It's been a while since I was here but last night I went to Sadler's Well to see Mr Wonderful, an evening of dance in celebration of the life of dancer Jonathan Ollivier and I was inspired to write again.
I'm often cautious about new ballet, I struggle with the more abstract contemporary pieces. However, this evening had a programme and cast you couldn't miss and was truly a showcase of the wonderful world of dance as well as celebration of male dancers.
Matthew Bourne hosted the evening with warmth and humour. Holding the variety of pieces together he drew us through Ollivier's life in dance. Opening with an excerpt from Bourne's Sleeping Beauty you soon saw the theatrical nature of the night ahead. So highlights?
Mr Wonderful was revived after 25 years a fun humorous piece and hard to believe the dancers put it back together with just 2 rehearsals.
Rambert School's Gypsy Souls, a whirling group of gypsies took over the stage and brought a smile to our faces. Hats off to the dancers who lost his bandana and proceeded to dance with it in his hand, not missing a beat.
Given how often I listen to Paganini it is no surprise to find Marcelo Gomes and Charles Yang's piece next in my list. Gomes and Yang sparked off each other, leading each other on to the end, the dancing and playing both outstanding. I'll be watching The Royal Ballet's Rhapsody through different eyes next week.
I had never heard of the Michael Clark Company before this evening. They brought Bowie and Ballet together with strong striped blazers and a man on pointe shoes. The company brought attitude and I will be booking to see more from them.
Ollivier was a great mentor, inspiring many young dancers and especially boys. It was touching to have the boys from Re:Bourne join the programme to perform Tidal. The ebb and flow of the company bringing the sea to life.
To be honest the whole night was a highlight but the evening went out on high with excerpts from Bourne's Swan Lake. The men brought strength and grace to the lake with powerful performances, I'm sure there was a bit of black Swan in all of them. In a touching finish the cast crept back on the stage to watch a film of Ollivier performing The Swan ending with cast audience in a well deserved standing ovation.
There's always something about a gala, seeing smaller pieces less often performed and all the best bits of the bigger ballets. This gala had something else. A spirit and a joy that brought the ballet to life and made sure I'll be heading back to the barre and to see more from the companies on stage.
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