ROYAL BALLET NEW WORKS FEBRUARY 2024

[Sim]

59 minutes ago, Roberta said:

I'm unsure it was an issue, a value statement,  more a statement of fact. "Ballet diversity being what it is". Possibly he was being slightly ironic. 

Maybe so.  But why does he have to point out the fact that it is 'mostly white dancers' performing the piece?  If he has to say that, it clearly is an issue for him.  Unless he is merely virtue signalling.  Either way, it is insulting to the dancers to have their skin colour pointed out because they are dancing an African-themed piece created on those very same white dancers by the African choreographer, for whom it isn't an issue.  If it isn't for him, it shouldn't be for anyone else.

[Roberta]

My reading of what he said was that it was a slightly ironic take on diversity, or the lack of it, in ballet right now. It's improving, though there's a  journey ahead.  I doubt the dancers are particularly insulted by him stating what is obvious. 

[Sim]

54 minutes ago, Roberta said:

My reading of what he said was that it was a slightly ironic take on diversity, or the lack of it, in ballet right now. It's improving, though there's a  journey ahead.  I doubt the dancers are particularly insulted by him stating what is obvious. 

You are completely missing my point but I am not going to comment any further.

[Linnzi5]

6 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

I’m a bit confused by this.  The clue for me is in the name: “Festival of New Choreography”.  With the greatest respect to them, I wouldn’t call November, McNally, Binet, Bond, Zucchetti or Powell-Main particularly young and they are all well established choreographers.

Maybe I'm being obtuse here. But 'New Choreography' to me means new pieces of dance, not seen before? I.e. premieres?  It doesn't state new or young choreographers, does it? I genuinely am asking if the premise is for new, original works or is the premise to showcase young and new choreographers? 

[LinMM]

I took it as new choreography with no reference to the age or newness to creating new pieces of Dance of the choreographers. 
Otherwise it would have said something like “next generation” or “Young”  choreographers. 
Perhaps it should just have been titled “New Works” 

[bridiem]

39 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

Maybe I'm being obtuse here. But 'New Choreography' to me means new pieces of dance, not seen before? I.e. premieres?  It doesn't state new or young choreographers, does it? I genuinely am asking if the premise is for new, original works or is the premise to showcase young and new choreographers? 

 

bangorballetboy was referring to/confused by a post of mine saying that the festival was aimed at young/upcoming choreographers, which (admittedly) is not what the title says.

[alison]

It's worth a reminder that, while she's in the country, Gemma Bond will be talking to the Ballet Association this Monday evening.

[bangorballetboy]

13 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

Maybe I'm being obtuse here. But 'New Choreography' to me means new pieces of dance, not seen before? I.e. premieres?  It doesn't state new or young choreographers, does it? I genuinely am asking if the premise is for new, original works or is the premise to showcase young and new choreographers? 

That was exactly my point.  You need to read the post to which I was responding (which was quoted in my original post).

[Linnzi5]

2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

That was exactly my point.  You need to read the post to which I was responding (which was quoted in my original post).

Sorry. Yes. I realise that now  

[mauriceC]

For me,"TWINKLE" was a total delight........long time since I have said that about a new ballet........liked the other three too...

[Irmgard]

Attending the opening night of this programme, I found bits to enjoy in all four works but I felt only one was worthy of permanently entering the Royal Ballet’s repertoire.

 

“Boundless”, by Gemma Bond, was set to an almost relentlessly frenetic, percussive score by Joey Roukens and this was mirrored in the equally frenetic choreography which, at times, seemed to be a free-for-all with everyone doing their own thing at such a pace that it was impossible to notice any movement in particular.  It is always a pleasure to watch the elegant Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano but I found their pas de deux too frequently marred by the inelegant lifts they were asked to perform.  Things were not helped by the unflattering costumes for the ladies, being the shortest, flattest tutus I have ever seen on the opera house stage.

