Once in a while, a performance or performer will surprise or enchant you. Very occasionally, you will witness something that will simply take your breath away and leave you open-mouthed. Empower in Motion fits into the latter category. The show did exactly what it said on the tin.
High expectations were duly surpassed in what can only be described as an extraordinary, memorable experience that will stay with me indefinitely. Described as “A Ballet Inclusive”, it was a gala format, produced by English National Ballet’s Henry Dowden and choreographer/dancer Ross Freddie Ray, to raise funds for the Children Today Charitable Trust, which is celebrating 30 years. Children Today supports children and young people with disabilities by building bespoke wheelchairs and trikes to give them the independence they need to lead fulfilling, rich lives. All proceeds from the event will go to the Trust.
In two halves, performances included dancers from Propel Dance, Parable Dance, National Youth Ballet All In!, Stopgap Dance Company, students from the Royal Ballet School, icandance, freelance dancers and superstar guests from the world of ballet. And the feeling emanating from the stage was one of commitment, joy and absolute professionalism.
After a very warm welcome from junior doctor and Children Today patron Grace Spence Green, freelance dancers Hannah Rudd and Joseph Powell-Main captivated us in Kristen McNally’s Sleepwalker. It’s always a pleasure to see the versatile Rudd, and in this moving, unusual duet with Powell-Main (more about him later), produced by The Royal Ballet’s Alexander Campbell, the audience was already in thrall.
Rebecca Fowler from Propel Dance gave us an intriguing solo excerpt from an upcoming full-length production of Snow Queen, her exotic costume and dynamic arm movements proved very effective. Emile Gooding and Tianie-Finn Grainger from the Royal Ballet School, in Ode to a Love Lost created by fellow student Maia Rose Roberts, look set to have an exceptionally bright future. To music by Finn Ronsdorf, fluid and gracefully airborne, I look forward to seeing more of all three.
Stopgap Dance Company presented two tremendous pieces, Tight Textures and Unplugged. Both combine the spoken word (the brilliant Lily Fenton on stage) with dance, and warrant second viewings. The company aims to create an environment where no one is limited by prejudice against deaf, disabled or neurodivergent people. It wholly succeeds. Fascinating, infectious and innovative, I highly recommend a visit to Stopgap at the earliest opportunity. A word about Cambodian wheelchair dancer and choreographer, Nadenh Poan, in his solo Unplugged. The invention, daring, dexterity and skill he showed, was downright astonishing.
The first half finished with the world premiere of Sebastian Kloborg’s The Owl Falls, a pas de deux for Maria Kochetkova and Daniil Simkin. This was quirky and amusing with some effective lighting and supremely well executed, yet my heart sank a bit when Kochetkova launched into a series of fouettés. Must this always be the ‘go to’ party trick?
The second half opened with Parable Dance/National Youth Ballet All In! in an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet with Grace Thompson and Zak Smith. Once again, I was struck by the emotional power of dance and the seamless ease with which an audience can be transported by the moment, rather than the analytics of combining non-disabled and ‘differently’ abled choreography. Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw from English National Ballet gave an impeccable rendition of the Act 2 pas de deux from Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. I often think that this particular pas de deux doesn’t always work out of context, but the purity and artistry of both these dancers was transcendental.
Denecia Allen from icandance and Alice Bellini from ENB were charming in Reunion to music by Ola Gjeilo and the fireworks of the evening were staggeringly delivered by Shiori Kase (also ENB) and Simkin in the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. Simkin’s technical wizardry borders on acrobatic, yet he defied the odds by maintaining extremely classical positions, never losing his line. As he executed multiple pirouettes whilst spotting at the ceiling, hurtled through the air at high velocity, I found myself questioning how on earth he did it. Kase was an equal match for him and they brought the house down.
It was the penultimate piece that I found to be the pivotal moment of the evening. Powell-Main’s solo Passionately Defiant, his own choreography, to the Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black (LSO arrangement) was a triumph over adversity. He is Royal Ballet School trained, but after having knee surgery, followed by a serious car accident, he dances/partners in his wheelchair and on crutches. His solo was remarkable in all aspects. His passion for dance, his lyricism, the hope he offers, the emotional depth that saturates his being, was intoxicating. More please, from this talented young man.
The audience rose to its feet at the end – affirmation that we loved it. A major success for all concerned.
You can donate to Children Today here: https://linktr.ee/childrentodaycharity
