English National Ballet’s new season opens at Sadler’s Wells with R:Evolution, a quadruple bill tracing ballet’s evolution over nearly a century. The programme features works by George Balanchine, Martha Graham, William Forsythe and David Dawson, showcasing the company’s fearless and faultless dancers.
The evening begins with Balanchine’s Theme and Variations (1947), a neoclassical piece that pays homage to Russian imperial ballet. Guest stars Alice Mariani from La Scala and Ricardo Castellanos from Norwegian National Ballet lead with effortless footwork and weightless développés. The orchestral playing under musical director Maria Seletskaja, particularly a sensitive solo violin in the pas de deux, adds to the spellbinding performance.
Martha Graham’s Errand into the Maze (also 1947) offers a stark contrast, exploring human struggle through a stylised duet. Dancer Emily Suzuki portrays a woman confronting her fears, embodied by a Minotaur-like figure. Her movement grows in focus and resolve, drawing the audience into the heroine’s journey.
William Forsythe’s Herman Schmerman (1992) brings wit and deconstruction to classical ballet, with five dancers in sunset-orange leotards delivering playful physical asides. Rhys Antoni Yeomans and Alice Bellini shine in this piece, which leaves space for clarity and intentionality.
The programme concludes with David Dawson’s Four Last Songs (2023), set to Strauss and sung by Madeleine Pierard. While the dancers execute Dawson’s elegant poses and lifts faultlessly, the piece feels somewhat subdued compared to the preceding works, with flesh-coloured costumes and occasional overuse of outthrust arms.
