The hundredth anniversaries in 2004 of two great choreographers, Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine, born eight months apart, gave ballet companies the pretext to look back over the last century. Add in the 75th anniversary of Serge Diaghilev's death, and nearly every artistic director had a theme for a mixed bill of revivals, often putting new creations on hold. While it's rewarding to see museum treasures polished up for performance, a coherent picture of ballet's recent past never emerged. Too much of a jumble, spread among companies nervous about alienating audiences who'd rather see 19th century classics.
Boldest of all tributes in 2004 came from Rambert Dance Company, which commissioned an original work from Ian Spink, based on Ashton's first creation for Marie Rambert, A Tragedy of Fashion. Spink's homage, alas, was more miss than hit: a revival of Ashton's Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan was a bonus. (Lynn Seymour, on whom the solo was created, also mounted it for dancers in the two Royal Ballet companies). Just how fertile a nursery Rambert's company had been for Ashton and his fellows in the 1930s is illustrated by archive photographs on display in the Royal Opera House: a glimpse of memorable dancers - among them, Alicia Markova and Maude Lloyd, both of whom died in December - and of early, forgotten ballets.
The Royal Ballet, which Ashton helped Ninette de Valois establish, managed to retrieve his Sylvia (1952) from more recent oblivion. Restored designs by the Ironside brothers look beautiful but, like critics in the 1950s, we rather wonder why a 20th century ballet features nymphs, shepherds and divine intervention. Indulgent Ashton-lovers, grateful for his choreography and Delibes's score, accept the absurdities. The role of Sylvia, a vehicle for Margot Fonteyn, proved a delightful challenge for Zenaida Yanowsky, Mariela Nunez and Darcey Bussell; meanwhile other leading dancers - Tamara Rojo, Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg - have discovered new facets in old Ashton roles.
Both the London and Birmingham-based Royal Ballets took Ashton works to New York in 2004 for America's commemoration of his centennial. In return, visiting US companies - San Francisco Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Danses Concertantes - brought us Balanchine's ballets, some familiar, others less well known. Dance Theatre of Harlem went on an extensive tour of Britain in the spring, only to face financial meltdown on its return to New York. The dancers were laid off by October, but Mitchell, with the assistance of Michael Kaiser (former director of the Royal Opera House) hopes to start up again in June 2005, with a new management structure in place.
2004 saw the demise of Britain's best-funded Afro-Caribbean company, Adzido: the Arts Council, which subsidised it to the tune of £1 million, pulled the plug when the company failed to find a convincing sense of artistic direction. Meanwhile, Matthew Bourne, who'd lost control of his commercially successful troupe, Adventures in Motion Pictures, got back in charge with New Adventures, remounting his Nutcracker! and Swan Lake to great acclaim. The Ballet Boyz, William Trevitt and Michael Nunn, put their company, George Piper Dances, on hold half-way through 2004, concentrating on performing as a trio with Sylvie Guillem.
Russell Maliphant had a successful year, choreographing for Guillem and the Boyz as well as his own group. Rafael Bonachela, Javier de Frutos and Wayne McGregor were much in demand as versatile dance-makers for all kinds of enterprises, from Kylie Minogue's tour (Bonachela) to the latest Harry Potter film (McGregor). McGregor's work with research scientists in Cambridge on the brain's interaction with the body resulted in Ataxia, his best piece yet; another, involving the function of the heart, is due in 2005.
The Place set out to promote new choreography in 2004 with a competition and £10,000 in prize money (donated by the Bloomberg organisation). Audiences voted for the finalists, alongside a panel of international judges. Although Bonachela came out a worthy winner, the quality of the entries was so variable that the contest proved a damp squib. The high-profile Turner Prize, however, stimulated Lisa Torun to come up with clever neo-baroque dances for Yinka Shonibare's video-art, which made it to the finals. Pity he/they didn't win.
Dance Top 10
Marisa von Stockert's Grim(m) Desires for the Wapping Project
The ever-rewarding partnership between Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg
Michael Clark's Swamp, revived by Rambert Dance Company
Javier de Frutos's Milagros for the Royal New Zealand Ballet
Richard Alston's Shimmer
Carlos Acosta's debut/ Irek Mukahmedov's farewell in Mayerling, Royal Ballet
Darcey Bussell in Balanchine's Tchaikovsky pas de deux, Winter Gala, ROH
Tamara Rojo in Ashton's Five Brahms Waltzes
Henri Oguike's White Space
William Tuckett's A Soldier's Tale
Turkey: Bolshoi's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Declan Donnellan
