Dance / Ballet
Review: Ballet Black, Bristol Old Vic
This double bill from the hugely talented Ballet Black is a showcase of great choreography and a treat for ballet fans. Two narrative ballets of differing styles are offered up by this tiny company, with just seven dancers on the Old Vic stage.
In the first half the ensemble tackles The Suit, a sober tale of a marriage in decline directed and choreographed by Cathy Marston.
Cira Robinson dances Matilda very precisely, beginning with a loving pas de deux with husband Philomen (José Alves). But then Philomen goes to work, and soon Matilda’s pirouettes are replaced with acrobatic lifts and slow, precise lovemaking with her lover Simon (Mthuthuzeli November), to the beat of a score that sings with wolf whistles.
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Horribly inevitably, Philomen returns to find his wife in bed with Simon, and the stage is set for her dressing-down, a slow and torturous process during which she is quite literally forced to carry his clothes (the eponymous suit) around with her.
But it’s not all symbolic: there is character dancing here, and plenty of acting to help with the storytelling. As the final tragic scene draws to a close, the audience goes visibly limp.
It’s a welcome change of tone after the interval, then, when the company puts on Arthur Pita’s frivolous A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Here, the tutu-encrusted Handel number gives way to a modern tapestry of dances depicting aspects of the dream.
What fun: there’s the usual mischief-maker, but now Puck’s a leprechaun-like figure in scout uniform played with great physicality by Isabela Coracy. And, in contrast to the original story, it’s not male/female couples that Puck matchmakes here. Instead, the two male dancers do an extraordinarily beautiful duet silhouetted against the moonlight, while the intimacy and footwork of the female pair delights the audience.
It was no surprise when the Old Vic audience gave the show a standing ovation, no doubt as much for the wit of the choreography as for the polished performances. Ballet Black’s magnificent seven triumph again.
Ballet Black performed at Bristol Old Vic on Wed, May 2. For more on the company, visit www.balletblack.co.uk
Read more: Preview: Mayfest 2018
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