The Royal Ballet: Mixed Program (November 10th, 2015)

The Royal Ballet's

Viscera

& 

Afternoon of a Faun

&

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

&

Carmen

Nov. 10th, 2015

This was a mixed program featuring a brand new ballet. I saw what was apparently the 'B' cast (thank you guy sitting next to me), but I'm positive that in most cases, they were every bit as good as the A cast must be. Certainly there were performances that were so perfect I couldn't see anyone else doing them. I've divided the review into brief thoughts on each piece in the order in which they were performed. Enjoy!

Seat/Venue Review: I sat C25 in the Stalls Circle, and it was a £33 day seat. Not a bad seat. A bit annoying when one of the pieces heavily focused their choreography on an area of the stage I couldn't see. I didn't get in late, but they'd already run out of cast sheets, which was annoying. 

Viscera

(flickr)

Viscera, choreographed by Liam Scarlett, included a large ensemble of dancers, featuring Fumi Kaneko, Leticia Stock, and Nehemiah Kish. The 23 minute ballet was divided into three parts; a large group number, a PDD, and a second group number. I can't really tell you anything about any particular dancers, as it was too quick to pick out individual faces/styles. I think I spotted Olivia Cowley, and there was one blonde dancer (usually in the front) who had atrocious hands/wrists, but aside from that, I can't identify any dancers (not including the PDD), so I'll speak about the piece as a whole.

I found the choreography quite chaotic. It looked like it could've used a bit more rehearsal; many of the synchronised parts had one or two dancers a beat in front or behind of everyone else. In some areas, this was clearly intentional, in others, not so much. Overall, it was pretty sloppy. The PDD was nice enough, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about either of the dancers. It felt like they were doing their job, and that was that. Both strong dancers, of course, but I thought there was more they could've done expression wise to communicate the meaning of whatever they were dancing. As it was, I have no clue what they were talking about.

I also had a bit of a problem with the costumes. The three types of costumes (two for girls and one for boys) were just different enough to clash quite noticeably. The colours and styles (tight, square necks for the girls and baggy cowl necks for the guys) just didn't go together; deep red and plum aren't complementary. I suppose they were pretty traditional, contemporary ballet costumes, but I thought a little more thought could've gone into how the costumes looked onstage with each other.

I did enjoy watching Viscera, I just felt that it was an unfinished product that had been thrown onstage before it was totally ready. The choreography was chaotic and not exactly memorable, and many lovely dancers just faded into the messy background. 

Afternoon of a Faun

Olivia Cowley
(© @damegrace on Twitter)

This 11-minute Jerome Robbins piece featured two dancers, Olivia Cowley and Matthew Ball, and was probably my favourite piece of the evening. While the name is a bit nonsensical (aside from Cowley's pseudo-grecian tunic, nothing is remotely greco-roman about it), it's a simple, yet enjoyable performance. It tells a brief story of two dancers in a ballet studio, in which the audience is the mirror. The unnerving thing about this idea is that the dancers are looking right at the audience, yet you know that they're looking at a reflection. The head tilts and subtle movements make this very clear. It's a cool idea, and Cowley and Ball execute it to perfection.

The choreography and performance felt very classical with a modern edge to it, shown through the costume and set. There were no fancy tricks; rather, it focused on the relationship between two dancers. It was a piece that was quietly elegant without being overly complex; very clean, very light and airy. Ball was charming and engaging; his little warm up routine at the beginning was very realistic. Aside from the heavy makeup, it didn't look like he was performing on stage. However, Olivia Cowley stole the performance for me. She's such a gorgeous dancer, with lines and extensions to die for and the most beautiful stage presence. Her dancing and the music felt like they were the linked together so absolutely that I can't imagine one without the other; she really connects to the music, her partner, and the audience in a way very few dancers do. She's living it, rather than performing it (does that make sense?); it's incredibly effective, and makes her a joy to watch.

I've read other reviews that suggested a heavy sexual undertone of the piece, which I didn't see. To me, it was more about childlike innocence, beautiful clean lines and simple, yet elegant steps. It was like watching a waterfall at sunrise (imagery much?); peaceful, yet transfixing. I could've sat and watched it go on for hours.

