After seven long months, the Royal Ballet returned to the stage of the Royal Opera House with a leap and a twirl last night, dancing a wonderful series of highlights from their repertoire. The stalls had been removed to create enough space for the socially distanced orchestra and there was a specially invited audience of students and NHS staff to help create the atmosphere in those red plush seats. I, of course, had the best seat in the house, on my couch with a glass of red wine and some nibbles (not normally allowed in the venerable auditorium) that I managed to sneak past the ushers.
The performance opened with the orchestra playing the 'Sleeping Beauty' overture before launching into an ensemble piece by Shechter, followed by a pas de deux from 'Swan Lake' and we're off and leaping with one dance following another, solos, pas de deux, small groups and full ensemble pieces. Every couple of dances would see a short on-stage interview by Anita Rani talking to members of the Royal Ballet or short video pieces and that format worked really well. There was a short interview with Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and a piece from his marvellous 'Woolf Works' which saw Edward Watson dancing as Septimus Smith from 'Mrs Dalloway' which may well be his final performance on that stage since he announced his retirement at the start of the year.
There were scenes from 'Jewels' with Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano, a great dance from 'Carousel', a ballet I've not seen before with Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball, and the fantastic non-stop movement of the final scene of Wheeldon's 'Within The Golden Hour'. We saw Alexander Campbell dance Oberon from 'The Dream' and Francesca Hayward dance Juliet from 'Romeo and Juliet', a pas de deux from the lovely 'La Fille Mal Gardee', Natalia Osipova dancing a frantic 'Medusa', Marianela Nunez dancing from 'Don Quixote' and a lovely video of the people of Doncaster recreating moments from 'Romeo and Juliet'.
The show ended with MacMillan's 'Elite Syncopations' and music by Scott Joplin and others and the Royal Ballet flooding the stage with their colourful costumes as the whole cast appeared, either dancing or, at the end, taking their bows. A perennial crowd-pleaser and the perfect ending to the evening's performance.
It was a joy to see the Royal Ballet back on that stage doing what dancers do - dance. And provide spectacle, colour, skill, athleticism, impossible movements, sensitivity and exuberance. Wow. As ever, a ballet performance is more than the dance, it's the costumes, the music, the lighting, the scenery, the whole package. I'm sure all the dancers were on a high afterwards but I wonder if they really understand what they gave to us, the online audience? The joy, the delight, the hope. I admit to clapping at the screen of my laptop as I celebrated their proud moments and shared in the fun. You have a huge repertoire, Royal Ballet, so do it again. Pretty please?
Photos by me from my laptop screen so apologies for the poor quality but they're authentic.
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