Context unbecoming

Mariinsky Ballet
Sadler’s Wells



Tiago Guedes: Various Materials
The Place: Robin Howard Dance Theatre

I know I am not alone in thinking that an all-Forsythe programme was not an ideal choice for the Mariinsky Ballet’s opening night in London. As the man who dared successfully to manipulate ballet’s centuries’ old principles, William Forsythe is regarded by many as the initiator of a long-awaited and much-needed artistic revolution. It is no surprise, therefore, that a few years back he was invited to stage his most controversial creations for the Kirov Ballet — which is how the Mariinsky Ballet was formerly known — as part of a modernisation campaign aimed at shedding the long-held image of the quintessentially traditionalist ballet company. Whether last week’s performance was also meant to be read as a statement of drastic renewal is difficult to say, though, for the dancers looked awkward and uncomfortable in what came across as an artistically unbecoming context for them.