grimm brothers' story (with a few variations) through Bintley's spectacular choreography to Prokofiev's beautiful music with John Macfarlane's sumptuous designs and David Finn's ingenious lighting. The Cinderella Relaxed Performance YouTube video is a good introduction to and overview of the ballet. In Cinderella: An Interview with Sir David Bintley. Sir David confirms Mark Monahan's programme notes that Sir David agreed to create the ballet if Macfarlane agreed to do the designs. Monahan reports: "Lo and behold, John said yes." Readers will recall that Macfarlane designed Liam Scarlett's Swan Lake, a recording ofwhich I mentioned in Swan Lake at the Leeds Showcaseon 30 May 2025. The importance of those designs is explained in Cinderella: John Macfarlane's Designs.
In his programme notes, Mark Monahan observed that many choreographers had created versions of Cinderella, but it was Sir Frederick Ashton's for the Royal Ballet that "cast the longest shadow". It was important to Bintley that his company's Cinderella should be distinctive. One important difference is that Bintley's stepsisters are danced by two young women, whereas Sir Frederick and Sir Robert Helpmann danced the stepsisters in the tradition of the English pantomime dame. As the stepsisters' video shows, those young women were quite beastly to Cinderella and, sometimes, even to each other. Ashton and Helpmann were absurd but far from menacing. Bintley retained the fairy godmother, tradesmen and seasonal fairies (or at least the seasons) in his ballet, introducing also a frog coachman and lizard attendants.
Beatrice Parma danced the title role with flair and grace. One of the most satisfying moments in the show is when she momentarily turned on her tormentors with a broom. Others were, of course, her arrival at the ball, her duet with the prince, her producing the missing slipper and her final dance with the prince. Enrique Bejarano Vidal was an impressive prince with his sweeping lifts and powerful jumps. Isabella Howard was a dazzling fairy godmother. Having seen Oscar Kempsey-Fagg at An Evening with Ashtonon24 Jan 2023 in Elmhurst Ballet School, which I discussed in An "Evening with Ashton" and the Launch of an English Junior Companyon 30 Jan 2023, it is good to see his progress in the company.
Sunderland has a beautiful Edwardian theatre capable of accommodating an audience of 2,200. It was opened by Vesta Tilly in 1907. It has a massive stage and excellent acoustics. It is said to be haunted by the ghosts of Sid James and Vesta Tilly. Neither spectre appeared on my visit. Sunderland has a population of just over 277,000. It used to be known for shipbuilding. Nowadays, it is better known for making Nissan cars. It has a university, a football club and beaches.
Royal Ballet Romeo and Juliet(Rehearsal) Royal Ballet & Opera, 4 March 2025, 12:30
I have been a Friend of the Royal Ballet & Opera off and on for nearly 60 years, but I had never attended a Friends' rehearsal before 4 Mar 2025. That is because I have spent most of my life outside London, and Friends' rehearsals tend to take place on weekdays during working hours.
On 23 Feb 2025, I was invited to give a talk to the students at King's College at 18:30 on 4 Mar 2025. As this was an evening event, I felt justified in taking the afternoon off in lieu. I checked the Friends' page of the Royal Ballet & Opera's website. There seemed to be a few spare seats scattered about the auditorium, but the website would not let me book any of them. I called the box office and was told that the rehearsal was sold out, but a few returns might come back on sale. That proved to be the case and I secured the very last standing room only place at the very top of the auditorium.
The view of the stage from that eyrie was surprisingly good. I have always enjoyed good eyesight, and I could recognize some of the more distinctive dancers and follow their movements, though obviously not their expressions. Had I been casting the show, I would have selected Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales for the title roles. It was they whom we got. Of all the principals in the Royal Ballet, they are the ones who most closely look the part. I remember Christopher Gable and Lynn Seymour in those roles when I first took an interest in ballet. Though I have never seen a better Romeo than Gable or indeed a better Juliet than Seymour, several other dancers have come close. Hayward and Corrales are among the closest.
The rest of the cast was also impressive. Christopher Saunders was an imperious Lord Capulet full of gravitas and swagger. Also full of swagger was Benet Gartside as Tybalt. Even though everyone in the audience knew the outcome, Tybalt's sword fights with Mercutio (Daichi Ikarashi) and Romeo were gripping. Mercutio's death throes as he stumbled around the stage, mistaking his sword for a lute or mandolin, were poignant. The role of the nurse is often overlooked in many productions, but it is important. It is she who shares Juliet's excitement at her first grown-up ball. She delivers Juliet's note to Romeo and is mobbed by the Montagues for her pains. She accompanies Juliet to Friar Lawrence. She tries to defend Juliet from a bigamous marriage. Kristen McNally discharged that role perfectly.
