Northern Ballet: Madame Butterfly & Perpetuum Mobile, On tour
Over the last few seasons, Northern Ballet has begun mixing its traditional story ballet repertory with programmes of short, often abstract works, and in this summer’s double bill both are on show. David Nixon’s Madame Butterfly has long been a favourite of the company’s productions, and is accompanied by Christopher Hampson’s Perpetuum Mobile, a high-energy rush of pure neo-classical dance.
Richard Alston At Home, London
It’s always good to see the Alston company at its home base. The Place may be smaller than some of the theatres it performs in but that sets up an intimacy between dancers and audience in which the fine detail of the work can be fully appreciated. Alston’s newest work is a duet for outstanding male dancers Jonathan Goddard and Liam Riddick, accompanied by Chopin’s mazurkas. Martin Lawrance also creates a new work, using the very different sound world of US composer Julia Wolfe, who fuses classical forms with the strict patterns of minimalism and the driving energy of rock. There are also two choreographic debuts in the programme, with new works from Joseph Toonga and Ihsaan de Banya.
