![London City Ballet, Álvaro Madrigal and Ellie Young in Christopher Marney's Eve. Photo by ASH](/images/thumbs/cw-63524-660x375.jpg)
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTOPHER MARNEY HERE
Now London City Ballet reaches Sadler's Wells, where its predecessor was a resident company, part-way through an extensive national and international tour, with the London performances boasting star ballerina Alina Cojocaru, formerly a principal with The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, as a guest alongside the company's 15 dancers.
The programme spans more than half a century of creativity, with revivals of rarely seen short pieces plus one new work. All are interesting in their own way, all present different facets of dance. Of particular interest is Ballade, a 1970s work by Kenneth MacMillan, which was only seen once during a small Royal Ballet troupe's visit to Lisbon. Featuring three men and a woman, it was inspired by the first date of MacMillan and his wife-to-be Deborah, and has now been painstakingly reconstructed by Marney, supported by the choreographer's widow.
Arthur Wille, Joseph Taylor, Ayça Anil and Nicholas Vavrecka in MacMillan's Ballade. Photo by ASH
The programme opens in purely classical mood with Ashley Page's joyful Larina Waltz, a piece for five couples originally created for a 1993 gala and set to music taken from Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin.
It ends with Eve (pictured top) a piece for the entire company choreographed by Christopher Marney, which premiered at Sadler's Wells in 2022. Inspired by the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, it concentrates on the relationship between Eve and the serpent, and is set to a powerful score by Jennie Muskett.
The new piece in the programme is Five Dances, by the hugely interesting award-winning young choreographer Arielle Smith.
Jimin Kim and Arthur Wille in Five Dances. Photo by ASH
Set to music by John Adams, this is a vibrant piece for a cast of six dressed in Emily Noble's slinky, brightly-coloured costumes.As in previous works, Smith uses very physical, pulsating choreography, which should show off its international cast at its very best.
What | London City Ballet, Resurgence - Sadler's Wells |
Where | Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN | MAP |
Nearest tube | Angel (underground) |
When |
11 Sep 24 – 14 Sep 24, 19:30 Sat mat at 14:30 Dur.: 1 hour 40 mins inc one interval |
Price | £15–£65 |
Website | Click here to book |