Frontiers, National Ballet of Canada
Emma Ouellet and Heather Ogden in Passion. © Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada
After a ten-year hiatus, The National Ballet of Canada has returned to London. Their mixed programme, displaying the work of three Canadian choreographers, was full of increasingly successful invention.
The night opened with James Kudelka’s classical-leaning piece Passion, which juxtaposed against the more contemporary works of the second half. Set to a Beethoven Concerto and featuring sparkly tutus, it failed to find the gravitas of similar classical works in the repertoire. It was brought into the modern day by the presence of two dancers in modern dress. Set against the tutus and classical steps, I was intrigued to see what this couple would add to the piece. Would they contrast the classical choreography with a more contemporary interpretation? Were they the titular ‘Passion’, the dancers around them the personification of their lust? If they were, the spark failed to ignite. The two dancers had little emotional connection, not helped by the mild-mannered score. A disappointing opener.
Genevieve Penn Nabity and Heather Ogden in islands. © Karolina Kuras.
We returned from the interval to a pair of contemporary works. Emma Portner’s islands received critical acclaim when it premiered in Norway in 2020 but, while an inventive use of interlocking bodies, for me the piece got stuck, rarely progressing from the (fantastic) starting point of two women moving each other’s limbs. Furthermore, like Passion, the eclectic soundtrack struggled to help drive the work forward. It ended with the duo entwined under a claustrophobically small spotlight - an intriguing motif gone too soon.
In the final act, Crystal Pite proved why she is one of the great choreographers working today.
Kota Sato and Artists of the Ballet in Angels’ Atlas. © Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada
A stalwart of contemporary ballet, she has won multiple Olivier Awards in her 30+ year career including for The Royal Ballet’s Flight Pattern. Angels’ Atlas felt very Flight Pattern-esque with its moving use of synchronised group work, choral music (this time by Tchaikovsky and Lauridsen) and shadowy lighting. The piece opened to a sea of bodies laid out on the floor, while the most captivating light show hung above them beckoning their chests to rise into motion as it cascaded down. What followed was a powerful mix of group work, both deeply moving and meditative, and solo/duet numbers. Compared to the rest of the evening, this was, for the most part, perfectly paced, the choreography constantly developing and moving forwards. Couples swept across the floor with achingly stretched limbs, while death scenes displayed controlled, contorting bodies. Later this oozing flow was replaced with staccato as hands throbbed above heads. The work ended in a prayer to the departed with a full circle moment where the thrumming electronic music switched back to choral.
The power of movement had been realised at Sadler’s Wells.
★★ — Passion, James Kudelka
★★★ — islands, Emma Portner
★★★★ — Angel’s Atlas, Crystal Pite
Frontiers by National Ballet of Canada
Sadler’s Wells, London / 3 October 2024
Press ticket
Find your next dance show
All dance shows happening across the UK, all in one place. Only on Like Nobody’s Watching.
Check out these related reviews
🪩 Brought to you by Like Nobody’s Watching. Read about our mission →
