English National Ballet Digital Season

[Irmgard]

What an exhilarating celebration of dance to witness on a grey Monday (and Tuesday!) morning!  Most of the dancers have not set foot on a stage since mid-January and their joy at finally performing again, albeit in a studio and with no audience, was almost palpable and certainly infectious. I was very pleased that ENB decided to launch its digital season of new dance works with a piece by their associate choreographer and winner of the NDA emerging talent award this year, Stina Quagebeur.  I started following her choreographic career about eleven years ago and the vitality of this new work reminded me very much of a piece she created back then to American boogie-woogie music.  Quagebeur also designed the stylish costumes – simple but elegant tunics for the ladies, in a bright blue, and tank tops in the same blue for the gentlemen with darker trousers (which brings me to my only slight gripe about the film, with the lighting sometimes being a bit too dark to showcase the amazingly athletic leaps of the men, but then I was watching it on a small computer screen).  Musically, Quagebeur turned to Nigel Kennedy’s ‘take’ on Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (and I wonder if anyone else remembers an early Bintley piece to the original for Lyn Seymour and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet in 1978?) and on a movement from one of Bach’s string concertos, otherwise known to ballet fans as “Concerto Barocco”.  Hence, the title of the piece – “Take Five Blues”.  Casting could not have been more perfect.  As Katja Khaniukova said in the brief accompanying documentary, Quagebeur knows all her dancers and their personalities and strengths, and she takes full advantage of this, allowing eight dancers (three ladies and five gentlemen) to shine in her seamless, life-affirming and wonderfully musical choreography for them.  Due to all the Covid restrictions, only two couples are allowed any physical contact, but Quagebeur presents a range of imaginative contactless mini-duets in varying combinations, starting with Matthew Astley and Khaniukova.  There are two wonderful pas de deux of complete abandon for Angela Wood and Rentaro Nakaaki.  Nakaaki’s burgeoning talent was evidenced at the 2019 Emerging Dancer competition and here Quagebeur showcases his excellent partnering skills.  I have long admired the quiet beauty and elegance of Wood’s dancing since I saw her in one of the beautiful pas de deux from “No Man’s Land” about five years ago, so it was lovely to see her featured here in a pas de deux of a very different dynamic.  I thought Khaniukova and Shiori Kase were ideally matched as Gulnare and Medora in ‘Corsaire’ last season and it was a pleasure to see them dancing together again.  To my mind, they are the best female turners in the company and proved this again in the Bach section with their lightning fast châiné turns, Kase also demonstrating her firecracker fouetté turns with Khaniukova and Wood spinning round her, both at breakneck speed.  I admired the power of Fernando Coloma’s dancing when he first appeared as the Nutcracker about three seasons ago and Quagebeur captures this beautifully, either when he is dancing alone or in the thrilling contact duet with the always watchable Henry Dowden.  Coloma also provides a great foil for Aitor Arrieta, usually the most noble of princes, as they circle each other at the beginning, eyeing each other up, each displaying a delicious machismo as they start to compete.  These are only my initial thoughts but Quagebeur obviously has huge love and respect for her dancers, and they have repaid her with a performance rich in memorable moments, from Khaniukova’s sensuality of movement in the jazz section, to Wood’s assured confidence in the seemingly reckless lifts, from Kase’s flawless technique to the sheer exuberance of the male dancing, which merits repeated viewings to discover even more delights, and hopefully there will be performances for an audience later in the season.  I had to laugh at the ending, with the men lying exhausted on the floor, and the ladies coolly standing by, as if they could easily do it all again.  Girl power rules!

[capybara]

A lovely review, Irmgard.

I thought it was a perfect ‘return’ for ENB - a joyous “We’re here” work which was at once a fine ensemble piece and a showcase for the incredible individual talents of each of the  eight featured dancers.

Huge kudos to choreographer Stina Quagebeur who was concurrently busy creating a highly dramatic work on two of the Emerging Dancer finalists. She has certainly not typecast herself as a maker of wonderful dance.

My only slight quibble is that the licence to view lasts for only three days. I’d like to have each piece around for longer - at least until the following Monday when the next film is released.

[Sim]

Thanks so much for this wonderful review, Irmgard.  You brought it to life so that I felt that I was there.  Thank you.  

[LACAD]

Brilliant review Irmgard! I agree that the lighting was a touch dark but I loved that they used a real Director to bring that extra layer of cinematic savoir-faire. Intimate yet joyful.

