Another year, another chance to sum up. Here is what was interesting, sad, funny, joyous or just memorable this year.
Best Stuffed Animal of the Year
This is a much coveted award, usually taken by the Kirov or the Bolshoi, but this time it goes to the stuffed deer carried on stage briefly by the huntresses in the opening scene of the Royal’s Sylvia. Nobody laughed or even paid it much attention: that’s when I thought this revival was destined to succeed. If there had been giggles then, it would have been much harder to be swept away in the torrent of steps that follow. So the poor creature gets an award for been totally self effacing.
Worst Stuffed Animal of the year
This just has to be the “cobra” featured in the Bolshoi’s Pharaoh’s Daughter. This is the least convincing creature I may ever have seen on stage. The “snake” is very clearly somebody’s arm, hidden in a giant jar which is used to murder an unfortunate slave. Totally hysterical. The point at which you realised that this ballet, spectacular though it be, was a complete dud dramatically.
Most uncooperative live animal of the year
That second white pigeon in The Two Pigeons which stubbornly refused to fly to its allotted place in the last scene. But Nao Sakuma and Robert Parker were lovely in BRB’s production. Discreet sniffles all round. Aaaaah.
Bravery award
Guillem, Nunn and Trevitt collectively for Broken Fall. Terrifying.
Fig leaf of the year
Owned by Martin Harvey, apparently
Missed opportunity of the year
The Tudor season at Edinburgh Festival missed an opportunity to really make a strong case for Tudor as a major choreographer of the 20th century. It may have been the choice of works, the unsuitable venue or the company presenting most of them (Ballet West) but it didn’t really come off. It felt like there was a hole in the programme where another company or set of performances should have been – the dance programming felt quite thin compared to some previous years.
Visitors of the year
San Francisco Ballet. Intelligently chosen, varied programmes which demonstrated just how to exploit the company’s talents. Thank you very much, and please come back soon.
Christopher Wheeldon's Rush
© John Ross
Debut of the year
Watson and Curthbertson in Romeo and Juliet (But you didn’t need me to tell me that, did you ? When can we see it again ?)
I wish I’d seen these earlier
Henry Oguike dance company. A modern choreographer who actually likes music.
Best visuals
Hans Christian Andersen, Anatomy of a Storyteller, made by Kim Brandstrup for his Arc Dance Company at the Linbury. Highly impressive use of projections onto a gauze: a woman dancing with the shadow projected onto it, beautiful effects of water and light. This was a convincingly integrated work, not just adding the visuals on top but making them a cornerstone of the work. The piece wasn’t without its flaws but I would still love to see it again.
Great Design
Lez Brotherston’s design for A Soldier’s Tale in the Linbury was an amazing achievement, opening out a small space to form a complete, seedy 19th century music hall. Wonderful stuff, complete with tiny pit for the musicians an old fashioned footlights….
The one that never quite lived up to what it ought to be
Onegin. This never quite came together in a great performance. Injuries thwarted what should have been some highly effective casting for the Royal..
Emotional moments
Mukhamedov’s Mayerling.
The ‘I hereby eat my hat’ award
Michael Clark’s Swamp for Rambert Dance Company, made in 1986 and revived this season. I haven’t enjoyed some more recent Clark offerings. Swamp was a revelation – a taut, beautifully constructed work with its own very distinctive language and terms, with Clark’s classical background convincingly crossed with Cunningham influences. Stunning.
Worst experience
Rambert’s A Tragedy of Fashion. The critics could have been tougher on this one. It may have been a well meaning gesture to make a contemporary take on Ashton’s earliest work, but the result was a dire mishmash with little dance or dramatic coherence.
Rambert’s a A Tragedy of Fashion
© John Ross
Things I found depressing
The revived Cinderella designs are as bad as I thought they were last time.
The Bolshoi’s Romeo and Juliet – modern choreography does not have to be this bad.
The death of Markova breaking a key link to the past – but what an amazing life in dance was recalled in all the obituaries.
Things that cheered me up this year
Seeing Belinda Hatley back on stage as a delightful Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
Alistair Marriott’s Being and Having Been in the Linbury. We need more work from him
Liam Scarlett’s ballet for the RBS annual performance – a very young choreographer, but with a sense of structure already
A very decent and affectionate attempt to celebrate Ashton in his centenary year. We can argue about what could have been included or not, but it is a considerable commitment, and the successful revival of Sylvia is a remarkable achievement.
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