Many ballet fans do not find galas particularly enjoyable. We can admire our favourite dancers performing acrobatic solos, numerous fouettés and famous variations, but little space is left for the dancers to lose themselves in the roles they are playing, not to mention the limitations in terms of scenography and lighting.
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.
There was no thought of letting the Royal Ballet dancers ease out gently in their last programme of the season. The Triple Bill now on offer demands from each of its exponents a mathematical brain, the precision of a Swiss watchmaker and the stamina of a fell runner.
