Interview: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s David Bintley

From May 1-4, Birmingham Royal Ballet visit the Hippodrome with Beauty and the Beast, their Gothic retelling of the famous folk tale, written by their artistic director David Bintley.

Caught stealing a single rose, Belle’s desperate father exchanges his youngest daughter’s freedom for his own life. In his distant castle the Beast, stripped of his handsome features and his very humanity, must win her heart, or spend the rest of his life in bitter solitude…

Witness transformations, wild waltzes, soaring birds and a relationship between Belle and the Beast that is at worst terrifying, but ultimately serene and beautiful.

David Bintley leaves BRB this year after a fruitful 24 years as director. We asked him about his time in Birmingham, and his unique vision for Beauty and the Beast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQQVM8b9Eig

So, you leave BRB this year after 24 years. That must have been a difficult decision?
It was a difficult decision, yes, but the nature of the role of director has changed significantly since I took over 24 years ago. There is much more administrative and office work, and the search for resources is so demanding that my own creativity has been something that I have had to totally deny myself for three years. I am looking forward to getting back into the ballet studio once again!

How do you feel that BRB have evolved over your time with them?
I think I’m leaving the company in a very strong position for the future. They are a very tight-knit unit, very mutually supportive. It’s a happy place to be, by and large.
They’re also very versatile, as impressive in the great classic productions of my predecessor Sir Peter Wright as in the contemporary work we are currently presenting, from a new generation of choreographers.

‘Beauty and the Beast’: Delia Mathews as Belle and Tyrone Singleton as the Beast. Pic: Bill Cooper

Any favourite memories of your time in Birmingham?
Highlights of my many years with the company would have to include our 1998 South African visit. We were the first major company to tour there after the end of apartheid. The performances were great, but the opportunity to do workshops in the townships of Soweto and Khayelitsha was incredible.
We were also the first company to perform in Tokyo after the Great Eastern earthquake of 2011, and the outpouring of gratitude and warmth from the Japanese people was very moving.
Finally, I’ll mention the Ballet Hoo! Ballet Saved my Life film that was shown as a series on Channel Four just over ten years ago. We worked with 200 young adults from across the Midlands who had variously dropped out of school, been in trouble with the authorities or become homeless. Via the discipline and focus of working alongside professional dancers to put on a ballet based on Romeo and Juliet, we gave them the life skills, confidence and self-belief to be able to turn their lives around. The performance that they gave after two years of work was electrifying.

Iain Mackay as the Beast and Michael O’Hare as the Merchant. Pic: Roy Smiljanic

What’s next for you?
I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for me after leaving BRB so I have been busy taking every offer that came along. I had hoped to have a little more ‘headspace’ but suddenly find myself working in Beijing, Tokyo, Bordeaux, Florida and London next year!

Tell us about your choreography of Beauty and the Beast. Was there any particular aesthetic or place and time that you wanted to evoke?
Beauty and the Beast is a story that I had wanted to tackle for over 30 years. I had a particular ‘take’ on the tale which makes it a bit different from the original version, in that not only is the wicked Prince changed into a beast – all his court are transformed into animals too. There’s also a touching parallel story, that of a Vixen transformed into a girl, who also wants to revert to her true form.

Delia Mathews as Belle. Pic: Roy Smiljanic

Since its premiere in 2003, Beauty and the Beast has become one of our most popular ballets. It has humour, pathos and, above all, wonder. Designer Phillip Prowse has devised some amazing scenery and beautiful costumes, and composer Glenn Buhr has given us thrilling and accessible music, which has drawn more audience comments than any other score I’ve commissioned.

Birmingham Royal Ballet bring Beauty and the Beast to the Hippodrome from May 1-4. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/birmingham-royal-ballet-beauty-and-the-beast/bristol-hippodrome

Top pic: Momoko Hirata as Belle. Pic: Andrew Ross