It had been some years since I had last seen the Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, and one of the features that I remember from previous times was a gorgeous backcloth by Nicholas Georgiadis that reminded me of the work of Leon Bakst. I was looking out for that backcloth, but couldn't spot it. That made me wonder whether Georgiadis had redesigned the set or whether I had imagined that backcloth.
As always, the orchestra was magnificent. The conductor on this occasion was Koen Kessels.
I was unable to return to London to see a live performance of Romeo and Juliet at Covent Garden, but I did see a recording of the live broadcast on 23 March 2025 at the Leeds Showcase. That was another polished production with a different cast. Fumi Kaneko was Juliet, Vadim Muntagirov was Romeo, Benet Gartside was Lord Capulet, Ryoichi Hirano was Tybalt, Francisco Serrano was Mercutio, Thomas Whitehead doubled as Friar Lawrence and Lord Montague and Olivia Cowley was the nurse. Kessels also conducted the orchestra.
As I said in Swan Lake at the Leeds Showcaseon 30 May 2024, a screening is not the same as a live performance (probably because there is no interaction between artists and audience) but there are compensations. We could follow Juliet's emotions through the expressions on Kaneko's face. It was clear from her interview that she understands Juliet very well. It was also good to hear Lady MacMillan. The Friends' rehearsal combined with the film was the next best thing to seeing the ballet live on stage.
Royal Ballet Swan Lake Leeds Showcase, 2 March 2025, 14:00
On 27 Feb and 2 Mar 2025, cinemas across the United Kingdom screened a recording of Liam Scarlett's Swan Lakethat had been made at the Royal Ballet and Opera House on 24 Apr 2024. With Yasmine Naghdi as Odette-Odile, Matthew Ball as Siegfried and Thomas Whitehead as von Rothbart, it was a very polished production. I saw it at the Leeds Showcase, a multiscreen complex in a shopping and entertainment centre a short distance from the M62.
Watching images of dancers on a screen reminds me of the prisoners in Plato's cave, but the screen has a few advantages. One is an opportunity to hear the artists discuss their work. That was something that the Bolshoi did exceptionally well because they employed the TV journalist Katerina Novikova to interview dancers and others in three languages. The quality of the Royal Ballet's interviews has improved significantly since Petroc Trelawny was engaged. Trelawny also brings out the best in Darcey Bussell, who contributes her memories of her performances.
One illuminating interview was with Naghbi. She discussed Legnani's 32 fouettés in the seduction scene, which is the most spectacular bit of the ballet. She likened the movement to that of a plane and herself to a pilot. Naghdi was a powerful Odile but also a sensitive Odette. Not every ballerina can carry off the two roles equally well, but Naghdi was one who did.
Naghdi was supported gallantly by Ball, a strong but graceful dancer. The role of Rothbart has been greatly extended by Scarlett in that he is head of the royal household as well as an evil magician. His appearance reminds me of President Putin, whoever dances the role. This is a great character role, which Whitehead performs well.
Sadly, the producer of this version of Swan Lake is no longer with us, but Gary Avis, Laura Morera and Samantha Raine have implemented Scarlett's vision. Often overlooked is the orchestra which is one of the strengths of the Royal Ballet. It was as impressive as ever conducted on this occasion by Martin Georgiev.
Should this recording ever be screened again or otherwise made available it is well worth watching.
Nederlands Dans Theater and Complicité Figures in ExtinctionAviva Studios, Factory International, Manchester 21 Feb 2025, 19:30
I had been looking forward to a show like Nederlands Dans Theater's Figures in Extinctionin Manchester's Factory International ever since 7 Dec 2014, when George Osborn announced a £78 million investment in a new arts venue for Manchester as part of the Coalition Government's Northern Powerhouse initiative (see Factory To Go Ahead13 Jan 2017 and the posts linked to that article). I had high hopes on 11 Dec 2014 when I wrote Let's bring the Royal Ballet to The Factory, Manchester. They were exceeded by the premiere of Requiem, the third part of Crystal Pite and Simon McBurney's collaboration at Factory International's Aviva Studios on 19 Feb 2025.
