Review: PARIS OPERA JUNIOR BALLET, Royal Ballet And Opera

Some matinées can feel endless…and I'm sorry to say that was the case with the Paris Opera Junior Ballet.

Performing as part of the ongoing Next Generation Festival at the Royal Ballet and Opera's Linbury Theatre, the recently formed (2024) troupe brought a quad bill of mixed works - both in style and success.

Things started very well with Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, but I'll save the best for last. Elsewhere we had two modern offerings and one classically informed, comedy suite.

Maurice Béjart’s Cantata 51 feels like a confused homage to both Balanchine and Graham, but largely leaves you wishing for their work rather than this offering. Although I'm a fan of Bach, I struggled with the score, and didn't find myself in the spiritual place I believe Béjart wanted to take us.

Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle López Ochoa also featured some lacking in dynamic music, this time by Schubert, and also some lacking in success choreographic structure.

At times uninteresting unison, at others, far too much disparate movement simultaneously that one struggled to connect with anything.

The dancers all wear full, burgundy dresses, which added to the oversaturation of the space, though two all-male moments took the piece somewhere dynamically which was a relief.

Closing the bill was Mi Favourita by Paris Opera Ballet Dance Director José Martinez. The piece opens with just feet visible, one could guess belonging to Louis XIV that are soon replaced by numerous pointe shoes before the curtains fully open.

What follows is a bitty collection of wannabe comedic interludes that basically fall flat and continue to do so. Imagine every heteronormative ballet cliché, and it's there with bells on.

The generally predictable environment has the odd pleasing choreographic phrase, especially one soubrette solo danced by Eve Belguet with just the right amount of coquettishness. Elsewhere it was cringe-o-clock, and that's the polite version. Perhaps the piece would work better with slightly older dancers? Perhaps not.

Back to the positive beginning. Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante is a choreographic marvel, and the cast of ten do super work considering how demanding the ballet is.

It's evident they're getting a huge amount from dancing the piece, and this is heavenly to see. The men all have generous plie and dynamic upper bodies, and the ladies offer chicness in spades. The dancers are still young, so of course there's room for improvement, no doubt principals of the New York City Ballet feel the same.

However, I was troubled by the arabesques throughout. Ballet is geographically informed, so where you see something executed means the same step/movement concept could look completely different.

Forgive the following sweeping statement: outside of America, arabesque can often feel too positional. Inside America - specifically New York - it's a movement, something that's passed through. Yet the POB Junior Company offered neither approach.

The arabesques lacked both projection and finish. In fact, throughout, the wrists and fingers of the ladies in particular never seemed to complete a line, let alone arrive in one with projectional, dynamic punch.

That said - I could watch the ballet forever…and a weekly, Friday afternoon Allegro Brillante sojourn would be no bad thing. Even to recorded music! 

Next Generation Festival continues at the Royal Ballet and Opera until June 29th.

Image credit: Julien Benhamou 

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more UK / West End Theatre News in your life? Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...