Resurgence, London City Ballet
Arthur Wille, Joseph Taylor, Ayça Anil, Nicholas Vavrecka dancing 'Ballade' by Kenneth MacMillan. © ASH
“London City Ballet glide to enchantment.”
So declared one newspaper article as a short film got us up to speed on the history of the UK’s latest ballet company: once under the patronage of Princess Diana, it now returns having closed due to financial difficulties 28 years ago.
Despite history telling of a company that stuck to the traditional, the night proclaimed that Artistic Director Christopher Marney was looking to the future.
The evening opened with 90s work Larina Waltz by Ashley Page. This sprightly number for five couples was as classical as it got and our only tutu spotting. While harmless enough in its series of group numbers and duets, the work never truly captured the imagination.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be the theme of the night.
Álvaro Madrigal dancing 'Five Dances' by Arielle Smith. © ASH
Kenneth MacMillan’s Ballade may have been as choreographically astute as any of the 20th-century heavyweight’s other works, but even ex-Royal Ballet Principal dancer Alina Cojocaru’s star power couldn’t illuminate this confused tale about a woman being courted by three men. Having only been performed once before, it’s easy to see why this piece has been left to the history books.
Álvaro Madrigal was a standout soloist in Arielle Smith’s Five Dances, whose strength and tension gave purpose to his writhing steps. Alas, this promising opening was let down by subsequent pacing issues I hope are not a sign of what’s to come in the choreographer’s upcoming commissions for Birmingham Royal Ballet (‘Luna’) and English National Ballet (‘The Nutcracker’).
While Eve, Christopher Marney’s exploration of the biblical tale, had promise (the wider cast crawling out from underneath the backdrop in a wall of smoke was a particularly striking moment, while shadow was used to great effect), I struggled to feel the heart of this emotional tale.
London City Ballet Company dancing 'Eve' by Christopher Marney. © ASH
As my favourite non-narrative ballet, it should have been MacMillan’s Concerto that saved the day. Unfortunately, while every sweep of an arm, every arabesque, was well placed, the dancers didn’t give the work enough space to breathe to fully unleash the magic of Shostakovitch’s accompanying score.
Such is a common struggle among young dancers - technically wonderful but lacking experience to feel and express the choreography with every cell of their being. While the opening history lesson may have been a fable in the perils of our country’s poor financial support for the Arts, I truly hope London City Ballet’s return is a permanent one this time so it can fully realise its potential.
★★★
Resurgence by London City Ballet
Sadler’s Wells, London / 11 September 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 →
