Performer: Rupert Pennefather

The Royal Ballet's Ashton programme is a rare delight; and the mix of pieces shows how that know-it-when-you-see-it Ashton style is perfectly versatile. 

Last Friday, The Royal Ballet presented an exciting bill composed of George Balanchine’s iconic Apollo (1928) and two new ballets by acclaimed choreographers Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon. The programme was cleverly designed, since Ratmansky and Wheeldon are renowned explorers of the neoclassical style inaugurated by Balanchine.

The penultimate programme of The Royal Ballet’s season takes the audience on a journey, from a joyous celebration with seven imperially dressed ballerinas, to a summer dacha filled with tense emotions, and finally back in time to the ceremonial rites of a Russian peasant wedding.

Not so many moons ago, opening night at the Opera House meant dressing up—dinner jackets, long dresses and furs, with of course, the obligatory embellishment of the family jewels. Alas, jeans, shirtsleeves and sneakers are all too often seen these days, so glamour and style must stem from the stage outwards into the auditorium.