[Irmgard]

39 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

My only slight quibble is that the licence to view lasts for only three days. I’d like to have each piece around for longer - at least until the following Monday when the next film is released.

I thought it was like the other 'on demand' ballets ('Corsaire' etc.) they are currently offering, that you can renew the licence every three days.  As these have been specifically made for hire, there doesn't seem to be a cut-off date listed, unlike the archive films shown earlier in the year which copyright holders agreed could be shown for free for a very limited time period.  I hope I am correct about this.

[capybara]

8 hours ago, Irmgard said:

I thought it was like the other 'on demand' ballets ('Corsaire' etc.) they are currently offering, that you can renew the licence every three days.  As these have been specifically made for hire, there doesn't seem to be a cut-off date listed, unlike the archive films shown earlier in the year which copyright holders agreed could be shown for free for a very limited time period.  I hope I am correct about this.

Yes, the films are available but one has to (re)purchase as each individual licence to view lasts only 3 days.

But I don’t want my comment on ENB’s (understandable) commercial decision to appear to undermine my admiration of the work, it’s filming and the exhilarating way it was danced.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by capybara

[LACAD]

Just watched the newest instalment of the digital season; Yuri Possokhov’s ‘Senseless Kindness’. Which is based on Vasily Grossman’s political, wartime, family-drama novel ‘Life and Fate’ (though it seems quite freely interpreted with Possokhov himself stating that the story is secondary).

 

The work is full of characterisation for the leading roles played by Hernandez and McWhinney, and their dynamic works well. Physically they’re both tall and possess the same sort of full bodied approach to the emotional interpretation of the characters. Despite the reputation of Hernandez not necessarily being the most expressive with his face and body language, one can’t deny his great technical abilities which he employs here quite well to express the character’s emotions. McWhinney meanwhile is such a natural storyteller, and not only physicalises the emotions but embodies them with her facial expression and posture. She’s entirely believable. It’s no surprise that she’s performed as Manon, Juliet, Cinderella, and Giselle in their classical version- I would personally like to see her take on Khan’s Giselle. She’s a brilliant dancer and while she’s not a technical firecracker (though only in comparison to her fellow colleagues at ENB who’s calling card among their rising stars is virtuosity), she’s a true artist; making her worthy of promotion in my eyes. I’m not sure if as a pair they’ve performed many times but they balance each other well, and perhaps can draw out from the other dancer what they could work on (McWhinney on panache and Hernandez on dramatisation).

 

This was my first time getting to see Frola and Hawes dance, and I was left a little disappointed in the lack of content they were given. I noticed in the behind-the-scenes video that Rebecca Blenkinsop and Skylar Martin were in the bubble as understudies and I almost wish I got to see them instead- Blenkinsop is young but could use the break and has the right gooey port de bras for Hawes’ role, and Martin seems to not necessarily get much in the way of roles despite his soloist rank (though perhaps this could be because of the audition system that ENB are known for using under Rojo). 

 

Overall I felt the work was pretty but not necessarily engaging, it was mostly worth it to see McWhinney in action and assert in my mind that she is one of the companies finest dance-actors. The visuals and direction were also very lush and gorgeous. I wouldn’t immediately recommend it, but if you’re a fan of Shostakovich or anything full of ‘Russian Soul’ I’d say give it a whack! 

[Irmgard]

English National Ballet’s second digital release, “Senseless Kindness” by Yuri Possokhov is very different from Stina Quagebeur’s “Take Five Blues”.  Whereas Quagebeur’s piece was an explosion of pure joy from start to finish, Possokov’s is an expression of melancholy and yearning.  What connects both pieces is their celebration of the sheer beauty and versatility of classical ballet technique and, of course, the uniformly high calibre of the dancing.  Watching “Senseless Kindness” for the first time, I was struck by what a beautiful film Thomas James has created, even if the choreography sometimes plays second fiddle to the filming itself.  Shot in black and white, with increasingly breathtaking lighting effects (curiously, there is no lighting designer credited), this has a haunting quality, reminiscent of a 1940s film noir. James allows the camera to linger lovingly on Alison McWhinney, whose dancing is as photogenic as her looks.  If the other female in the piece, the equally lovely Emma Hawes, appears to spend most of her time in the background, I imagine she would be more visible when we finally have the pleasure of seeing this piece in the theatre.  McWhinney is tenderly and sensitively partnered by Isaac Hernandez in some exquisite pas de deux work.  He is well matched by the always impressive Francesco Gabriele Frola, who partners Hawes, and both men have some intriguing duets together and solo work.  The choice of Shostakovitch’s Piano Trio No.1 (written in 1923 when he was seventeen!) is ideal for this snapshot of relationships inspired by Vasily Grossman’s novel about family life in Russia during World War II, “Life and Fate”, and is soulfully played by Julia Richter (piano), Matthew Scrivener (violin) and Gary Stevens (cello) under the direction of Maestro Gavin Sutherland.  I do find the title slightly odd (is kindness ever senseless?) but perhaps it is taken from the novel and became slightly lost in translation!  That aside, this is a piece which I find even more mesmerising on each viewing, and I will certainly be renewing my rental, as I have done with Quagebeur’s piece. 

