It was a momentous occasion for English National Ballet. Presenting a double bill of a UK premiere and a world premiere, Body and Soul at Sadler’s Wells, was significant because it was ENB’s first acquisition from Crystal Pite and a first foray into creating a big piece on a classical ballet company for Kameron N. Saunders with his Proper Conduct.
Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) was originally created in 2019 for the Paris Opera Ballet as part of a trilogy. First off, I can’t wait to see the next two parts! Pite describes the work as being about “connectedness”. Because she says, “This is what I really care about.” Pite has an affinity with human bonding. No one is better at showing 36 dancers interconnected, moving en masse, in unison. It leaves a deep impression.
Split into eight parts which run seamlessly into one another, the work presented variations on a theme of conflict. There were combative moments where couples resisted, antagonised but mainly the movements were intimate exchanges where a simple touch or intertwining of limbs felt consequential. Music by Owen Belton (with additional music by Chopin) was atmospheric and as always, Tom Visser’s lighting was a major contributor in scene setting. The whole piece had a poetic voice-over in French by Marina Hands of the Comédie-Française.
Stand-out moments came towards the end when the ensemble, dressed in black suits and white shirts, gathered in lines from back to front of the stage. The sound became that of rolling waves – the sea at its most inviting. As it ebbed and flowed, so too did the rippling bodies of the dancers. Hypnotic is barely adequate to describe the scene which unfolded on stage. Pite masterfully moved her dancers like a flock of birds, a murmuration, within high and low tides.
Of the individual performances, especially memorable were the duets between Sangeun Lee and Rentaro Nakaaki, Ashley Coupal and Haruhi Otani, Emma Hawes and Ken Saruhashi and best of all, Ivana Bueno and Zai Calliste. Calliste is six months into his first season with ENB, having graduated from the school last summer. He was impressive as Siegfried while still at school, appearing in the My First Ballet series of Swan Lake. Who can really identify the special ingredient that makes an individual stand out, but he has a unique quality. The eye is drawn to him, he’s a good partner and a solid technician. Paired with Bueno, they seemed completely in tune, invested in the work. Watch this space.
I had high hopes for Proper Conduct. Kameron N. Saunders has masses of charisma and a firm following having toured as a dancer and choreographer with such artists as Taylor Swift, Lizzo and Chappell Roan. Working with ENB is a whole different challenge though and one that proved partially insurmountable. Drawing on his own personal experiences, it is split into three separate parts. Overseen by a narrator, Jose Mariá Lorca Menchón, who dances to a deep, gravelly voice-over, spitting sarcastic, menacing utterances – the first part was actually joyful and hopeful.
Filled with sweeping lifts, speedy jetés and swirling patterns, the stage was filled with exuberance. Dressed in floral, brightly coloured shirts and dresses (Kimie Nakano), it all felt positive. After the first part, the narrator growls, “Wasn’t that lovely?” hinting that all was not as it seemed. The next part appeared to move into a seedy, underground club. “Beneath lies chaos, corruption and decay,” we are told. There were various couplings, undressings, rolling around all without discernible meaningful construct. I just about made out Minju Kang and Swanice Luong wrapped up in each other’s arms and legs. The rest were facing upstage and it was more or less down to identifying legs and backsides. Not ideal. Mostly I couldn’t decide if the action was symbolic of debauchery or exploration or promoting sexual desire.
The third part moved into Big Brother territory. The stage became monochrome. All white backdrop, side walls and floor, ensemble dressed in white suits with helmets and visors obscuring any possible way of distinguishing any characteristics, gender or, quite frankly, if they were meant to be human. The narrator became bombastic, “My name is not important right now. We can fix you!” Lots of heavy breathing, mechanical steps produced military type precision, but more Star Wars or music video than contemporary dance. I was lost.
If the message was that we are losing our identities, our individuality, fair enough – but the message was woolly. Saunders does have something to offer but it is still early days. The hard working dancers need to be challenged and shown at their best. This was not the case, although Lorca Menchón gave it a good go.
