© Bill Cooper RB 'Bayadere' reviews Acosta in reviews Rojo in reviews Nunez in reviews recent RB reviews 'Kammer/Kammer' reviews Caspersen in reviews Rizzi in reviews recent Ballet Frankfurt reviews more Jeffery Taylor reviews Web version held on Ballet.co by kind permission of Jeffery Taylor and the Sunday Express Express Website

La Bayadere was created in 1877 Imperial Russia to display the in depth talent of a great ballet company, introducing each dancing hierarchy from corps de ballet to principal dancers in a series of set pieces. And the Royal corps de ballet came out on top. The dream team of stars were Tamara Rojo as Temple Dancer, Nikiya who falls for Warrior Prince Solor (Carlos Acosta) who dumps her for Marianela Nunez’s luscious Gamzatti. But from the moment the curtain rose on Solor’s all male spear-carriers through the ensemble spectacular of the Wedding Celebrations to the exquisite and severely classical Kingdom of the Shades, the men and women of the corps provided the backbone of a dynamic, highly motivated and technically accomplished classical ballet company.

Rojo, though physically sloppy, has the magnetic authority of a world-class ballerina while Nunez, arrogant and brilliant like a Byzantine Queen, acts her head off and clearly loves every minute. Acosta makes his two dimensional prince real by giving it all away with his big hands and even more generous heart. A true virtuoso, Acosta’s athletic tricks always flow into a lyrical poem. Remarkable. Earlier this year new company director Monica Mason said in the Sunday Express, “One can’t help being aware of the impact modern dance has had…now I would like to make a statement on behalf of classical ballet.” Well, Monica, it is coming across loud and clear.
 

Marianela Nunez as Gamzatti in La Bayadere
© Bill Cooper

Brilliant production design and dismal dancing were a maddening contradiction in Ballett Frankfurt’s Kammer/Kammer at Sadler’s Wells last week. Choreographer William Forsythe designed an onstage scattering of small set boxes around a limited acting area in and out of which the cast, led by actors Dana Casperson and Antony Rizzi, moved throughout the drama while we spied on them via five large video screens. I think they were supposed to drift into other realms of consciousness, but Forsythe lost himself, and them, in his clever manipulation of his coup de theatre, while clearly finding the presence of dancers an impediment.
 

Rizzi and Casperson were dazzling on screen and off as they wove their separate heartbreaks induced by unrequited love, both of the homosexual kind. But instead of resonances at the outer reaches of experience we got cute camera angles, and in place of choreography, dancing wallpaper. Perhaps Ms Mason could help Forsythe prioritise his focus.