Here we are, back at the dance; tonight it is Northern Ballet with this year’s production in the series Three Short Ballets, which does what it says on the tin. The works performed are each choreographed by a different person but there is an underlying theme running through them. Connection was the motif, utilising a cast of twenty-one dancers, some of whom participated in more than one piece. As the works are designed to depict relationships and interaction between groups, there was no narrative, thus making it rather difficult to describe, but I’ll give it a go.
The first offering was Winter Dances by David Nixon CBE, who was the Artistic Director of Northern Ballet from 2001 t0 2022, since when he has been working all over the world, notably as Artistic Producer of Cape Town City Ballet. This new work obviously reflects his time in Yorkshire as it was set at the venue of a lads and lasses night out. There were ten dancers in all, five of each category, who were having a ball, literally. As things progresses two couples formed relationships, one becoming intense whilst the other were having a laugh.
This enabled the troupe to perform in several combinations, beginning with the full cast, who, having broken the ice, sat around the room, as you do at parties, whilst the first of the above pairings, Alessia Petrosino and Miguel Teixeira, danced a duet, showing their shared passion. There was then a frivolous duet from the other couple, Mayuko Iwanaga and Stefano Varalta, followed by more involving the whole cast and a foursome – behave, it was all above board – with the romance between the second pair deepening as they became better acquainted. The other couples were Kaho Matsumoto and Andrew Tomlinson, Kirica Takahashi and Bruno Serraclara, and Gemma Coutts and Jun Ishii.
As I type this, there are no production images available but I will add them when received, so please check back. The dance was performed in modern dress to a recording of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12, in F Major Op. 96 also, conveniently, known as American.
I realise I am no expert here but I found that the initial dance involving the whole ensemble began a bit out of step, but this was soon rectified and the rest of the piece, in fact the whole evening, was flawless thereafter. A mitigating factor was probably the size of the stage, which, although bare in the performing area, seemed a tad cramped for young people out on the lash to be expressing themselves in such an extravagant way. It was immensely entertaining.
The second piece was Intimate Pages, choreographed by one of the elite American ballerinas ,Tiler Peck, Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet for the past 17 years. In the programme she said that she wanted to explore the various aspects of love; yearning, ecstasy, struggle and elation through the medium of dance, which she did brilliantly.
Harris Beattie and Sarah Chun, the part was danced by Saeka Shirai on the night.
This time the couples were already paired up, with the main item, danced by Saeka Shirai and Harris Beattie being the focus of attention. Three other couples; Julie Nunès and Stefano Varalta; Kaho Masumoto and Archie Sherman; Helen Bogatch and Bruno Serraclara augmented the depiction of the emotions involved in love, as did two solo dancers; Kirica Takahashi and Alessia Petrosino.
The passion was enhanced by the dancers being clad in red and some dramatic lighting effects from Alastair West. The music was a recording of String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters, movements I, II and IV by Leoš Janáček.
Kirica Takahashi
The evening ended with Adagio Hammerklavier, choreographed by Hans Van Manen, no relation to White Van Manen, which was obvious as the pace of the dance was very slow and precisely driven. It was written in 1973 and defied the normal format of starting slowly and building to a frenzy, by beginning in the same way but becoming so ponderous as to almost grind to a halt. This produced some of the most impressive dancing I have come across.
The music, Piano Sonata No. 29, Op. 106 III, Adagio sostenuto, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was played live on piano by Colin Scott, something which was vital as the tempo had been decreased so much. This meant that the dancers had to move at a snail’s pace during their featured parts, holding both poses, and each other, for extended periods.
There were three couples; Rachael Gillespie and Jonathan Hanks, Alessandra Bramante and George Liang, and Heather Lehan and Jackson Dwyer, who made the demands of this physical test look effortless. Ballerinas hardly have a reputation for being morbidly obese but even so, the lifting of even a svelte human being in slow motion and holding them aloft for a length of time is beyond the capacity of most of us, but when you add the movements of both the dancers, whilst being suspended in their partners’ arms, and those of the lifter, it seems hardly possible.
The phenomenal dancers in Adagio Hammerklavier
Once again, I was astounded by the experience of this medium and I am sorry that the run only continues until this evening, Saturday, 2nd May. Fear not, however, as Federico Bonelli, the Artistic Director of Northern Ballet, has written in the programme, that he likes the format of Three Short Ballets so much that he has commissioned another edition to be performed in September. I really recommend that you go see it should you get the chance; see below.
To find out what else Northern Ballet has lined up, including their productions on tour throughout the UK, please go to https://northernballet.com/
For more shows at Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre it is https://northernballet.com/theatre where details of the September event can also be found, tickets being available from 6th May. There is also a cut price night for the under 30s, who I think should be charged double for being so young, as well as dates in London.
Photographs by Emily Nuttall
Tyke It To The Limit 