The Royal Ballet and others: International Draft Works
Works by emerging choreographers at the Royal Ballet, Birmingham, Dutch National, Joburg, Northern, Norwegian and Stuttgart…
Latoya Mokoena in Tumelo Lekana’s ‘Mpho’ for Joburg Ballet. International Draft Works 2025. © Andrej Uspenski
International Draft Works 2025
Birmingham Royal Ballet/Acosta Danza: Capriccio
Dutch National Ballet: Burden
Joburg Ballet: Mpho
Northern Ballet: Sky Above, Voices Within
Norwegian National Ballet: Pages
Royal Ballet: In Absence and Almost Human
Stuttgart Ballet: Heartquake
★★★✰✰
London, ROH Linbury Theatre
9 April 2025
www.rbo.org.uk
- “International Draft Works gathers budding choreographers from ballet companies around the world in a look at how the art form of ballet is ever changing and growing. What ideas inspire these emerging choreographers of today and how are they responding to these inspirations?”
So begins the blurb for what proved to be an interesting and wide-ranging night of dance. I might sound a bit like your granny, but the headline is that everyone did well and offered something that intrigued and drew us in at some level, albeit with a widespread feeling of works in development.
For the most part, these are young/emerging choreographers trying new ideas, but it all felt a bit more polished than my usual expectations, though some of the points being made could have been expressed more clearly in the programme notes or the work itself. Certainly, if anything was hammered home, it’s the sheer breadth of what ballet can be these days as wider influences are drawn in.
Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company commissioned hip-hop dancer/choreographer Lars de Vos to create Burden. It seemed to have a narrative of an older man coaching and in a relationship with a younger man. Starting in silence with small swaying movements, it builds and builds, and before you know it, the younger man lies dead — some saw murder. It wears its hip-hop movement lightly and features some terrific jumps and dynamic partnering with much turning and twirling. However, a good programme note would be useful, and I’m not sure about the black costumes against a black backcloth.
More black-costume-on-black-backcloth action followed in Northern Ballet’s commission to company dancer George Liang, but here we see a more uplifting (and clearer) subject of inclusivity and togetherness. Sky Above, Voices Within takes its name from an elegiac score composed by Zhouhan Du in collaboration with Leeds Conservatoire and features leading soloist Kevin Poeung dancing with Ruben Reuter. Reuter describes himself as “Actor, Dancer, TV Presenter, Channel 4 News Reporter and Volunteer Sports Coach.” Clearly, being learning disabled has not stopped Reuter from doing what he wants in life, and Liang makes the most of his enthusiastic approach to contemporary movement while adding professional dazzle from the supportive and always charismatic Kevin Poeung. A pleasant and inspirational work.
Emanuele Babici, in the corps at Stuttgart Ballet, gets the prize for the clearest programme notes and goes on to deliver narrative clarity on stage too — bravo. Heartquake, set to a rollercoaster of Rachmaninoff piano, is a three-hander that shows the impact on the close friendship of two young ladies from the introduction of manly love interest. Well-observed love and jealousy, though it all neatly resolves to a happy ending. By far the most traditional ballet work of the night, it was a relaxing watch. Babici demonstrates he can deliver ballet steps, and steps that can convey emotion, and it will be interesting to see how he builds on such a strong base.
The Royal Ballet’s Ashley Dean is obviously a believer in letting the steps do the talking — hers was the shortest programme note, consisting of just, “…explores themes of love, loss, and mercy.” In Absence is a contemporary ballet in two distinct parts, the first of which is a duet for Madison Bailey and Liam Boswell set to a clicky electronic score by Vincenzo Lamagna. It seemed to channel Russell Maliphant’s smooth, powerful, and stretchy look and was beautifully executed and rehearsed — hypnotic and highly watchable. The second part felt totally unconnected. For four dancers and to more conventional music from Górecki, part two was more diffuse, though again wonderfully executed. Both pieces felt more abstract than anything, and Dean has clear choreographic talent, if perhaps not so much re the written word.
Joburg Ballet, currently under the direction of the inspirational Dane Hurst, presented company dancer Tumelo Lekana’s Mpho, which translates to “gift.” For three female dancers, accompanied by an African drummer/musician, it’s nominally a story about maternal growth and the passing on of African spirit and traditions. You can’t typecast African traditions, of course, but this work is a long way from ballet’s western roots and, as with Northern Ballet’s piece, it was rather uplifting and mind-expanding. Although pointe shoes were worn and used occasionally, this felt much more confident in natural tribal movement, emphasised by the live drumming. Ballet has long been closely linked to contemporary movement, but here is a very different fusion, and it’s good to see it happening. Much praise, too, for the designs of Yolanda Roos, which also fused modern and traditional elements while providing good scope for dancing.
Kit Holder, an ex-dancer with Birmingham Royal Ballet and now pursuing a choreographic career while currently its Artistic Coordinator, created Capriccio for Acosta Danza Yunior dancers Alex Arias and Paul Brando. It takes clear and direct inspiration from René Magritte’s The Lovers’ imagery and starts in silence with the dancers appropriately joined at the head by cloth. Some poetry is recited, which I sadly could not make out, before things get going with some juicy and resonant cello, inspiring some beefy, fluid, contemporary movement. Explosive at times, the action bounces around the stage before they reach stasis and a different form of togetherness. Holder has a few pieces under his belt, and it showed.
Norwegian National Ballet dancer Cina Espejord has also created a few pieces, and that maturity showed in her duet for fellow dancers Nora Augustinius and Josh Nagaoka. Pages is about how a close relationship changes over time and neatly delivers this over a few scenes, with clear separating blanks in between. It uses Anton Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, which supports and leads sections on deep engaging love, perky joyfulness, mutual support, and occasional unhappiness. All the contemporary ballet movement had deep soul, beautifully rendered by Augustinius and Nagaoka, he only currently listed with the junior company. This is grown-up, thoughtful work and my favourite piece of the night. I’m very interested in what Espejord does next.
Principal Marcelino Sambe always draws you into his performances with the Royal Ballet, and his Almost Human was equally full of striking images. It’s centred on Adam, and in the first part, his first wife, Lilith, and in the second part, Eve enters the fray. Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød and Viola Pantuso lead the proceedings, and if you like Instagram images of dancers looking like godly perfection, then you are in luck with endless images here as they cavort, and she tempts him with an apple. Good programme notes help in interpreting the stage action in what is a very polished bit of business. What I balked at was a feeling that the prop of an apple was too overused. Nevertheless, Sambe has clear talent and is driven to produce a level of polish well beyond the norm at this level.
Put simply, International Draft Works is a fine initiative, and I’m glad I got to see it. Mark your cards for next year, folks.