 

Joshua Junker’s “Never Known” began well, with all the dancers en bloc moving in harmony in stylish movements which did not challenge their technique but then the volume of the soundscape was increased too much to be comfortable for me and, by the time we got to the third section (I had no idea the wonderful Icelandic pianist, Vikingur Olafsson was also a composer), I had lost interest as Junker appeared to have run out of choreographic steam, but I do hope he will continue his choreographic explorations.

 

I found Jessica Lang’s “Twinkle” to be very twee and, in many ways, seemed to be more representative of children at play than Gemma Bond’s piece, even though Bond had declared, in the short film preceding it, that was her inspiration. William Bracewell looked elegant in the first part of the piece set to Brahms’s lullaby, and Fumi Kaneko sparkled, as she does in everything, but this was not enough to persuade me that I would like to see this piece again, despite the commitment of everyone onstage, including Kate Shipway playing her piano on a very high platform at the back of the stage, like a goddess on Mount Olympus.

 

It was “For What It’s Worth” by Mthuthuzeli November which made the evening for me.  With gorgeous lighting designs by Zeynep Kepekli which evoked either an African sunrise or sunset, colourful costumes by Yann Seabra, and a score by Alex Wilson and November himself, inspired by the great Miriam Makeba who, for me, represented the voice of African music during my childhood, this was a very accomplished piece even before considering the choreography.  November’s choreographic language for this piece was an ingenious fusion of ballet and traditional African dance which showed off his cast to perfection, especially Mayara Magri in her opening solo. Looking stunning in a flowing green dress, she was the epitome of grace and spirituality, her headdress, based on a traditional African headdress, taking on the effect of a halo.  Changing into a shorter, brightly coloured dress of the same design as the other ladies (and I wonder if Marianna Tsembenhoi’s dress in Ukrainian colours was a happy accident or a tribute to that country), she joined them and the three gentlemen in inventive and uplifting choreography which was a wonderful celebration of life and the human spirit, and their joy in performing it was both palpable and infectious.  This was definitely a piece I could watch again and again, and it made me very keen to see more works by November. 

[Jan McNulty]

Thanks so much for your evocative review @Irmgard.

[MildConcern]

The surprise standout of the evening for me was Never Known, by Joshua Junker. I thought it suited the dancers extremely well, was thought provoking and innovative (definite shades of Pite though) and I found the final male pdd quite affecting. It also certainly got the loudest cheers this evening!

 

Boundless and For What It’s Worth both somewhat tapered off after promising beginnings. In particular, I found Boundless numbingly repetitive and dull. For What It’s Worth had some highlights but I’m not sure the balletic language is really an effective one to convey Mother Africa.

 

I had high expectations for Twinkle, but while very charming it didn’t quite reach the highs. Will and Fumi are my favourite RB pairing and yet the choreo didn’t really tap into the reserves they have. I found the opening Brahms solo for Bracewell particularly underwhelming, especially when we know his immense capabilities.

 

An evening very well spent however! And I found the video projections before each piece a great way to transition the audience. 

[DelphiumBlue]

‘An evening very well spent however! And I found the video projections before each piece a great way to transition the audience. ‘

 

Another thank you to this forum for my great  evening at the ROH last night . It was only when reading this thread at the weekend that I actually realised that there were performances on the main stage . 
 

The video clips really illuminated each work for me, and gave me pointers on what to look out for .

 

[halidon]

I’ll echo the thank-yous to the forum above! As a long-time lurker, I wasn’t even aware this program was on until I read all the glowing reviews on here. 
 

I convinced a few ballet newbies to join me (£8 tickets are hard to turn down!), and we all unanimously agreed it was a wonderful time tonight. Hard to believe we get to see such a variety of riches for such a low price! 
 

Never Known was our favourite of the night and definitely got the biggest cheers, but all four pieces were fascinating to watch. The colours in For What It’s Worth were stunning even from the very back of the Amphitheatre. Sae Maeda in Twinkle was a particular highlight - her solo was whip-smart, so sharp and charming.
 

