Ambitious programme offers mixed results for Ballett am Rhein

Programming three choreographers who are always box office favourites is as sure fire a hit as can be for Ballett am Rhein who debut this neoclassical triple bill featuring a selection of tried and tested successes. The work is familiar, but how does the company stack up with the athletic demands of George Balanchine’s Rubies, and the physicality of William Forsythe’s Enemy in the Figure, with some Hans van Manen thrown in for good measure? Results are mixed in an engaging but disjointed evening. 

Rubies from Balanchine's much performed Jewels is the most dynamic of the gem stone choreographies. There is a unique style, sparkling costumes - the ruby red velvet leotards and the unmistakable clack of the plastic bejewelled skirts. The dancers look to be having a great time with the whimsical comings and goings. Futaba Ishizaki and Daniele Bonelli fare well as the central couple, possessing rich musicality in the upper body, creamy classical technique, however Ishizaki lacks sharpness and the spiky leg actions necessary in the main pas de deux, and lacks stability in the pirouettes and chaîné turns. Charlotte Kragh as the featured soloist takes the lead confidently with some big, buoyant dancing and the corps are well rehearsed; the signature pony trots are well synchronised and provide momentum but something is missing. The familiar, witty choreography, flicks of a wrist and jauntily-angled arabesques alongside the Stravinsky score never quite hit the mark. With just twenty-odd minutes to make an impression, the trademark choreographic flourishes are all there, but it never quite flies. 

Hans van Manen’s Visions Fugitives offers another brief snapshot of dance from six members of the company. Keso Dekker’s unique stripy catsuits in varying shades of blue and the pronounced strings of Prokofiev’s score provide the backdrop to another plotless work, of which van Manen refreshingly said “there is no deeper meaning, the choreography is what you see”. All flexed feet and gymnastic partnering skills, there is a distinctive style as we become aware of the playful and later more earnest relationships between the couples who break off in pairs and trios, the women float on and off the stage in waves of action, handled delicately by strong male partners.  

Rather distractingly, it’s cast with dancers of hugely varying stature, making the set pieces ill matched. Elisabeth Vincenti is small, compact and powerful, with clear intent in her partnership with Samuel Lopez Legaspi, contrasting wildly with Svetlana Bednenko and Vinicius Vieira statuesque posing. 

It’s a pleasant addition, but not incredibly impactful sandwiched between the visual appeal of a well ingrained Balanchine piece and an electrifying Forsythe tour de force. 

1990’s Enemy in the Figure is that tour de force. Created a couple of years after In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, all the distinctive Forsythe elements are present; Thom Willems’ raging percussive score, the dance tights worn over leotards of one block colour and stamina-sapping choreography that leans away from the elegant and into the abstract. 

The moveable on stage spotlight is in many ways the twelfth dancer on the stage as company emerges in and out of darkness. They must tackle vigorous solos and pas de deux that build effectively against the relentless electronic beat which features moments of long high pitched tones that have some audience members push their fingers to their ears. It’s a physically exhausting but exhilarating slog which ends the evening on a dizzy high. 

There is nothing if not variety in the curiously programmed evening. The favouring of plotless work that leaves the steps to speak for themselves is effective for the shorter attention span but also does not feel entirely satisfying. The three selected “masters” are just that and there is abundant quality in the choreography, but the execution lacks the sharpness that would really make things sparkle.