I attended the evening performance of Figures in Extinction on 21 Feb 2025. It was my first visit to Factory International. According to Wikipedia, the venue can accommodate up to 7,000 people in its "5,000 flexible 'warehouse' space" and 2,000-seat auditorium. There is no shortage of bars, merchandise outlets and other attractions to explore during intervals. The show took place in the Avviva Studios auditorium. Although I was in the back row, I had an excellent view of the stage, and the acoustics were excellent. Even though my mobility is limited, I had no trouble accessing my seat. There were plenty of lifts and escalators as well as helpful and courteous ushers.
Figures in Extinction started with the list or [1.0]. There was a dialogue on a screen between "Simon" and "Crystal", though I did not recognize the voices as those of McBurney and Pite. Dancers represented the animals, plants and glaciers that have disappeared as a result of climate change. The animal that has stuck in my memory is the Pyrenean ibex with its distinctive curved horns. The top photograph in An Introduction to Figures in Extinctionshows how the species was represented on stage. A child asked plaintively whether the animals had gone away and whether any were ever coming back. According to the online programme, the text was taken from Why Look at Animals? by John Berger. The score was composed by Owen Belton, who has collaborated with Pite for many years. There were also excerpts from Perfume Genius's Normal Song and Blick Bassy's Aké. A flavour of the work can be savoured from NDT's YouTube videoFigures in Extinction [1.0]- by Crystal Pite with Simon McBurney (NDT 1 | Dreams 360).
Figures in Extinction [2.0] but then it comes to the humans explored the possibility of the extinction of our species. Suuited human beings in their offices were scrutinized just like the disappearing species in the list. The music was by Benjamin Grant with fragments of Claude Debussy's La Mer, Dmitri Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony, Johan Sebastian Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, Nils Frahm's Less, Alfred Schnittke's Cello Sonata No. 1: I Largo, II Presto, Jim Perkins's The North Wind, Owen Belton's Extinction Crescendo and additional music by Josh Sneesby. The work was inspired by Iain McGilchrist's The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, extracts of which were read during the performance. Some idea of this part of the show can be obtained from the video Figures in Extinction [2.0] but then you come to the humans - Simon McBurney with Crystal Pite
For me, the most disturbing part of the show was Requiem. A voice spoke about space and time and the relationship between the living and the dead. It continued that the dead surround the living. The dead experience timelessness, though, sometimes, so do the living in extreme circumstances, one of which could be dying. There was a scene of a patient wired up on monitors. A staff nurse and trainee changed the patient's bedding, almost manhandling him. A family entered the patient's hospital room, squabbling with each other. Somehow lifted the mood of an otherwise depressing theme was lifted by a luminous backdrop, a photograph of which appears in the online programme. The score was by Owen Belton with fragments of Fauré and Mozart's Requiems as well as other works. A sample of the piece is contained in Figures in Extinction [3.0] requiem,
This is a profound, multi-layered work which cannot be appreciated properly by watching a single performance (if, indeed, any worthwhile show can). Figures in Extinction will be performed at the Internationaal Theater in Amsterdam tonight, tomorrow and Saturday before proceeding to Helsinki in April and Luxembourg in June. It is well worth seeing.
Royal Ballet Onegin Royal Ballet and Opera House, 15 Feb 2025, 13:00
Cranko's Oneginis a compelling watch. its subject is a man who toys with the emotions of two young women and their champion kills a man in a duel without any apparent legal or social consequences and attempts to seduce a married woman in her boudoir whom he had previously humiliated. An utter rotter who deserves to be horsewhipped and yet his only punishment is to be sent packing. My sense of justice was outraged.
Ball was a very convincing Onegin. He is an excellent actor and his looks remind me very much of Alexander Pushkin's image of his creation. I have learnt a lot about Onegin's character from each of the performances that I have attended but yesterday he came to life to me. In fact, Ball reminded me of all the Onegins I have met in real life and raised my indignation to the point of anger. On the train back to Wakefield I posted to Facebook a reflection that cads like Albrecht and Onegin seem to escape the consequences of their wrongdoing. Sarah Lambert pointed out that Albrecht gets his comeuppance in Dada Masilo's version which I reviewed in A Brace of Giselleswhile Bo Zhang observed pertinently:
"I don’t see why ballet the artistic form, instead of the dubious ideology of the authors/writers of these stories, has to bear the blame."
