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Thoughts from Sunday’s gala.

First, how trim Irek looked - he’s leaner than he’s been for a while, and his landings were feather soft!

Second, the overwhelming disappointment that we wouldn’t be seeing Viviana - the evening was definitely not the better for that omission.

Third, how shabby the Coli looks next to the newly refurbished ROH - and how hot and sticky it was. But how much better the sightlines are!

On to some details.

Irek’s introduction - very Irek, very charming and very sincere despite his playing to the crowd. His brief tribute to Lesley Collier was straight from the heart, as were his remarks about Viviana and MacMillan. It felt a bit like a Tom Jones concert in our area of the Upper Circle, though - a lot of squealing middle-aged women! Perhaps Irek has a future as a variety compere when his dancing days are done?

I think I’ll gloss over the Sabre dance for the Arts Educational lot. It was a fair example of its genre, performed to the standards that I would expect, and I applaud the motives that put this and the last number in the programme. Can’t really say much more than that.

The Tarantella by Balanchine was a nice bit of froth - makes a change from the usual Gala fare, and Irek performed it with panache and some hints of his old prowess - he didn’t push himself too far, but gave us a handful of impressive jumps and beats. His partner, Isabella Milewska, was less assured (and seemed to have double-jointed feet!), but Irek guided her through it well. He is without a doubt a superb partner - there are never any dodgy moments or even any ugly/awkward-looking moments in his lifts or lowerings of his ballerinas. They are securely and gracefully held, turned, displayed and put back down again!

Fearful Symmetries was quite a treat - I like what I’ve seen of this work, and Mara Galeazzi is always a joy to watch. She and Adam Cooper danced well together, but were eclipsed for me by my memories of Irek and Leanne (IIRC) in the ROH opening gala - Mara and Adam just didn’t have the same impact.

The high spot of the evening, without a doubt, was Tamara Rojo’s Giselle. A magical performance, she really did seem not of this world. So musical, so melting, so ethereal, and so damn good! She was beautifully accompanied - was the conductor the same man who accompanied Sylvie’s Giselle last month? The orchestra was fabulous in this too. I didn’t feel that Slawomir Wozniak lived up to Tamara, really, here - I would have liked to see Irek in this number (that would have shown us that he isn’t ready to retire, too!). I am now determined to see Tamara’s Giselle at the ROH next year.

Irek and Altynai were lovely in the Tuckett/Armstrong piece - very Cyd and Gene (but Irek’s partnering skills make him more of a Fred than a Gene, even if his physique is more Gene than Fred). A nicely-judged, nicely-performed number.

Sita by Darshan Singh Bhuller went on far too long. Mara and Irek performed it well enough (but not perfectly - they lacked the Torvill and Dean synchronisation that might have lifted it up from the rather dull to the quite impressive) but about a third of the length would have been just fine.

Miyako was stunning in Daphnis and Chloe (has anyone ever seen this all the way through? And why was Stuart Cassidy dressed in cutoff cricket whites?) although Stuart Cassidy was a little one-dimensional. I would have liked to see Irek dance with Miyako too…

Irek’s Four Horsemen was super. It could have done with more rehearsal - I would have liked the men to have been better synchronised - but it was a clever little piece, nicely choreographed and performed. With good support and guidance, I think Irek could have a future as a producer of new works - certainly of new editions of old works, and possibly of new ballets as well. I was pleased to see Daria Klimentova, having heard so much about her - I’d like to see her in the classics now.

The Spartacus was a disappointment. Adam Cooper looked very uncomfortable and did not handle Tamara Rojo at all well - he really struggled with the lifts, and his “groin-splitting” jumps were just not up to the job either. Not a patch on Irek! I couldn’t really work out where this piece came from either - I thought I recognised parts at least of it as belonging to Crassus and Aegina, but I wasn’t quite sure.

Finally, Zorba - well, that was an entertainment. Nothing more to say, really, except that Slawomir Wozniak (speaking of Torvill and Dean, did anyone else spot the Chris Dean resemblance here?) did some really fantastic grand allegro, and Irek I think could have done more than he did…

Overall thoughts? A fun evening, with some great moments, quite a lot of good moments and one or two rather poor ones. I felt that Irek didn’t go out with the bang that I at least had hoped for, but I was glad I was there.