The inaugural visit of The Sarasota Ballet to London’s Royal Opera House was bound to be a momentous occasion. The company are here to launch Ashton Worldwide 2024–28, a celebration of Sir Frederick Ashton’s work and legacy. The excited buzz in the auditorium was palpable as some of the most famous names in the dance world gathered to watch a triple bill of rarely seen works.
Artistic Director Iain Webb and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, both former principals with Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet and with a wealth of experience working directly with Ashton, have devoted more than 15 years to building the repertoire of The Sarasota Ballet into what is essentially a unique offering. While they do ballets by other great choreographers including Cranko and MacMillan, they have tirelessly worked to perform Ashton ballets that have been lost, meticulously reviving them so that the style and content is as authentic as possible.
And my goodness, the care and attention to detail that all three pieces on this opening programme revealed, was staggering. What was also in evidence was how Ashton was inventing choreography in the 1940s that would challenge even the greatest dancers of today.
The first of three different programmes that the company will perform over a week long residency at the Linbury, opened with Valses nobles et sentimentales, which he created in 1947. To music by Ravel and with costumes by Sophie Fedorovitch, this ballet waltzes through some unbelievably difficult technical challenges. Without a narrative, but with a hint of flirtatiousness, Jessica Assef, the leading lady, seemed caught in a bit of a love triangle. Unable to decide whether she preferred Ricardo Rhodes or Daniel Pratt she kept them both in tow until finally opting for Rhodes. Assef was in complete control, even managing to repeat near perfect supported promenades in à la seconde before letting go and swinging into a deep penché arabesque and a further promenade. The company as a whole look fresh-faced and in this ballet exuded an infectious joy.
Dante Sonata was created in 1940 when Ashton, affected by the onset of World War II, took inspiration from a poem by Victor Hugo and Dante’s Inferno. The forces of good and evil are represented by the Children of Light and the Children of Darkness. Set to a score by Franz Liszt, arranged by Constant Lambert, the ballet was not entirely what we have come to expect from Ashton. It was dramatic, dark and without resolution. Pratt and Jennifer Hackbarth fought for good and love, but were continuously thwarted by Lauren Ostrander and Ricardo Graziano and their dark companions. It felt like an extraordinary history lesson and put the focus firmly on Ashton’s foresight and his courageous, visionary thinking.
The programme closed with his 1967 Sinfonietta to music by Malcolm Williamson. It was a complete contrast to the earlier pieces. In three movements, the first and last (Toccata and Tarantella) epitomised Ashton’s fleet footwork, rapid changes of direction and extreme épaulement. To report that this was fiendishly difficult to execute would still be an understatement. The amount of stamina required to sustain the speed and intricate choreography must have been gargantuan. The middle movement (Elegy) while more lyrical in style, was still a tough technical exercise. This particular movement made me think of Monotones II and that perhaps it was inspired by Sinfonietta. However, I have since noted that Monotones II was created two years earlier, so clearly the inspiration was the other way around. A shout out for Rhodes in the last movement, who completed a set of excellent double tours en l'air towards the end with such an easy manner, he persuaded me that he could have carried on and done it all again.
The evening served to exemplify the process of Ashton’s evolution as a choreographer. In his early works, it is plain to see how they were forming the basis of a ‘style’, that his creativity was in full flow and bursting to get out from the start. Webb and Barbieri have lovingly recreated his legacy with a diligence that has paid off with huge dividends. The company embrace this gift with 100% sincerity and commitment. They deserve a return visit, with a bigger stage and a live orchestra.
