Legacy – a ‘refreshingly unusual’ gala at the Royal Opera House celebrating Black and Brown excellence in ballet

Gallery of photos below

The audience entered the underground theatre to the sound of Whitney Houston’s It’s not Right, but it’s OK and I wondered if that was a subliminal message for us to assimilate before the show began. But as Whitney’s soulful voice drifted away it was replaced by Koffee’s Toast (or was it Toast’s Koffee)? In any event, I deduced from this preliminary combo that the only link was music by black artists prefacing a show largely performed by exceptionally gifted black and brown dancers.

This unusual gala was curated by The Royal Ballet‘s Principal dancer, Joseph Sissens, and he was up front and centre in the opening piece of the evening, the adrenaline blast of the all-male trio from Wayne McGregor‘s Chroma, which not only showcased Sissens’ extraordinary fleet flexibility – performing alongside Caspar Lench and Francisco Serrano – but also served as a reminder of that astonishing evening back in November 2006 when this extraordinary work premiered at Covent Garden, changing the nature of The Royal Ballet overnight.  

As if to prove even-handedness, the first three excerpts on the programme were presented in turn by representatives of the country’s three leading ballet companies. Just as McGregor’s Chroma had been followed by Christopher Wheeldon‘s choreography back on that momentous evening in 2006, so it was again here, albeit with lyricism replacing power in his This Bitter Earth duet (rather than DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse).

Dinah Washington’s emotional vocals were interpreted expressively by English National Ballet‘s Precious Adams and Junor Souza. Adams is an under-sung star of ENB and – aided by Souza’s impressive partnering – she gloriously embodied every sentiment in Clyde Otis’ song, moulded beautifully into bespoke music by Max Richter, and set into Wheeldon’s luscious movement.

ENB gave way to BRB as Birmingham Royal Ballet‘s Céline Gittens and Yasiel Hodelín Bello (evoking memories of a young Carlos Acosta) performed the White Swan pas de deux from Act 2 of Swan Lake, in choreography that was differently interpreted from the norm – a long time ago – by Peter Wright and Galina Samsova. There were many reasons why I liked this a lot less than almost anything else in the programme, none of which were to do with a perfectly charming and workmanlike performance, but everything to do with the accentuated choreography, including a surreal opening when Odette puts her arm around Siegfried’s shoulder in a sort of chummy surprise and several unnecessary upward flicks of Odette’s non-working leg. Why try to improve upon perfection?

Both this and the later Tchaikovsky extract in Frederick Ashton’s Awakening Pas de Deux from The Sleeping Beauty, danced by Sissens with Marianna Tsembenhol, also suffered by being without context or set in the stark intimacy of this cabaret setting. Neither duet suited these circumstances.

Another weaker link in an otherwise excellent chain of interesting repertoire was the world premiere of AX² (AX to the Power of Two) by Hannah Joseph, a young dancer with Company Wayne McGregor, not long graduated from the Rambert School. It is important to showcase new work (and new choreographers) in such diverse programmes but inevitably the challenge of living up to a plethora of mature, tried-and-tested excellence on the same bill is tough.

Joseph already shows a mature touch with structure, space and the effective use of the upper body and I am sure that she will be one to watch but the most memorable creative element was Joshie Harriette’s striking lighting designs, including impactful contrasts, which to some extent overpowered the choreography. It opened with the simple act of walking, which reoccurred periodically throughout the piece in varied motifs (short and long strides, arms held by the side or swinging). Joseph danced in her own work, accompanied by Emile Gooding, Serrano and Rebecca Stewart. It was the longest work of the evening that struggled to retain my enthusiasm with this palette of repetitive movement motifs.

Lench returned to wrap his muscular physique around Robert Battle’s Takademe, an onomatopoeic title taken from the kathak-infused vocals in Sheila Chandra’s music, his bare torso offset by flared red tracksuity trousers. Battle was artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for twelve years and this American contribution was augmented by a powerful performance of Sinner Man from Ailey’s signature work, Revelations, by three company members (Christopher R Wilson, Chalvar Monteiro and Xavier Mack). It was a great choice to send the audience off into the interval with a spring in their steps (a necessary mobility aid to climb all those steps back up to the basement bar).  

The second half was dominated by a trio of magnificent female solos – one of which was embedded in a larger work – and a similarly impressive duet between a male and non-binary dancer.

Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black has just celebrated its 23^rd anniversary and it will appear in this same theatre, next week. It has been in the business of proving and promoting black and Asian role models in dance for a long time (although not anywhere near as long as Alvin Ailey’s company) and it was appropriate for Isabela Coracy of that parish to open the second act.

Ballet Black has had a few great lead dancers over the years and Coracy is the current BB Queen. Her performance in Hope Boykin’s Eightfold: Strength was a tour de force, managing both the opening/closing gestural mime (to voice text) and the middle sections of coruscating modern and neo-classical movement with equal gusto, wearing a Grecian-style costume (by Yann Seabra) that evoked the naturalism and expressionism of early 20^th century modern dance.

Coracy’s powerful performance was a prelude to another impressive solo by Gittens, dancing the gala speciality of Ben Van Cauwenbergh’s homage to Edith Piaf’s torch song, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, with its interesting stirring arm movements and non-literal interpretation of Piaf’s anguished vocals.

Wheeldon got the only second bite with his pas de deux from Within the Golden Hour, another gala favourite adorned by Jasper Conran’s revealing golden costumes and danced with great feeling by Gooding and Lench, both of whom look to have the potential to be on a fast track through The Royal Ballet’s hierarchy.

The final duet of the evening was similarly impressive in Craig Davidson’s Reminiscence, danced with filigree lightness by South African, Leroy Mokgatle (definitely another dancer to mark for the future), sensitively partnered by Staatsballett Berlin’s Gregor Glocke.     

The third female solo saw Adams return, barefoot and in a long blue dress, to dance the middle section of the final work. It seems that no show is complete these days without a choreographic contribution from Arielle Smith – quickly sprinting into the premier league of world choreography – and this second world premiere of the evening continued her impressive run of success. It is impossible to tag her style other than to praise its musicality, quirky originality and for evoking the simple joy of dance. In Pass it on Gittens, Adams, Tsembenhoi, Miranda Silveira and Blake Smith performed to Bobby McFerrin’s catchy music in an episodic piece that was crowned by Adams’ meaty solo.

As galas go, this event was refreshingly unusual both for the mixed ethnicity of the international cast of performers and the rich diversity of the material. Kudos to Sissens for so successfully seeing the initiative through, and also to Kevin O’Hare and Emma Southworth for providing the support and backing to make the event a reality. It is just what the Linbury should be for.

Legacy – an evening dedicated to Black and Brown ballet talent

Related