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Great to see English National Ballet (ENB) back at the Royal Festival Hall giving us its latest take on all-too-rare triple bills and reminding us all of its long history into the bargain. It proves a busy bill and good watching with all the pieces having something to add. Great too to see a bill without the "usual suspects" feeling you'd get over the river at the Opera House.
David Dawson's A Million Kisses To My Skin is a pretty piece. Bach piano concerto, stunning, light blue leotard costumes (Yumiko Takeshima) dancing atop a white floor with good bright lighting (Bert Dalhuysen) gives this an airy, buoyant feel. Dawson uses 9 dancers, mostly principals, for a strong look and gives them a mix of smooth and edgy off-balance steps and busy flourishes. There is a feeling of soft focus William Forsythe - but steps of the type that that sadly Forsythe just doesn't do any more. Modern, ever moving, clean and good looking: my quibble is that it doesn't connect with me at a deeper level than pretty (as in "she's a pretty girl", or "he's a pretty boy") - and I get that deeper feeling when I see abstract pieces by Balanchine or indeed the old Forsythe ballet pieces. But 'Hey', pretty is cool and makes the world a, er, prettier place and this was not lost on the audience who lapped up such handsome fair. So a good calling card for ENB and in a strong cast Erina Takahashi stood out coolly.
Erina Takahashi in A Million Kisses To My Skin
© Dave Morgan
ENB's Artistic Director, Wayne Eagling, has not made a piece in the UK for a decade or two and premiered his Resolution centred on his contact with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy sufferers - not pretty. To Mahler's 'Five Ruckert Songs', wonderfully sung by Elizabeth Sikora, this is soulful, highly emotional work and reminded me of Kenneth MacMillan, both as a subject for a ballet, and in the steps and lifts - echoes of Gloria for me. The work is particularly arresting in the second part where two boys carry a third whose body struggles to maintain control and life - the words poignant and touching doesn't do it justice. The choreography alone would have spoken for itself but is surrounded by too many theatrical contrivances - very low lighting, smoke on stage throughout, a dry-ice waterfall cascading at the back of the stage, changing gobo floor projections and occasional piercing disco laser lights. It's all too busy, difficult to see, and I hope it gets stripped back on other outings - which it well deserves.
Wayne Eagling's Resolution
© John Ross
Busy too is Harald Lander's Etudes, first performed by the company in 1955 and on its 742nd performance. Busy in a pure dance way, it centres on what ballet companies do each working day - full class. It's a wonderful introduction for those new to ballet and Elena Glurdjidze, as the lead ballerina, gives it all a warm, good-natured, strong pizazz. Wonderful jumps from her and also from Zdanek Konvalina, guesting from the National Ballet of Canada and going on at the last minute a day earlier than planned - excellent debut and more please. Etudes is a good end to a night, though I wish it were a little shorter than 45 minutes. But who am I to shoot tiny peas at such an enduring piece and test for any company.
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