CITY OF A THOUSAND TRADES
Miguel Altunaga’s ballet is a love letter to Birmingham commissioned by Carlos Acosta to celebrate the city’s industrial heritage and culture. Based on interviews with Brummies, the choreography attempts to give a snapshot of the working-class community and its dreams and aspirations.
Birmingham poet laureate Casey Bailey does a voice-over: “We will spin through time and place. We will start a journey alone.” The dancers move wooden boxes and steel poles around the stage to music by Mathias Coppens which has been inspired by the city’s soundscape. The electric guitar, the drums and the percussion provide the most excitement. I did not connect emotionally with the stories.
IMMINENT
Choreographed by Daniela Cardim to music by Paul Englishby, the ballet is about climate change and extreme politics. A programme essay argues “If people start to acknowledge the problem they can begin to address it,” but the political agenda does not translate into choreography. The male dancers seem to be in their underwear.
The jagged icy backcloth reminded the person sitting next to me of The White Cliffs of Dover. The dancers are lyrically happy in a neo-classical light-hearted manner. But they sense something is wrong when a tall door opens and the music gets more urgent. The dancers are initially reluctant to enter the unknown beyond the door but ever so gradually they change their minds.
CHACONA
Goyo Montero says his ballet is 25 minutes of pure energy and pure joy. It’s no more than that. There is no political agenda. 16 dancers, 8 male, 8 female, dance to music by J S Bach played on piano, violin and guitar. Tight formations, canon and unison, are constantly changing. Fast-paced physically and constantly inventive, I enjoyed Chacona most of the three ballets.
An added attraction was an intimate pas deux which has been especially created for two ageless retired dancers, 48-year-old Carlos Acosta and 58-year-old Alessandra Ferri.
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Main image: Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet in City of a Thousand Trades; Photo: Johan Persson
Second image: Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet in Imminent; Photo: Johan Persson