[Janite]

I have watched Yuri Possokhov's work 3 times and I find more in it each time. I agree with LACAD at being disappointed not to see more of Frolla and Hawes, but for me a rich work.

[Irmgard]

“Laid in Earth” is another extraordinary film by the very talented Thomas James with some spectacular special effects, not least by the make-up team led by Natasha Lawes.  Unfortunately, I found the choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui much less interesting, being quite limited in its vocabulary.  A glistening Precious Adams is best served by it, with her sinuous, seamless movement.  It certainly does not exploit or challenge the formidable talents of Lead Principals Erina Takahashi and Jeffrey Cirio.  Takahashi’s husband, James Streeter, completes the quartet so that it is possible to include a brief pas de deux.  The title is taken from a line in the haunting lament sung by Dido as she dies of a broken heart, having been abandoned by Aeneas, in Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, and the whole aria and recitative is used amid the otherwise electronic soundscape.  It is exquisitely played in an arrangement by Gavin Sutherland for piano, violin and cello, and sung by Flora McIntosh, although I found her tone somewhat harsh for what is possibly the most beautiful aria ever written by Purcell.  Stripping away all the special effects which would not be possible in a theatre, I could not see this piece working as a live performance but, as a film, its depiction of mouldering bodies is intriguing although not something I would want to watch too often.  I have to say I was amused by the accompanying documentary, not by anything happening in the studio but by the resident in the apartment block opposite obviously enjoying the ringside seat on her balcony!

[fromthebalcony]

It's funny how ballet is so subjective. I have watched the aforementioned three ballets. Stina's "Take Five Blues" was fun to watch and I enjoyed the energy of the dancers. I did feel that her choreography was burdened with too many pirouettes and an abundance of turning. I also would prefer to see this work in the theatre, as I felt it suffered from the different camera angles. Rather than a dance film, I would have liked it to be "filmed dance." However, it was fun to watch and the dancers seemed to relish being back dancing. As others have stated above, Kase and Khaniukova were standouts. Possokhov's "Senseless Kindness" did not appeal to me. As LACAD states above, the story was lost, and I felt the only discernible nod to a Russian family during WWII were the costumes. When I watch a work, one of the judgments I use is whether I want the work to continue or to end. While the dancers are beautiful, I was terribly bored during this piece and was anxious for it to end. I will say the creative lighting was the one thing that kept my attention. Again, my opinion of the work is not a reflection of the dancers themselves, who were technically beautiful. The third piece "Laid in Earth" was the most successful as an "artistic" dance film. This work left me wanting to see more of Adams and Cirio, as both totally embodied the choreography. Once again, I did feel that the actual filming of the piece cutting away from some of the dancing was disappointing. But I didn't want it to end. I felt drawn in and mesmerized. As one of the reviews stated,  "Inspired by Purcell’s haunting lament from Dido and Aeneas, which is cradled here in the slippery electronica of regular Larbi collaborator Olga Wojciechowska, this is a wholly realised work – neither filmed ballet, nor ballet film but something other." The work was originally a duet performed by Royal Ballet of Flanders and was apparently a tribute to Pina Bausch. I do think it could translate to stage without the special effects. I applaud ENB for their hard work and effort in bringing these works to us and I look forward to the remaining pieces. And I am glad there is something for everyone in the digital programming!

[capybara]

The latest work to be available “Laid in Earth” feels like a different genre somehow. Not so much filmed dance as film art with movement within it. It is no less valid for that but I agree that there might be little dance substance to translate to the stage.

 

Maybe it’s just me not fully understanding what I’m watching here...........

