Of course there was splendid dancing from all members of the Royal Ballet at Belfast's Grand Opera House on Wednesday for the six short works collectively titled Masquerade. Unlike last year's Ashton threesome, the programme was varied, though the audience might have enthused more had there been a dramatic piece.
The title work, by Michael Corder to Stravinsky's Suite from Pulcinella (soprano Elizabeth Sikora) made an attractive light and beautifully costumed finale, though in Commedia Dell'Arte each role has its character. Here, though Johan Kobborg and Mara Galeazzi were clearly Harlequin and Columbine, the other 10 merely mirrored their mischievous gaiety. Belfast was honoured with the world premiere of Matthew Hart's Acheron's Dream to Aaron Copland's music (clarinet John Payne) with Bangor's Gillian Revie as, I think, Acheron's mistress but, since mother, wife and mistress had identical choreography, without attempt at characterisation and identical white dresses, this was not clear.
Christopher Wheelon's duet to Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Defunte was elegantly danced by Darcey Bussell, almost entirely en pointe and perfectly partnered by Jonathan Cope after he unwound her long white overskirt while she boureed passed him against the arum lily backcloth designed by Cork's Bob Crowley. Wayne McGregor's duet from Symbiont is more intricate and demanding, with limbs emphasised against a black background and showing what a good contemporary choreographer can create with classical dancers as talented as Deborah Bull and Edward Watson. Sadly the hiss on the sound track obscured the speech.
William Tuckett's series of dances for Puirt-a-Beul made a suitable opening, though the classical dancing outweighed the Scottish Gaelic movement, but my runaway favourite was Nacho Duarto's Remanso to Granados' Poetic Waltzes (piano Henry Roche). Carlos Acosta, Inaki Unlezaga and Cope were splendid as classical Greek sculpture before a colour-changing screen, the latter using his height to comic effect, with fine macho leaping all round.
Until Saturday, plus matinee, at 2.30 p.m.