Overall I found it really inspiring to see such a diversity of movement and music on the Opera House stage. The classical pieces sat right alongside the modern, and neither felt out of place. A wonderful night!

[alison]

Welcome to the forum, halidon - and thanks for de-lurking!  I guess that, like me, when you see references to "New Works" you assume they'll be in the Linbury or Clore or something, not on the main stage.

[Chris R]

Really enjoyed this programme, saw it two and a half times if you count the rehearsal  (clashed for the first half with the Linbury piece on Tuesday). Shout out for Kate Shipway, two major piano performances in one evening. Great to watch the insight on YouTube too with rehearsal for Boundless.

Thank you too to the lovely person I was standing next to in the stalls circle who told me about this forum, just joined. If I ever end up with spares I’ll post here before returning to the box office.

[Sim]

Welcome to the forum, Chris!  

[alison]

Thank you to whoever told you about us, too!

[Linnzi5]

A few thoughts after my second viewing. I enjoyed the second half of the programme the best, as last time.

 

Boundless was somewhat repetitive, with some interesting choreography but I can't honestly say it reminded me of children playing - had I not seen the introductory video, I would have had no idea that was the intention of Gemma Bond. Yasmine Naghdi was brilliant, as she usually is, with some very challenging moves to master. She had an excellent partner in Hirano. The music was interesting and the pianists (Rob Clark and Kate Shipway) mastered the challenging score brilliantly. I did like the costumes.  Did I love it? I can't say I did but I did enjoy aspects of it. So, having viewed twice, I would watch again in a mixed programme but wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

 

Never Known I found more tedious on second viewing. As last time, I didn't particularly like the music. The whole work just reminded me of Pite so much that I just felt it offered nothing new - and I'm not a huge Pite fan. As last time, I did not like the strip lighting that descended in one part, it actually hurt my eyes. The highlight for me, was the lift and that was quite impressive. I felt the costumes were ok but again, nothing exciting or different - all a bit bland. I again felt the duet at the end was out of place with the rest of the work and don't understand why it was included really - to me, it didn't make sense and could have been a separate work. However, I didn't dislike Never Known, I just found it went on too long and didn't offer anything new. Would I watch it again? Not really. It was competent as an homage to Pite and other choreographers and the odd bit of choreography was interesting. The dancers were excellent though and gave 100% and I can't fault any of them.

 

For What it's Worth was as enjoyable second time as first for me. In fact, I noticed a lot more that I found appealing. It was colourful, beautifully danced and a real snapshot of African dance culture. Magri was superb in her opening solo and I loved some of the different shapes created by the ensemble. I thought the costumes were lovely and it was an uplifting, at times exciting, then a gentle and beautiful work. I'd watch this again.

 

Twinkle remained my favourite by a whisker. It was generally beautifully danced, as before.  It's not a work that's going to set the world alight - it's not deep and meaningful. However, it is fun, elegant and cheeky and I felt it was a fitting end to the evening. Kate Shipway played beautifully. I loved the costumes and staging. I obviously loved the music too. I think this piece really did remind me of children playing, being cheeky and at times serious but just dancing around having fun and enjoying freedom. I think William Bracewell led this brilliantly and Fumi Kaneko was as elegant and delightful as she always is. I do like this couple dancing together, so that was an added bonus for me. I do wonder when I will see them dancing together again though. 

 

I am glad I went again to this - I do feel it was excellent value for money and was well worth a second viewing, especially for the second half of the programme. 

 

It was lovely to see Forum members last night, who always are delightful to catch up with.  

