Review: RHYTHM RIOT, Sadler's Wells

There is surely no event more certain in the dance calendar than an English National Ballet mixed bill at Sadler’s Wells. What creative offerings do they have for us this time? The theme of rhythm, as per the title of this bill, is a little tenuous in order to connect three contrasting works. The results are mixed, but largely successful, providing the dancers with some meaty choreography while the English National Ballet Philharmonic are in majestic form throughout. 

First to one of two premieres. Micaela Taylor’s Bow Out is an absolute barnstormer of a number. Inspired by the dance number Jumpin’ Jive from the 1943 film Stormy Weather, it feels in part from a bygone era but is brought bang up to date with hip-hop and jazz influences. The result is truly a riot of rhythm. Featuring half the company, there is a lot to see, dancers in tailcoats, an eclectic mix of modern and familiar tracks for the dancers to charismatically react to, wild jumps and facial expressions to match. 

We move from Heard Infinitely (by Tru) to Get Happy with seamless zeal. Candice Mac’s set and costumes have a rich filmatic quality, and Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting clearly guides us through the pockets of explosive activity. It’s not ballet but the young cast eat it up, relishing this contemporary challenge. Half of these dancers were in pointe shoes for the Balanchine twenty minutes prior. The versatility is remarkable. Theatrical and fresh, I am keen to see more from Taylor and the other creatives involved. 

Clearly undeterred from the challenges of Theme and Variations performed by the company in recent years, Aaron S. Watkin has kicked up the difficulty further with a lesser seen Balanchine work, Symphony in Three Movements. 

There was a welcome return from Ksenia Ovsyanick, a former ENB corps de ballet member who is now a Principal with the Staatballett Berlin. She is back as a guest here, partnered fluently by Rentaro Nakaaki. Light, bright and precise, the pair undulate in a slow pas de deux, squeezing every sinew before we are back to the fast paced ensemble moments. 

Fellow principal pair Daniel McCormick and Swanice Luong bound onto the stage, they each possess a bucket of stage presence and continued to fizz and crackle with endless tuck jumps and fireworks while their lines remained neat and clean. Emma Hawes completes the trio of leading ladies in leotards of differing shades of pink, like a trio of Barbie ballerina dreams. 

Aesthetics aside, this is a full company piece with layers of partnering, steeped in difficulty. Uniformity of line and spacing are all critical and with so many on stage and the action teeters on a knife edge. There is the occasional bit of raggedness in the corps but it’s still handled admirably for the most part. It’s further elevated by the ENB Philharmonic who do great justice to the stirring Stravinsky score. This and the principal couples and demi soloists who seemed to relish the performative little jaunty walks, arms lightly pumping and swishes of ponytails. Neo-classical heaven. 

More of a miss was a more convoluted venture from Jae Man Joo. Auguries of Innocence takes inspiration from the William Blake poem of the same name. Sanguen Lee is hypnotic as the sinister Weaver of Souls but criminally underutilised, mainly deployed to stalk menacingly around the stage (although Thomas Mika’s gothic for her is wonderful). The lighting in the first scene is too dark as well which doesn’t encourage engagement with the story and the themes of nature and art, and the need for harmony and kindness. There’s clearly a lot Joo is trying to do but it’s not accessible and disappoints as a closer to the evening. The corps heat things up eventually, stomping en masse to the pulsating rhythms but the final scene symbolising rebirth is sadly a drag. 

Not quite a perfect night but triple bills will nearly always be a mixed bag. ENB has come under scrutiny of late for its inconsistencies but there was a lot to like in this latest showing. The Balanchine number was brave and paid off. What is never in doubt is the skill of the dancers, who deliver not just ballet but challenging contemporary to such a high level. 

Rhythm Riot runs until October 3 at Sadler's Wells 

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