United Kingdom English Nationwide Ballet’s Nutcracker: Dancers of English Nationwide Ballet, English Nationwide Ballet Philharmonic / Daniel Richardson (visitor conductor). London Coliseum, 14.12.2023. (JO’D)
Creatives:
Idea and Choreography – Wayne Eagling
Idea – Toer van Schayk
Music – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Design – Peter Farmer
Lighting – David Richardson
Solid included:
Clara – Sangeun Lee
Nephew – Gareth Haw
Nutcracker – Junor Souza
Drosselmeyer – Fabian Reimair
Mouse King – James Streeter
First Soloists, Soloists, Junior Soloists, First Artists, Artists of the Firm of English Nationwide Ballet, College students from Tring Park College for the Performing Arts.
Since its premiere in 2010, English Nationwide Ballet’s Nutcracker has advanced as instances, and the corporate’s Creative Administrators, have modified. This 12 months sees the primary efficiency of the ballet beneath the management of the not too long ago appointed Creative Director, Aaron S. Watkin. The Russian dance turns into the Cossack dance. The Arabian dance returns, eviscerated, after a 12 months’s absence. Most importantly of all, there appears to be an terrible lot extra occurring through the Act I youngsters’s get together scene.
Just like the townspeople within the background to Act I of Caros Acosta’s manufacturing of Don Quixote for The Royal Ballet, the get together visitors are without end shifting, or pointing at one thing. Two of the fathers have a protracted struggle. The impact is to distract from the dance happening centre stage. Dance which itself usually seems ‘fussier’ than earlier than: it isn’t solely Grandmother, this 12 months, who can not comply with the steps; a second visitor makes her uncertainty about what to do apparent. The American dance author, Edwin Denby, outlined the ambiance of the Act I get together as ‘fractious’. This manufacturing could now be taking it too far. It might be a mirrored image of the instances.
For this opening evening, Clara and Nephew are danced by Lead Principal, Sangeun Lee, and First Soloist, Gareth Haw. Each joined ENB this 12 months (as did Aaron S. Watkin) from Semperoper Ballett Dresden. Tall and robust, Sangeun Lee is much less well-suited to the childlike marvel, childlike concern that Clara has to specific through the battle of the mice and troopers than she is to the complicated choreography of the Grand Pas de Deux, the fouetté above all. From the second, early on, he reaches down to select up Drosselmeyer’s cane, Gareth Haw presents an magnificence of line. Effort reveals, momentarily, in a troublesome raise through the Grand Pas de Deux, however in his variation he seems to manage the music – responsively performed by the English Nationwide Ballet Philharmonic beneath Visitor Conductor, Daniel Richardson – with the motion of a leg.
The Nutcracker is Junor Souza, himself a memorable Nephew, in 2016, to Begoña Cao’s Clara. James Streeter returns as Mouse King (he was the primary; he’s the very best), Fabian Reimair is the acquainted Drosselmeyer. A serene Emily Suzuki and Julia Conway lead the Snowflakes in a peaceful, clear dance which comes as a reduction, this 12 months, after the frantic exercise of the previous get together and battle.
The Spanish dance is carried out with brio. The Arabian dance, rechoreographed for 4 feminine dancers in harem pants and veils, is efficient sufficient (and its restored music welcome). It’s a pity, although, that each one the references to Nijinsky, to the male dancer, have needed to be misplaced. Carolyne Galvao within the Chinese language dance; Erik Woolhouse within the Cossack; Julia Conway as a softly dancing Mirliton; a radiant Ivana Bueno and Chloe Keneally, partnered by Ken Saruhashi and Lorenzo Trossello, as Lead Flowers in a Waltz of the Flowers that ‘melts’ the hearts of the viewers: regardless of its altered tone in the beginning, this 12 months’s Nutcracker doesn’t disappoint, is not any much less magical, in and on the finish.
John O’Dwyer