 

 

[Missfrankiecat]

A few observations from last night.  All the new works held my attention until the end - which isn't always the case with non-narrative dance.  I thought the evening was very well thought out and presented in terms of the stylistic spread, music etc and the projected intros were really helpful in drawing me in to each project by high-lighting the creator's thoughts and aims.  It seems like opinion is most divided on here re Never Known and For What it's Worth.  Given it was the most contemporary piece and with conceptual music (neither of which I generally favour] I was surprised I preferred Never Known.  Others have compared it to Pite but it reminded me somewhat of Ashram Khan's work.  While I wouldn't rush to listen to the music again, I did find cohesion and interest with the movement and I thought this piece was really well performed.   I was probably slightly influenced by the obvious delight of the performers at the positive audience reception and the glee of Joshua Junker's reaction - it must be special to perform your colleague's vision and kudos to the RB for making this possible for a talented company member.  Liam Boswell and (I think) Francisco Serrano impressed with their solo.  I felt far more ambivalent about For What it's Worth.  I'm conscious it is presumptuous for a white woman to question a black man's success in incorporating S African street dance into more classical mode but I have to say the piece felt to me like a bland Euro-centric imitation of African dance rhythms.  It was perfectly entertaining to watch as movement to music (kudos to the drummer by the way) but I also felt of all the pieces that it made the least demands on the skills of the very skilled dancers used.  Apart from some pointe work and the noticeable turn-out of the women (jarring since there could be nothing less African than balletic turn-out), technique wise, there was nothing going on that couldn't have been performed by Burn the Floor or similar.  Twinkle is an almost unbearably twee title and some of the steps were a bit twee too but saved by charm and humour.  Glorious piano, pretty costumes and bravura performances.  I always notice Viola Pantuso's gorgeous arms and neck (though she was off balance at one point) and can't wait to see her do some Ashton.  Fumi's incandescent smile made her perfect star casting.

[Sim]

14 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

A few thoughts after my second viewing. I enjoyed the second half of the programme the best, as last time.

 

Boundless was somewhat repetitive, with some interesting choreography but I can't honestly say it reminded me of children playing - had I not seen the introductory video, I would have had no idea that was the intention of Gemma Bond. Yasmine Naghdi was brilliant, as she usually is, with some very challenging moves to master. She had an excellent partner in Hirano. The music was interesting and the pianists (Rob Clark and Kate Shipway) mastered the challenging score brilliantly. I did like the costumes.  Did I love it? I can't say I did but I did enjoy aspects of it. So, having viewed twice, I would watch again in a mixed programme but wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

 

Never Known I found more tedious on second viewing. As last time, I didn't particularly like the music. The whole work just reminded me of Pite so much that I just felt it offered nothing new - and I'm not a huge Pite fan. As last time, I did not like the strip lighting that descended in one part, it actually hurt my eyes. The highlight for me, was the lift and that was quite impressive. I felt the costumes were ok but again, nothing exciting or different - all a bit bland. I again felt the duet at the end was out of place with the rest of the work and don't understand why it was included really - to me, it didn't make sense and could have been a separate work. However, I didn't dislike Never Known, I just found it went on too long and didn't offer anything new. Would I watch it again? Not really. It was competent as an homage to Pite and other choreographers and the odd bit of choreography was interesting. The dancers were excellent though and gave 100% and I can't fault any of them.

 

For What it's Worth was as enjoyable second time as first for me. In fact, I noticed a lot more that I found appealing. It was colourful, beautifully danced and a real snapshot of African dance culture. Magri was superb in her opening solo and I loved some of the different shapes created by the ensemble. I thought the costumes were lovely and it was an uplifting, at times exciting, then a gentle and beautiful work. I'd watch this again.

 

Twinkle remained my favourite by a whisker. It was generally beautifully danced, as before.  It's not a work that's going to set the world alight - it's not deep and meaningful. However, it is fun, elegant and cheeky and I felt it was a fitting end to the evening. Kate Shipway played beautifully. I loved the costumes and staging. I obviously loved the music too. I think this piece really did remind me of children playing, being cheeky and at times serious but just dancing around having fun and enjoying freedom. I think William Bracewell led this brilliantly and Fumi Kaneko was as elegant and delightful as she always is. I do like this couple dancing together, so that was an added bonus for me. I do wonder when I will see them dancing together again though. 

