This adventurous triple bill of vintage productions new to Norway saw a ballet that evokes the splendour of Russian classicism enveloped within two works of Dutch modernism; albeit that the former, inspired in the mind of George Balanchine by a Van Cleef and Arpels jewellery display, was conceived in New York in the swinging sixties, a century or so after the Imperial ballet to which it aspired. The latter were made by the choreographic combination of Paul Lightfoot, a Brit from Cheshire, and Spanish-born Sol León, during their 35-year choreographic partnership, which included a decade at the creative helm of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT).
This premiere of Diamonds pre-empts the programming of Balanchine’s full-length Jewels in the coming Autumn. Based on this sparkling performance, it promises to be a wonderful new acquisition to set alongside other Balanchine gems in this Norwegian collection. With costumes on loan from the Royal Ballet, copied from Karinska’s original designs and an authentic staging by Jean-Marc Puissant, this performance was exquisite from first to last. Diamonds is a challenging ballet, which starts so slowly to expose the precise technique of every movement and finishes with galloping grandeur.
The principal pairing on this opening night brought together the serenely elegant Whitney Jensen, formerly of Boston Ballet, a dancer with Balanchine steeped in her soul and Alex Cuadros Joglar, one of several dancers in Norwegian National Ballet who finished their training at The Royal Ballet School.
A corps de ballet of sixteen pairs with four soloist couples provides the setting for one long grand pas de deux that never stops giving. Every variation seemed to outdo the one before: Jensen’s sequence of grand jetès en tournant were especially memorable with the crisp arrow-like trajectory of the forward leg firing upwards on every turn. Joglar was noble and assured, and it was only in the penultimate moments before the ensemble finale that a scintilla of hesitation crept into his partnering.
It was pleasing to see Gina Storm-Jensen back on stage as one of the tightly coordinated quartet of supporting ballerinas, following her transfer back to Norway from The Royal Ballet. The dancers in the corps de ballet seemed young, but they dealt with the demanding need for synchronicity and spacing with admirable maturity. In my experience, it’s impossible to view Diamonds without some slight imperfections although great credit is due to both this ensemble and their coaching staff for coping with Balanchine’s marathon of precision with such alacrity and achievement.
Lightfoot and León have become synonymous with NDT, having spent almost all their adult creative lives in the Netherlands. However, if they had a second choreographic home it would be in Norway. They first came to make a work on Norwegian National Ballet in 1999 and its an ironic coincidence that Ingrid Lorentzen (NNB’s artistic director) performed in their Step Lightly back in 2000 not long after joining the company. Despite this long association their two works on this programme (both originally made in 2014) were Norwegian premieres.
Schubert is a slight pas de deux – just a few minutes long – danced here by Nae Nishimura Skaar and Jonathan Olofsson. They performed an abstract love story in an intimate space, marked by two moving black panels, and their highly skilled movement and partnering is also intimate, replete with intricate lifts, their bodies sometimes twisting around each other. Their dialogue in movement is matched by an indistinct vocal repartee. It’s a lyrical and compelling amuse bouche that ends prematurely.
Stop Motion is a personal and sentimental work, with a stage design that features extreme slow-motion film of Lightfoot and León’s daughter, Saura to whom the work was dedicated. In an example of life imitating art, ten years after the film was made, Saura is now herself an actor and filmmaker. A composite of melancholic music by Max Richter adds to the work’s essential intimacy and the movement for eight dancers uses the whole stage. It’s more than fully absorbing to take in this aesthetic cocktail of separated movements happening simultaneously in different places alongside the film (positioned on a screen high on the left-hand side of the stage).
The choreography is an eclectic collection of neoclassical and modern movement motifs including broad and deep pliés, flexed feet, silent screams, stretched leg extensions with another element introduced partway through the piece in clouds of dust; covering the dancers in an ethereal, chalky mist that clings to their faces and bodies. The work concludes with a long, yearning and commanding duet between Douwe Dekkers and Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken as the slow-motion flight of a kestrel is projected against the backdrop. This enigmatic and very beautiful work was excellently performed by the Norwegian ensemble.
A final tribute must go to the orchestra, conducted by Nicolette Fraillon (until recently the chief conductor of Australian ballet), giving outstanding performances of Schubert’s String Quartet in C, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous third symphony and the Richter pieces.
Graham's press trip was funded by Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
