Ballet Nights: New Voices, Ministry of Sound

There is no stopping Ballet Nights! A regular event designed 'to change the way in which we watch dance', in the words of its creator, artistic director and show compere Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, it's now venturing out of its cozy home in the Lanterns Studio Theatre, in Canary Wharf, to present a one-off show at the Ministry of Sound, one of London's premier night/dance clubs.

It's not exactly the first time ballet/dance has been performed in a venue better know for its gigs: in 2015 Hofesh Shechter took his Political Mother to the Brixton Academy, an event that proved a resounding success with a new, young and enthusiastic audience.

All differences duly considered – by its very nature Political Mother fitted well into the format of a rock gig – bringing Ballet Nights: New Voices to the Ministry of Sound is an equally bold initiative.

The dance floor and the main bar will provide the stages for some ten contemporary dance acts, ranging from established performers and choreographers to eager new arrivals, some given their first major platform here. All performances are expertly compered by Devernay-Laurence.

While we can't list the entire line up for the evening, some acts do stand out.

The Royal Ballet dancer and budding choreographer Joshua Junker will present 324a, a meditation on the difficulties of creating work at home during lockdown; the exciting duo Pett Clausen-Knight, fresh from a hugely successful turn at Lanterns, will bring a remastered version of their disquieting duet Nerve Wire (pictured top)

Always well worth the price of a ticket, James Cousins Company will dance Jealousy, a piece that follows the ins and outs of an uneasy affair.

James Cousins Company, Jealousy.
Your Ghost, by Watson and Woodvine, is a piece where a young woman confronts the ghost of a past relationship. For his part, Devernay-Laurence, himself a former dancer, presents his own creation, Spirit of the Machine, a study of memory used as a form of punishment, to be danced by Liam Woodvine and Alexander Fadayiro.

'Spirit of the Machine' from 'Ready-Only Memory' by Jamiel Laurence. Photo: Sian Trenberth
The Ministry of Sound will open its doors at 6 pm; and after the performance ticket holders are invited to stay on for the main club night. What's not to like?