Welcome to London Grip, a forum for reviews of books, shows & events – plus quarterly postings of new poetry. Our most recent posts are listed below. Older posts can be explored via the search box and topic list. For more information & guidelines on submitting reviews or poems please visit our Home page.
English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells until 19 April
Julia Pascal
William Forsythe’s latest work Rearray is the most original of the evening’s presentations. Originally created in 2011, it needs a charismatic ballerina. The work was created for Sylvie Guillem whose razor-sharp arabesques thrilled London when she landed here from Paris in the late 1980s. Fourteen years later, Forsythe has found Sanguen Lee for the central role. She is equally as mesmerising. Rearray is a trio with Henry Dowden and Rentaro Nakaaki and although Forsythe does not do narrative ballet, this does feel like fragments of a conversation. David Morrow’s pre-recorded music makes for a disturbing mosaic unity between sound and choreography. Nobody knows what this ballet is all about and nobody cares. It is high-octane, mysterious and compelling.
The rest of the programme was less innovative. Forsythe is the master of popularising ballet. Although his technique is classical, he is eclectic. The highlight of the second half of the evening is Playlist (EP), set to a soundtrack of pop and soul, which had the audience roaring with pleasure. It starts with a stage full of male-dancers and the testosterone-filled air challenges the concept of ballet as 19th century, Museum Art. This balletic street dance celebrates the dynamism of the urban-cool, male body. The bravura of the dance and the weight of a full company of dancers made me think of Las Vegas, or high-end cruise line, entertainment.
Gender roles are stuck in the 1980s with the women in short, twirly skirts and the men in T-shirts and tights. Playlist (EP) is designed to provoke joy. The ballet was created in 2018 for a company of men. Women were added in a year later. Ultimately, it is the masculine-energy that catches the eye, perhaps because the choreography for the women feels like window-dressing.
The Forsythe Programme.
English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells until 19 April
Julia Pascal
William Forsythe’s latest work Rearray is the most original of the evening’s presentations. Originally created in 2011, it needs a charismatic ballerina. The work was created for Sylvie Guillem whose razor-sharp arabesques thrilled London when she landed here from Paris in the late 1980s. Fourteen years later, Forsythe has found Sanguen Lee for the central role. She is equally as mesmerising. Rearray is a trio with Henry Dowden and Rentaro Nakaaki and although Forsythe does not do narrative ballet, this does feel like fragments of a conversation. David Morrow’s pre-recorded music makes for a disturbing mosaic unity between sound and choreography. Nobody knows what this ballet is all about and nobody cares. It is high-octane, mysterious and compelling.
The rest of the programme was less innovative. Forsythe is the master of popularising ballet. Although his technique is classical, he is eclectic. The highlight of the second half of the evening is Playlist (EP), set to a soundtrack of pop and soul, which had the audience roaring with pleasure. It starts with a stage full of male-dancers and the testosterone-filled air challenges the concept of ballet as 19th century, Museum Art. This balletic street dance celebrates the dynamism of the urban-cool, male body. The bravura of the dance and the weight of a full company of dancers made me think of Las Vegas, or high-end cruise line, entertainment.
Gender roles are stuck in the 1980s with the women in short, twirly skirts and the men in T-shirts and tights. Playlist (EP) is designed to provoke joy. The ballet was created in 2018 for a company of men. Women were added in a year later. Ultimately, it is the masculine-energy that catches the eye, perhaps because the choreography for the women feels like window-dressing.
Julia Pascal © 2025.
By Julia Pascal • added recently on London Grip, dance, theatre • Tags: dance, Julia Pascal, theatre