Excellent Birmingham Royal Ballet triple bill

Jun 27 2009 by Diane Parkes, Birmingham Mail

Love And Loss

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET

THE triple bills being presented by BRB have become a great way not only to see some interesting dance but also for the company to showcase its talent.

This bill features work choreographed by company director David Bintley alongside well established work by Frederick Ashton.

It begins with Bintley’s Galanteries, a light-hearted piece of classical dance. Set to music by Mozart, it has a fluidity and gentleness.

This is followed by the much harsher Dance House, inspired by the death of a friend of David’s from an Aids-related disease. Its sharp, angular movements mirror the Shostakovich music while a pas de deux in the middle acts as a sad lament.

Finally The Dream, Frederick Ashton’s take on William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is an hour of riotous chaos.

There are excellent performances from a range of dancers, many of whom are clearly working their way up the ranks.

Until tonight.

VERDICT: HHHHI

DIANE PARKES