Earlier this month, the Royal Opera House embarked on a very ambitious Festival of New Choreography which includes performances and events in all the spaces and stages. On the main stage, The Royal Ballet presented New Works, a very diverse programme of four world premieres and main stage debuts, which also proved to be a showcase for many of the younger dancers in the Company, the pianists, orchestra and conductors alongside some superb collaborators in each production.
Opening the evening was Gemma Bond’s Boundless to an animated score, In Unison, by Joey Roukens for two pianos, brilliantly played by Kate Shipway and Robert Clark. In a pre-performance film, Bond explained her thoughts, suggesting she wanted to create something that encapsulated the freedom and playfulness of young children. In fact, the ballet was highly sophisticated and packed with very challenging sequences of intricate and rapid-fire steps.
Bond is British and danced with The Royal Ballet before moving to American Ballet Theatre, so she is familiar with the sort of standards expected from RB dancers. This was reflected in the inventive and brisk flow of the choreography. Short, stiff tutus designed by Charlotte MacMillan accentuated the crispness and deft execution of the steps. The choreography for the ensemble was as demanding as it was for the principals, Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano, who navigated the extremes of the movements with extraordinary grace and control. This was a striking start to the evening.
Joshua Junker’s Never Known was a complete contrast, though just as compelling. He’s a huge talent both as a dancer and choreographer and what he conjured up here was almost like moving into a different timezone or a dystopian, unearthly world. Tiny movements made the ensemble look like an undulating mass of creatures. Music by Nils Frahm and Víkingur Ólafsson perfectly echoed what was emerging on stage. It became all consuming and in spite of the mesmeric effect of the large group of dancers, at all times lyrical but with varying degrees of energy output, there were some startling, stand out moments. Liam Boswell and Francisco Serrano duetting drew the eye; Madison Bailey and Luka B Brændsrød accomplished some really spectacular lifts, particularly the precarious, one-armed presages. Junker may have drawn inspiration from choreographers such as Crystal Pite but his is a really unique voice and he is undoubtedly on an upward trajectory.
After the interval, Mthuthuzeli November’s gorgeously glowing For What It’s Worth was yet another example of a completely different dance vocabulary. In some of his previous creations I have marvelled at the way he is able to bring his South African roots into both classical and contemporary dance with such articulacy. Even more so in this piece where the women are in pointe shoes, but the movement is earthy and plucky. Mayara Magri, in a languorous opening solo (representing Mama Africa) already had us enraptured, proof that you can beguile an audience without any tricks or flashiness. That’s not to say that there was any lack of energy or exuberance. Leo Dixon and fellow men Joonhyuk Jun and Blake Smith, still pulled out all the stops, embracing the style with aplomb. The music, by November and Alex Wilson with guest musician Sidiki Dembele singing, was uplifting, filmic and conducted by Charlotte Politi, contributed to making this a very joyous experience.
Closing the evening was Jessica Lang’s Twinkle set to Mozart’s Twelve Variations on Ah vous dirai-je, Maman (in other words: Twinkle, twinkle little star) and opening with Brahms’ Wiegenlied. With Shipway and her piano majestically placed on a high platform at the back of the stage, this seemed to be Lang’s response to Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering. The most experienced of the four choreographers, this very classical piece was meticulously crafted. William Bracewell and Fumi Kaneko were sublime in the leading roles, both so well-suited to the mellifluous, poetic movement. The supporting roles were supremely well-danced too, the difficult and virtuosic steps skilfully delivered by this particular cast.
I would like to think that any of these ballets could be taken into the repertoire and do well. The quality of the dancing was incomparable, the ballets complemented each other beautifully and the overall impression was that the future of inventive choreography is looking positive. One other mention must be made for Zeynep Kepekli who designed the lighting for all four pieces. The way she created such distinctive looks for each of the pieces was astonishing. Another bonus to this programme.
