The Royal Ballet’s celebration of Frederick Ashton is a luscious treat. It shows different sides of the company’s founder choreographer, from the chic of Scènes de ballet to the romantic drama of A Month in the Country. And the dancers rise to its challenges with delight.
Created in 1948, Scènes de ballet is a classical setpiece with a dash of New Look glamour: the corps de ballet wear pearl chokers with their tutus. Ashton, who had become fascinated by geometry, weaves his dancers into brilliant, sharp-edged patterns. Heads nod, bodies dip, and movement chases through a group of dancers in a rippling wave. The ballerina role has a touch of mystery, her arms floating and curling like perfumed smoke. Sarah Lamb dances with bright presence and expansive upper body. Vadim Muntagirov is assured and elegant as her partner.
A Month in the Country, from 1976, shows the explosive effect of a handsome tutor in a 19th-century Russian household. Marianela Nuñez is heartfelt as Natalia Petrovna, an assured married woman whose life is turned upside down by passion. Dancing with Matthew Ball’s tutor, she’s all fluttering feet and luxurious arms, floating into abandon as he lifts her. Ball is alert and spontaneous.
The whole cast is strong. As Natalia’s ward Vera, Anna Rose O’Sullivan overflows with youthful energy: it’s there in her bright footwork and nuanced upper body. She turns to Ball like a flower following the sun, before going tight with rage and jealousy. There’s a lived-in warmth to the scene where Gary Avis, as Natalia’s old friend and established admirer, recognises that she’s fallen headlong for someone else. Casting adults as children is tricky, but Luca Acri makes the boy Kolya lively without being twee.
Rhapsody, which was created for the Queen Mother’s birthday in 1980, returns for Jubilee year. Making his debut in the bravura starring role, Marcelino Sambé combines bold power with airy gestures. He drives through the whirligig jumps, flipping over himself in midair and ending with a throwaway shrug. Francesca Hayward is radiant in the ballerina role, from the alert carriage of her head right out to her fingertips. She has a glowing ease in the swaying, spinning turns, and brilliant musical timing.
There’s an appealing ease to the company performance throughout this programme. Ashton helped create The Royal Ballet’s identity – but, over the years, it hasn’t consistently kept his legacy bright. This time, the dancers look happily at home, dancing with assurance and pride.
Until 2 May. www.roh.org.uk