Perhaps because he is the most recent Onegin that I have seen, Ball was the most memorable. But then he must know the ballet like the back of his hand as he danced Lensky when I first saw the workin 2016.
The other leading characters resonated with me too. Just as Ball had been Lensky 9 years ago Yasmine Naghdi who had been Olga in 2016 became Tatiana yesterday. I think she was the most memorable Tatiana I have ever seen. Again because she is a superb dance actor. Osipova was a great princess and Itziar Mendizabal was a vulnerable and impressionable young woman but Naghdi was impressive both as the young Tatiana and the grown-up one. Leo Dixon won the audience's hearts as Lensky. We felt his ire as Onegin flirted with a playful Olga. In previous reviews, I had overlooked Olga as simply Tataian's empty-headed sister but Olga had to grow up quickly when Onegin picked up Lensky's gauntlet. It is actually quite a substantial role and Anna Rose O’Sullivan who danced Olga explored every aspect of it. I had not previously noted Harris Bell but I shall follow him in future because of his impressive role as Prince Gremin.
I learnt a lot about Pushkin's work yesterday. Possibly as much as anyone could short of learning Russian and reading the original text.
Scottish Ballet The Nutcracker Theatre Royal Newcastle, 6 Feb 2025 19:30
I was so delighted with the first act of Christopher Hampson's production of The Nutcrackerthat I tweeted in the interval that the company that had brought me my favourite Swan Lakehad also created my favourite Nutcracker. Immediately after I had clicked the "post" button I reflected on my rashness as I had only seen half of the ballet. I need not have worried because the second act was every bit as good as the first.
Scottish Ballet already had a fine version of The Nutcracker that had been created by its founder Peter Darrell in 1972. I saw it in Edinburgh just over 10 years ago and reviewed it in Like Meeting an Old Friend After So Many Yearson 4 Jan 2015. Hampson seems to have retained the best bits of Darrell's version such as Brotherston's designs while inserting a few innovations like casting Drosselmeyer as a woman. At this point, I might explain that there is a difference between an innovation which adds a new dimension to a ballet and a gimmick which is simply change for change's sake. In this production, a female Drosselmeyer brought extra magic and mystery and even a hint of menace to the role possibly because of humankind's inherent fear of witches.
According to the programme notes several of the dancers added to Hampson's choreography. One of those contributors was Sophie Laplane who has created some unforgettable work for Ballet Black. Her dialogue between patient and therapist in Clickillustrates succinctly the difference between coincidence and causation so absent in contemporary transatlantic political discourse. She contributed to the Russian divertissement presenting the dancers as playful and slightly chaotic wearing candy cane costumes rather than as slightly sinister Cossacks. Other contributors were Javier Androu to the Spanish dance, Jessica Fyfe to the French (itself an innovation) and Nicholas Shesmith to the English dance which I think was another innovation. Their contributions added to the freshness and the exuberance of the second act.
For some reason or other the Arabian dance was dropped from Act II though I think I recognized the music in Act I if my memory is not playing tricks on me. In other productions, it is one of my favourite divertissements. It is not a long dance and I would love to have seen what Hampson and Co would have made of it.
Turning to last night's show, the Snow Queen was danced by the excellent Marge Hendrick who reminds me so much of the late and great Elaine McDonald. Hendrick's performance at Northern Ballet's 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala was the high point of that evening for me. Her performance at that gala moistened my eyes then and her dancing did so again yesterday.
The other great female role in the traditional Nutcracker is Sugar Plum who is sometimes danced by Clara or Marie in some productions. It was performed exquisitely by soloist Gina Scott.
Evan Loudon, another of my favourites, was the gallant Nutcracker.
I was awed by Madeleine Squire's magic as Madame Drosselmeyer. She is a magnificent character dancer and I look forward to seeing her in other roles.
Ava Morrison was a delightful Clara and a realistic one in that she was not all goody-goody unlike her counterpart in other productions, She was as much responsible for damaging the nutcracker as Jamie Drummond, her brother Fritz.
My one "bravo" of the evening was directed at Thomas Edwards after some amazing fouettés and sautés.
All danced well in this performance and all deserve congratulations. Northumbrians are not known for wearing their hearts on their sleeves and the standing ovation that the cast received attests to the excellence of last night's performance.
The company will remain in Newcastle until tomorrow. This is the last stop of its Scottish and Newcastle tour, if you can lay your hands on one of the very scarce remaining tickets for the last few shows you will not be disappointed,