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Golding
(roh.org)

This Balanchine piece featured principal dancers Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Golding. I'm typically not a Balanchine fan; I find his choreography frenetic and lacking in flow or rhythm. However, I did quite enjoy this piece (mostly because of the dancers, but I loved the music too). Lauren Cutbertson is always radiant (although slouching off the stage after a turning section before she's actually out of view of the audience wasn't one of her finer moments - I always find things like that disappointing because she was executing these beautiful, quick turns with such precision and finesse… and then she just stopped bothering before she was off stage. It kind of ruined the moment). But her footwork is quick and tidy, complemented by an elegant port de bras. I felt that she made the best of the choreography; she kept it light and spritely while maintaining her usual fluidity and expression. I really enjoyed Matthew Golding in this piece too. He's a very expressive, emotive dancer, but this gave me a chance to watch his actual dancing a bit more than I did at R&J. Great lines and extension, rock solid turns, very sharp, hit all the accents in the music and choreography easily. I really liked that he's got gorgeous presentation, but will draw your attention to his partner; if you're watching him, it's like he finishes his thing, then slowly extends his arm and head in the direction of Lauren so you follow his gaze right to her. It's hard to explain, but very effective. Pairs skaters/Ice Dancers - take note! My one complaint about him is he tends to 'eat an air donut' quite a lot (basically 'biting' the air while dancing… a lot of dancers and figure skaters seem to do this; it just looks a bit awkward). So, although I'm not a Balanchine fan, the expression and technical ability of Golding and Cuthbertson made this piece entertaining and entrancing. I would happily watch it over and over again. 

Carmen

Marianela Nunez and Matthew Golding
(roh.org)

A new work by Carlos Acosta, featuring a mix of ballet and opera, starred Tierney Heap as Carmen, Vadim Muntagirov as Don Jose, and Matthew Ball as Escamillo. This was the second Acosta-choreographed piece I've seen, and I can't say I'm a fan of his work. It's chaotic, nonsensical, fails to communicate a story… essentially, this version of Carmen was a glorified striptease. I honestly don't know why the Royal Ballet continues to pour money into Acosta's choreography, as it's clearly not been successful thus far (this based on my personal opinion and on other reviews). There was more making out between characters and stripping off of clothes than actual dancing, which was disappointing and unnecessary. The opening consisted of a group of men removing clothing bit by bit as Carmen danced around seductively. Subtle, real subtle. In the middle of the ballet, there was a table prop, and a dancer was put front and centre simply to strip off her top/vest, then jump back down again. These kinds of things happened frequently, and they detracted from the story, leaving a confused mess of props and clothes. I also felt the ballet was far too highly sexualised. In many cases, implication is more effective than actually showing what was happening. Drawn out kisses, dancers rolling around on top of each other, and awkwardly positioned lifts made the piece decidedly un-sexy - any charm or seductiveness that the dancers achieved was cancelled out by the above. 

That is not to say the dancing itself wasn't good. It was clear that Heap and Ball were putting everything into their characters. Heap was sultry and daring; every inch of her screamed seductress through the ballet, yet she was capable of showing the character's more emotional side when confronted with her own demise. Ball was charming and suave as Escamillo, you could see exactly why Carmen was drawn to his intriguing nature. There wasn't a whole lot of actual dancing on his part, but Ball managed to express the character's personality while tidily executing what little dancing he had been given to do. Muntagirov was a bit awkward and muted; he faded into the background very easily, and I didn't see the psychological break that has to happen for Don Jose to murder Carmen. 

Marienala Nunez and Carlos Acosta
(roh.org)

Another thing I liked was the opera chorus. They sang one full song (accompanying Ball's matador -esque introductory routine) and provided some background singing at other times. It added an interesting dynamic to an art that is usually silent aside from the orchestra, providing some depth and a connection to the most famous version of Carmen. I did think the fortune teller could have been played by a ballet dancer rather than sung. In this case, the singing felt cumbersome and unnecessary.

Carmen was a disappointing way to end an otherwise interesting and engaging mixed program. I hope that this ballet will be put aside for a while, or at least go back to the drawing board and reworked into a stronger, more coherent piece. I would certainly be willing to give it another shot if it were reworked. 

This quadruple bill presented by the Royal Ballet is certainly worth seeing, although it disappoints in some areas. Afternoon of a Faun and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux are beautiful, engaging pieces, and Viscera, though chaotic, is intriguing nonetheless.