Rescued by Balanchine

Triple Bill
Royal Ballet, in rep until 11 June

After a number of successfully conceived and well-performed mixed programmes, the Royal Ballet’s latest triple bill, its last offering of the season, was a bit of a let-down. This was a pity, for the dancing was good and sometimes phenomenal. One of the problems was that none of the three ballets matched any other. Wayne McGregor’s postmodern heavyweight Chroma, at the beginning, thwarted the thin modernist lyricism of Christopher Wheeldon’s Tryst, which, with its slightly tiresome and uneven thematic layout, was no match whatever with George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, a sparkling tribute to pure classical dance.

In addition, the not so seamless combination of McGregor’s postmodernism and Wheeldon’s late modernism turned two thirds of the programme into a weary display of not so digestible cerebral choreography, which seriously challenged the viewers’ patience. Which is unfortunate, because Chroma remains one of McGregor’s most complete and thought-provoking works, and one of the best examples of his uniquely powerful and abrasive take on the classical idiom. Indeed, it is a powerful opening, which shakes and provokes the unaware ballet-goer. Last Saturday, Ricardo Cervera, Mara Galeazzi, Sarah Lamb, Steven McRae, Laura Morera, Ludovic Ondiviela, Yuhui Choe, Eric Underwood, Jonathan Watkins and Edward Watson each gave a superb rendition of the piece, capturing the audience with the intensity of both their dancing and their interpretation. The ending was deservedly saluted by a frenetic ovation that came as a welcome release from the compelling tension created on stage.

Eric Underwood also starred in Tryst, splendidly partnered by Melissa Hamilton. Yet Wheeldon’s work is a weak one, particularly in terms of thematic and choreographic composition. The only visually engaging moment is the central duet, even though it does not exactly stand out for innovative content or as an original approach to traditional principles.