‘Four bold and brilliant performances in one night’ – that’s what Scottish Ballet promised the citizens of Dunfermline, Scotland’s medieval capital, seat of kings and, since 2022, her newest city. Four pieces: a classical gem and a mini-world premiere, book-ended by modern works that did away with any notion, if any were needed, about ballet being serious, elitist and/or old-fashioned. Once again the company was on the road, taking dance out of the major city venues – just what a national company should do.
First up was Schachmatt (Checkmate), the stylishly madcap piece by Spanish-born (and Germany-based) Cayetano Soto that the company premiered last year. It’s a great opener: fast and furious, witty and deceptively demanding in its timing when all ten dancers are on together. Which is most of the time – the odd solo came as quite a surprise. Dancers in unisex shirt-and-shorts outfits and riding hats lined up on a chequerboard floor (a bit obscured in this venue) and did vaguely horse/riding-related movement: prancing, dashing, galloping… I’ve seen this twice now and am still not sure if the directional movement was actually dictated by the movement of knights on a chessboard (two up and one across) or is that just clutching at academic straws? Anyway it didn’t matter. The choreographer has acknowledged his debt to Bob Fosse in this piece, and you don’t get much better than that. It was good to see this fabulous show-off piece firmly in the repertoire.
The Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux from Nutcracker felt, like all these ‘party pieces’, a little exposed by being taken out of its narrative context and danced on an almost bare stage but principal dancer Jessica Fyfe, ably and dashingly partnered by James Garrington, seemed undeterred. It was a relief, after the effervescent quirkiness of Schachmatt, to watch the stateliness of classical choreography with its feather-light jumps and breathtaking catches. And, as company member Roseanne Leney pointed out in her brief introductory curtain speech (such a good idea: why don’t more companies do this?), it was a great taster ad for the company’s full-scale Christmas production. Good thinking, guys.
The newest piece on the bill was Echo Echo, a short but confident debut pas de deux choreographed by First Artist Madeline Squire. Purely abstract in form but tracking a relationship, it followed the classical pattern of pas de deux: together, him, her, together, relating it (as the choreographer pointed out in another short intro) back to the Nutcracker piece seen earlier. Kayla-Maree Tarantolo and Harvey Evans showed off to each other in a cone of light and twined sexily to a soundscape recorded, apparently, in a carpark.
And then it was Sophie Laplane’s Dextera, first shown in 2019 as part of the company’s 50th birthday celebrations and just as captivating on a second viewing. A hymn to creativity, and literally, the hands that make it happen, it featured music by…well, who else but Mozart. The Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute, Cherubino’s lovelorn appeal from Figaro and much more, it was all sheer delight and so eminently danceable.
Hands featured large in this evening. Already wiggling and fluttering in Schachmatt, under Laplane they had a manic life of their own. From the moment a single orange Marigold fluttered down from the flies, hands and gloves were everywhere. Previously a dancer with the company, Laplane has no problem with technique but she can also find humour in pretty much any part of the human body, turning classical into quirky in a nano-second. Here she also cheekily challenged gender stereotypes: men partnered men, women lifted women – and men. Women were hauled around by ring-pulls on their backs (foreshadowing the company’s AI-inspired Coppélia?) but later got their own back (beware, boys…).
There were fleeting glimpses of relationships: a trio, a pas de deux – but they came and went so swiftly. It was a dizzying display: hard to get a handle on but hugely enjoyable. By the time a rain of multicoloured paper hands floated down from above and a bizarre figure in orange strolled onstage, ignored by everybody (don’t ask), the audience was in love with the whole thing. Probably the best thing that’s happened in Dunfermline in many a year.
