Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration, BRB2
Marlo Kempsey-Fagg and Alexandra Manuel in The Firebird © Tristam Kenton
Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes were one of the most important ballet troupes of the early twentieth-century.
Founded in Paris in 1909, the troupe toured Europe and the Americas, presenting performances from dancers and choreographers such as Anna Pavlova, Michel Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bronislava Nijinska and George Balanchine. One of the company’s most notable commissions was Fokine’s The Firebird.
And it was the lure of The Firebird, a ballet in-part about a man capturing an elusive, magical bird, that drew me to the latest programme from BRB2. Now in its third year, the junior company of Birmingham Royal Ballet presented a series of works that gave a good overview of the company’s repertory.
BRB2 in Les Sylphides © Tristam Kenton
The first act was dedicated to Les Sylphides. An ode to the Romantic ballets, such as Giselle and La Sylphide, this was a harmless fluffy piece centring around a man chasing his beloved sylph. While the man in question could have danced with a little more conviction (remember dear reader, these dancers are only recently out of college), the wider corps danced with a lovely lightness and synchronicity.
Andrea Riolo and Ixan Llorca Ferrer in Shéhérazade © Tristam Kenton
The second act dove into the wide-ranging catalogue of the Ballet Russes shorter works, the costumes often highlighting their significance as museum pieces, from an Audrey Hepburn style cigarette to flowing nightgowns. However, it was Shéhérazade which took the award for most dated. A ballet based on the first tale in The Thousand and One Nights, the work has obvious cultural appropriation issues and was a questionable choice when the company has just announced they are resetting La Bayadère, arguably the most culturally insensitive ballet still shown today, in acknowledgement of these issues. Mixed messages if ever I saw one. Ixan Llorca Ferrer was a stand out here, with a power and stage presence beyond his years, although slightly overpowering the softness of his partner. Again, their age should be highlighted here, but this time because watching two barely twenty-year-olds perform a dance of overt seduction made it feel a little inappropriate. A questionable programming choice all round.
Ariana Allen and Jack Easton in Le Spectre de la rose © Tristam Kenton
Les Biches and Le Spectre de la rose also spoke to the tastes of the era. Les Biches was a frothy ode to the 1920s social scene, the hostess with cigarette in hand (Sophie Walters) easily a highlight here. Meanwhile, in Le Spectre de la rose, Jack Easton performed the role of a woman’s rose, gifted to her at her first ball, with unexpectedly masculinity and power.
Alexandra Manuel in The Firebird © Tristam Kenton
Finishing the night was the long-awaited Firebird. Dressed in a blazing orange and red tutu, Alexandra Manuel played this iconic character with great spikiness and intention, bringing great detail to each flutter of her arms as she escaped, then gave into, the clutches of her hunter. A performance well worth the wait.
As a programme overall, the night gave great insight into both the ballet style of the early twentieth century and the impact of the Ballet Russes. The dancers showed great promise and I look forward to seeing their careers blossom over the coming years: there are definitely some stars on our hands here.
★★★★
Les Sylphides by Mikhail Fokine; Shéhérazade by Mikhail Fokine; Les Biches by Bronislava Nijinska; Le Spectre de la Rose by Mikhail Fokine; The Firebird by Mikhail Fokine
All performed by BRB2
Sadler’s Wells East, London / 10 May 2025
Press ticket
On tour until 17 May. Full listings —>
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