[LACAD]

I am generally for this idea of Laid in Earth being something new. Despite the cancellation of the run in Sadler’s Wells, ENB stated that these would be dance films rather than filmed dance works (therefore being different from the staged production). And I expect in particular Arielle Smith’s work will be equally as cinematic.

That being said, Laid in Earth feels like the first work so far to really flex its cinematic muscles - yes the cameras provided brilliant intimacy in Take Five Blues, but this feels like a film that happens to express itself in dance rather than a documentation. I agree that Cherkaoui’s choreographic style is a bit predictable with its constant undulation and fluidity, but it was perfect for the marvellous Adams (how is she only a junior soloist) and Cirio who seem to just click with contemporary styles which require a full-body control.

Takahashi and Streeter also did very well, their partnership in this film made me remember their stunning performance in the leading roles in Khan’s Giselle and while Erina may be more known for her classical roles she certainly is able to keep up with the rest of the cast who have all developed reputations for their performances in works by Khan, Forsythe, and Bausch. 

While the rotting style was a bit disturbing this didn’t deter me

from the work. The aesthetic is intentionally gothic and macabre (though I felt the giant Graham buns the women were given were a bit odd). I really enjoyed the parallel worlds of the work, and though I generally believe that not all works beg to be analysed, I couldn’t help but think about the visual effects and the dance style and what it could possibly mean. Much praise to the ENB team for this successful and innovative season, hopefully in the future we get to see more new works as well as recorded performances and documentaries on demand. Now if only they’d released this specific work on Halloween!

[Irmgard]

I found the film of Russell Maliphant’s “Echoes” to be hypnotically beautiful.  If “Shadowplay” had not already been used as the title for a ballet, I would have suggested it for this piece, showcasing as it does the beautifully choreographed lighting effects on the dancers’ bodies.  As Fernanda Oliveira says in the excellent accompanying mini-documentary, the continuously flowing movement reminds one of the ocean and, for me, it was like watching the reflections of moonbeams dappling the water in which, certainly in the opening section, the dancers appear to be floating.  The sublime partnership of husband-and-wife team Fabian Reimair and Fernanda Oliveira, in a duet of stunning sensuality and innate tenderness, form the heart of this piece.  For me, they are two of the best dramatic artists in the company and Maliphant not only showcases this but also Reimair’s superb partnering skills and Oliveira’s ability to fill out every millisecond of a musical phrase so that it appears they are moving in perfectly synchronised, slow motion.  So natural and effortless do they make this look that I was surprised to hear Oliveira say in the documentary how difficult they had found Maliphant’s movement style.  To continue the water imagery, there is a breathtaking moment towards the end of the duet when Reimair holds Oliveira overhead in a backbend with the lighting creating a whirlpool effect on the floor and they gradually disappear into the darkness as if they are being drawn into its vortex.  They are then joined by Giorgio Garrett, Anjuli Hudson, Isabelle Brouwers, Eileen Evrard and Junor Souza as the tempo of the soundscape by Dana Fouras picks up, in the same endless, flowing style of movement in which the simple but effective costumes also reflect this gorgeous fluidity.  It is wonderful to catch glimpses of the supremely talented (and certainly under-used last season) Souza, especially at the end when he appears to dissolve into a moonbeam on the water.  All credit to film-makers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt for capturing this intriguing work so perfectly.

[LACAD]

I must agree with Irmgard that Maliphant’s piece showcased the brilliant dramatic abilities of Reimar and Oliveira. While I wasn’t particularly fond of this work from a choreographic standpoint I loved the visual effects, perhaps seeing it in person has a stronger impact. 

 

One of my favourite works of the series was undeniably Jolly Folly- the final addition. The cast clearly threw themselves into the young Arielle Smith’s slapstick-like movements. The wacky, silent film inspired work allowed the dancers to switch between the mysterious and aloof à la detective noire and full Chaplinesque qualities. This worked particularly will the men, especially with the visceral Erik Woolhouse and the acrobatic and charming Rhys Antoni Yeomans (a frankly underused standout from the corps de ballet). I was also quite impressed by the ever commanding Ken Saruhashi and Georgia Bould, who, despite being the most junior ranked of the women, naturally embodied a Marlene Dietrich figure to great effect. I hope Rojo commissions Smith again, the dynamism and modern approach to dance would certainly slot in well with the repertory she’s been bringing in and the firecracker style of the dancers.