Birmingham Royal Ballet - BRB at 30!

[Jan McNulty]

So I was glued to my screen at 8pm on Thursday for an evening celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet becoming Birmingham Royal Ballet.

 

The evening started with a zoomed speech from a Birmingham councillor saying what the company meant to the city and as well as the performed pieces it included interviews with 2 of the participants from the memorable Ballet Hoo! and about Dance Track.  Carlos Acosta introduced the evening and spoke lovingly about the City of Birmingham, the company he now directs and its dancers and heritage repertoire.

 

The dance started with Ben Stevenson's duet End of Time danced by Yijing Zhang and Brandon Lawrence.  It is a very quiet duet (inspired by On the Beach) about the last 2 remaining humans.  The chemistry between Yijing and Brandon was palpable and their performance can only be described as sublime.  Despite the depressing subject matter I found it filled with not only yearning but hope and I was so uplifted by it that I have now watched it about a gazillion times since Thursday evening.  Yijing is one of those dancers who seems to have a serene other-worldliness on stage (although she is actually a very vivid actor) and I think this evening shows that she and Brandon could be THE partnership to watch if they are paired together more often (I live in hopes).

 

After Brandon's powerhouse performance of Liebestod in the Lazuli Sky programme we were treated to Tzu-Chao Chou in the same role.  The same solo and 2 very different dancers.  I loved Tzu-Chao's intense and expressive performance.  Somehow watching it again yesterday it reminded me of the Faun in Nijinsky's L'Après-Midi.  It was as though he was discovering himself for the first time.  

 

After an interval we finally got to see Majismo a Spanish-influenced piece for 4 couples.  It was a delight to watch and showed all the dancers at their sparkling best.  Both Yijing (this time partnered by Alex Yap) and Tzu-Chao were in this piece.  It's frothy with some virtuoso choreography for the gentlemen of the company.  Standouts for me were the always miraculous Momoko Hirata and the sublime Miki Mizutani.

 

This performance is available till next Thursday and is well worth seeking out.

 

So far, within the confines of these challenging times, I have greatly enjoyed BRB's performances but I have to hope against hope that Carlos delivers on his loving words and we can see again some of the wonderful ballets already in the company's rep.

[Jan McNulty]

I found it quite hard to see the 2 sections of the performance and I have no idea why it was split up in this way but I think that although it looks as though I am taking you to the same page on the website twice it should take you to the 2 links.

 

Part 1:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

 

Part 2:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

[Guest oncnp]

43 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

I found it quite hard to see the 2 sections of the performance and I have no idea why it was split up in this way but I think that although it looks as though I am taking you to the same page on the website twice it should take you to the 2 links.

 

Part 1:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

 

Part 2:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

 

It is the same link with the same timing (44:57) but there appears to be only one on the BRB site now. They may have consolidated the two into one since you posted. 

[Jan McNulty]

Doesn’t look like it at that length.

 

Alternative - if you look at first part right to end and leave the screen 3 small images appear.  One is the link to part 2.

[Guest oncnp]

4 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Doesn’t look like it at that length.

 

Alternative - if you look at first part right to end and leave the screen 3 small images appear.  One is the link to part 2.

 

yep - that did it. 

[Jeannette]

As I mentioned on another thread, I mostly loved the unabashed old-style classicism of  Majisimo but appreciate the sublimity of Ben Stevenson's End of Time and the reprise of Liebestod with a different dancer than we saw at the Lazuli Sky stream. I also appreciated and enjoyed the mini-documentaries on BRB’s community-outreach programmes. 

[Two Pigeons]

I have just caught up with this programme.  My first point is to say that every time I hear Carlos talk about the Company, their current travails and his plans for life during and after Covid his genuine and earnest enthusiasm grabs me all over again.  He has ensured that the Company has managed to perform and gave two shows recorded.  I would like to point out that neither has been in their home theatre and I really did wonder how hard was the stage at the Town Hall.  This is not a venue which regularly shows dance performances and I doubt very much that the stage is that springy.  All credit to the four boys in the final work giving it their all.

 

I found the contributions of the two Counsellors full of hope for the long term future of the Company.  Please Lord they are able to fulfil them.

 

Finally it was terrific and genuinely inspiring to see Shareen and Linden from Ballet Hoo report back 13 years later.  I remember them both for the original project, especially Linden whom I have never really forgotten.  He is up there in my list of great Tybalts. 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Two Pigeons
Tautology

[trog]

On 21/11/2020 at 09:23, Jan McNulty said:

I found it quite hard to see the 2 sections of the performance and I have no idea why it was split up in this way but I think that although it looks as though I am taking you to the same page on the website twice it should take you to the 2 links.

 

Part 1:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

 

Part 2:  https://www.brb.org.uk/brb-at-30

 

It is split into two sections on Vimeo, both with different video formats. I think they have done this to make it difficult to pirate - joining different format files together is hard.

 

Very enjoyable program - I wish I had been there to see it live.

[Jan McNulty]

32 minutes ago, trog said:

 

 

Very enjoyable program - I wish I had been there to see it live.

 

Don't we all Trog!

[alison]

3 hours ago, trog said:

 

It is split into two sections on Vimeo, both with different video formats. I think they have done this to make it difficult to pirate - joining different format files together is hard.

 

Sneaky.  But why shouldn't they, after all?

[Two Pigeons]

I have been thinking about this programme for a couple of days now.

 

A year or so ago the venerable member of this forum and keen BRB fan, George C, made the extremely accurate and pertinent observation that with all the attention on Tyrone Singleton and Brandon Lawrence the specific and very valuable contribution of Cesar Morales was being overlooked.

 

I am beginning to feel that much the same is happening to Matthias Dingman.  He always dances full out with his heart very much on his sleeve.  He is someone else we are lucky to have in the Company.

Edited November 23, 2020 by Two Pigeons

[Jan McNulty]

I've watched the danced sections of BRB at 30 several times now (well a gazillion times for End of Time!) and I have found it a really satisfying watch.

 

I think that despite the duet being based on the very depressing On the Beach, Yijing and Brandon bring a feeling of hope to the piece as well as dancing it sublimely.  They really seem to spark off each other too.

 

I have continued to be impressed by Tzu Chao Chou's sensuous interpretation of Liebestod.

 

Majismo is fun and so beautifully danced by the four couples.  Momoko and Matthias give us a lovely reminder of their sensational performance of the Don Q pdd at Symphony Hall at the start of the year.

 

I hope we get the opportunity to see these pieces in the flesh before too long.