 

I am glad I went again to this - I do feel it was excellent value for money and was well worth a second viewing, especially for the second half of the programme. 

 

It was lovely to see Forum members last night, who always are delightful to catch up with.  

 

 

I was going to write a review but I don't have to now as Linnzi has done all the work for me!  I was going to say pretty much the same thing as she has!  I liked three of the four pieces, but I'm afraid that Never Known just didn't do anything for me.  I started zoning out and when I zoned back in I thought I was watching Flight Pattern.  I didn't like the grey costumes, and when the neon lights were lowered it reminded me of a room where those prisoners were about to get questioned (or worse).  This was my first and only viewing so who knows, maybe had I had a second I might have liked it more.  For What It's Worth brought us colour and smiles and joy.  The music and choreography occasionally reminded me of Still Life At The Penguin Cafe, and I liked the piece even better for that.    Twinkle was cute, with touches of humour (and I noticed that the American choreographer used three of the four American RB ballerinas).  I loved the simple yet effective set, and I could watch Will and Fumi wash dishes together and it would be a thing of beauty.  

 

All in all a very pleasant evening and for a fiver for SCS centre it was one of the best deals in town.  I loved that this was on the main stage.  I hope that the full house and very enthusiastic audience means that this will become an annual event on the main stage.  

[zxDaveM]

As an aside, I thought that four pieces of about 25 minutes each (give ot take), was just about perfect length for new works. That meant none overstayed their welcome, if you found one of them wasn't for you. Should the concept be repeated, I hope they keep the format of the timing, and the filmed intro, as it really worked for me

[alison]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

The music and choreography occasionally reminded me of Still Life At The Penguin Cafe, and I liked the piece even better for that. 

 

And, for that matter, since you mention it, also Acts II of The Winter's Tale and The Dante Project! 

[Scheherezade]

Four very different pieces and I enjoyed them all. Two of them I would be happy to see again. They were the two pieces in the second half.

 

Of the first half, Boundless, for me, had more promise than delivery. It's sharp, spiky attack sat well on the music but was insufficiently varied; some of the movements felt a little awkward; and it seemed to me that Gemma Bond was less comfortable working with the slower parts of the score. Naghdi and Hirano were outstanding - something of a given - and brought integrity and chemistry to the stage, and the rest of the cast impressed throughout. I would like to see what some pruning and revisions could achieve as the parts that did work, worked really well.

 

Although, unlike Joshua Junker, the music used in Never Known was not something that I would listen to by choice, I felt that it was an excellent choice for what he was looking to achieve, and whilst the overall effect might be said to be somewhat derivative - well what isn't? - I enjoyed the rolling, somnolent nature of the movement far more than I thought I would. That said, this is not the type of choreography that, for me, bears repeated viewing as I find it hard to imagine that it would reveal anything new to me.

 

I came to For What it's Worth somewhat biased since I have enjoyed pretty much everything of Mthuthuzeli November's work that I have previously seen. I find him an intelligent choreographer and a consummate storyteller and this piece was no exception. I loved the music, the colour, the performances - Mayara Magri was compelling and it was good to see Leo Dixon, whose stage presence always draws the eye, take a more central role. Africa is a continent that I love and I certainly felt Africa in this piece. Yes, I would be happy to see it again and couldn't we commission more work from the never less than enjoyable Mr November?

 

I would also happily see Twinkle again and cannot understand the bitchy disapproval shown by some of the critics. It was charming, witty, visually and aurally pleasing. It played to the strengths of the wonderful RB dancers (Bracewell's lyricism and that captivating quality that Kaneko brings to everything she does), and it was gloriously and undeniably ballet. More of the same, please. What's not to love?

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23 by Scheherezade