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Big-name dance shows: a chance to push the boundaries, or a vanity project that’s best avoided? This summer,
Sergei Polunin’s woeful offerings at the London Palladium illustrated the pitfalls of superstar performers trying to play director, mixing weak choreography and patchy production values with a hearty dose of self-indulgence.
Natalia Osipova’s Pure Dance, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells last year, is a different beast. The 33-year-old is that rare ballerina — a dancer at the height of her classical powers who’s eager to experiment with a radical contemporary vocabulary. It’s that hunger that’s led her to curate this ambitious mixed bill, featuring seven short works, all chosen and (bar one solo) danced by her. Osipova’s magnetism is ever-present, her technique always steely. But it’s a curiously charmless evening.
The work itself is uneven, though always beautifully danced. Roy Assaf’s Six Years Later, expanded for this run, explores a fractious relationship. Yuka Oishi’s Ave Maria, a solo set to Schubert, is prettily danced, though Ivan Perez’s Flutter, performed in the shadows alongside Jonathan Goddard, proves a little directionless. Much better are the two “classical” pieces, Antony Tudor’s 1975 The Leaves Are Fading and Alexei Ratmansky’s Valse Triste, showcasing Osipova’s chemistry with partner of choice David Hallberg, pictured.
Until October 26 (020 7863 8000; sadlerswells.com)
