Well, it’s taken a couple of years but Ballet Nights, Jamiel Devernay-Laurence’s inspirational ‘international taster platform’ for dance, finally made it across the border into Scotland. An evening of big names, dance from across the spectrum and, yes, a bit of tartan-tinted nostalgia, with much-missed members of Scottish Ballet making welcome returns to their home turf on the stage of Glasgow’s Theatre Royal.
Ballet Nights always opens with a non-dance piece, Viktor Erik Emanuel at the piano with a Chopin Ballade, one of the most delightfully balletic pieces that, ironically, had no choreography to it. Although, was I the only person in the audience treacherously put in mind of that other great hymn to Chopin, Jerome Robbins’ fabulous The Concert…?
After that pieces came in quick succession and ten-minute chunks, each introduced by Devernay-Laurence. First up was I Married Myself, a short stage excerpt from Amazon Prime’s series Étoile, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and danced by the first of the Scottish Ballet’s returnees, Constance Devernay-Laurence. Excited yet langorous in a sweeping red dress, she confronted her hopes and dreams. (No spoilers here: you’ll have to watch the series.)
Death of the Bachelors, created and danced by BlacBrik (Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh, both secure in Alvin Ailey training), showed us two Black dudes, cool as the weather, contemplating the end of their carefree laddish days. Confident show-off strutting to James Brown gave way to slow realisation and bluesy Sam Cooke as they gradually came to terms with whatever might come next.
Next, and as different as could be, came a piece with Scottish Ballet written through it like rock. The last of Mahler’s Five Rückert Songs (‘I have become lost to the world’) was both a welcome back for former principal Eve Mutso and also a tribute to the late Eleanor Moore, the company’s first Scottish principal, who danced the role many times. Peter Darrell’s exquisite choreography had Mutso questing, yearning and plaintive, arms outstretched, hands often locked at the wrist, as much the essence of grace as she ever was. She exited like a ghost…
Dragging us abruptly back into the modern world, the entire graduating year from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Modern Ballet BA course repeated their recent graduation performance in Divided. Choreographed by their teacher Diana Loosemore, it tested all their skills and made the most of their youthful energy.
After nearly twenty years with Scottish Ballet, Sophie Martin moved to Germany and is now a member of Ballett am Rhein, where she has clearly found a brilliant partner in the Spanish Joan Ivars Ribes. What a find! Tall, dark and handsome, he matches her in physique (long limbs, lightness of touch) and the absolute trust between them was clear in the daring falls and catches of David Dawson’s choreography for On the Nature of Daylight (music by contemporary classicist Max Richter). It was a lovely piece, surely heralding a great future partnership.
In the second half, the boys had it. Steven McRae opened with his own Czardas, one of the pieces seen in the very early Ballet Nights in 2023. Clearly not shunning the limelight, bare-chested in black sparkly pants, he combined deft tap-footwork with Hungarian chutzpah and brought the house down. Great to see him enjoying himself after the tough time he’s had. Also taking a night out from The Royal Ballet was young Caspar Lench, dancing Joshua Junker’s enigmatic 324A (actually not that mysterious: it’s his old address), a modern L'après-midi d’un faune-ish piece that showed off all his grace and energy. Hitting the Theatre Royal stage for the first time, despite being Glasgow-born, Andrew Cummings gave us Marco Goecke’s hectic Infant Spirit, an edgy, angsty dramatic solo created initially as an homage to Pina Bausch.
In between, though, came the extraordinary Splice, choreographed and performed by Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser, two dancers who embrace contemporary dance, clubbing and pretty much every other kind of multi-disciplinary work, performing as Ekleido. With perfect timing, limbs twined, arms and legs emerging in seemingly impossible positions, often recalling the many-armed gods of Indian tradition – they have to be seen to be believed.
And finally… How to end an evening of treats but with three dances from Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, fifty years old and fresh as a daisy. Constance Devernay-Laurence, Kevin Poeung and Tyrone Singleton proved that Scott Joplin’s fabulous ragtime eccentricity has lost none of its charm. And Ian Spurling’s costumes are as sexy as ever!
Ballet Nights is more than an evening of party pieces: it showcases emerging talent alongside older favourites and, in the case of this first Scottish outing, has an eye to local tradition. Maybe they’ll try Edinburgh next time?
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