Body & Soul, English National Ballet
Jose María Lorca Menchón in Kameron N. Saunders’s Proper Conduct © Photography by ASH
Crystal Pite is easily the biggest female choreographer working today.
Her enviable ability to shape large groups of dancers into a sea of mesmeric motion have seen her travel the world creating works for top ballet companies. In the UK, her 2017 Olivier Award-winning piece Flight Pattern for The Royal Ballet (later expanded into three-part epic, Light of Passage) is maybe her most well known work, but other companies too have been understandably keen to take on her unique repertory.
Gareth Haw in Crystal Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) © Photography by ASH
In part one of English National Ballet’s new Body & Soul programme, the company performed part of her piece of the same name (the full Body & Soul was commissioned for Paris Opera Ballet). It aims to deal with the concepts of conflict and connectedness, and is set to spoken word (in french, but a written translation is provided). The text itself is a literal description of the dancer’s actions: “Overhead light snaps on, revealing two Figures in a small interior. Figure 1 lies on the ground. Figure 2 paces back and forth: Left right left right left” etcetc. Much of this text, like opera, is repeated, the incessant ‘left, rights’ (or, to make use of my French GCSE, ‘Gauche, droites’) becoming almost humorous over time. From this duo forms a large group of dancers, whose limbs and heads flash from within a whirlwind of black coats and trousers. They move nearly always in unison, with quick jerks of an arm, a step, a head clutch. As with many of Pite’s works, seeping it in choral music gives the dance an epic feel, like something from a dystopian fantasy drama.
And therein lies my, arguably privileged, issue. Because it felt like I’d seen this before. For those in the audience who have never seen her work, this was as good a place as any to start: Pite’s work is consistently awe-inspiring. Alas, as someone lucky to have seen much of her repertoire, it struggled to stand out. Spoken word is found in her boardroom drama The Statement, while the switch between moving groups and sweeping duets that lick the floor and roll off each other can be seen in her much stronger Angels’ Atlas or the aforementioned Flight Pattern. That visually her creations are so similar doesn’t help. The piece, as usual, is monochrome and dusky with the ever brilliant lighting of Tom Visser illuminating the stage (a line of shadow sweeping the floor was a notable highlight). That’s not to say that same is bad. I love the work of William Forsythe who also has a signature style, and many classical ballets are cut choreographically and structurally from the same cloth. Why this work pales in comparison to Pite’s other contemporary ballets was its inability to trigger an emotional reaction in me and a lack of connection to the intended theme. The starting point was, as always, excellent, but it struggled to take off.
English National Ballet in Kameron N. Saunders’s Proper Conduct © Photography by ASH
Pite may be a major choreographic name, but the second work of the night was by the lesser known Kameron N Saunders, who is most famous for being a back-up dancer on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. By scheduling him alongside Pite, EB Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin has brought more recognition to an up and coming choreographic talent - a brilliant move.
Proper Conduct ‘explores the search for authenticity under society’s gaze’. This materialised as an increasingly depressing world where unknown evil forces, led by a breakdance-infused narrator (the brilliant Jose María Lorca Manchón), destroyed freedoms. Saunders is a Black Gay man living in America, this is evidently a very personal and political commentary on his home country. However, while Pite’s work struggled to convey meaning, Saunder’s over-explained. The work was split into three sections: a frivolous, joyous group caper; a breathy orgy containing slow undressing and writhing bodies under a harsh light; and a mass of masked soldiers in white hazmat suits dancing in unison (stylistically, the choreography here was my favourite). In between, our narrator would appear to tell us that “progress is poison” and that the “sickness is hiding in plain sight”. While at times humorous, the choreography was clear enough on its own in showing a breakdown in society; the superfluous narration pushed the work into ‘on the nose’ territory. For me Proper Conduct was a victim of ‘throwing the kitchen sink’ syndrome. Choreographing for English National Ballet is Saunder’s biggest gig to date (his appreciation and excitement at opening night’s curtain call was heartwarming). Alas, in trying to show us everything he can do (switch between ballet, commercial, contemporary and breaking; take on huge themes; incorporate large set changes) it became a little messy. Some refinement is required.
★★★
Body & Soul, English National Ballet
Body & Soul (Part 1), Crystal Pite
Proper Conduct, Kameron N. Saunders
Sadler’s Wells, London / 19 March 2026
Until 2 May. Tickets →
Press ticket
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