Keen-eyed readers of Queerguru will know we have covered BalletBoyz productions many times before. What makes us revisit their work so often? Well – let’s review the evidence.
Fourteen Days is the umbrella name for their current UK/Europe tour which features a revival of four works first performed at Sadler’s Wells in October 2017 and the presentation of a classic from 2013. For the newer works in the first half of Fourteen Days, choreographers Javier de Frutos, Craig Revel Horwood, Ivan Perez and Christopher Wheeldon were each given just fourteen days to create their pieces based on the concept of balance and imbalance.
The Title is in the Text (choreographed by Javier de Frutos) takes this more literally than most as the performers, dressed in overalls, play on a fulcrum see-saw whilst also playing with ideas of conformity, community, and competition. We see a fallen angel left to jump off a cliff, or perhaps the point is that he is then caught by the community.
You are constantly reminded of the performer’s technical skill, with clever and inventive balances, holds and tumbles – standing splits on a moving gradient is effortlessly incorporated into the choreography.
The mesmerizing Human Animal (choreographed by Ivan Perez) presents all the performers in their underwear and they canter around the stage in perfect synchronicity as if horses in a dressage competition.
The emotional high point of the evening was without doubt Us (choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon). A highly romantic duet that touched all the right nerves and left the audience cheering for more.
The Indicator Line (choreographed by Craig Revel-Horwood) was less effective. We are again introduced to a world of conformity (the army or perhaps a prison) The Circus Master in a red jacket seems to have a favorite and intends ‘break him’. The choreography felt clumsy, with an overly literal narrative and precious little emotional resonance – a fantasy fallen flat.
After the interval, we settle in for Fallen (choreographed by Russell Maliphant) which comes with the most gorgeous music (by Armand Amar) providing the spine-tingling goosebump moment we have come to expect from BalletBoyz.
We now see delicious floor work punctuated with a beautiful circular motif embellished with the arms. Here extraordinary leaps and spectacular jumps use thighs as supported elevations from which to launch, only to hit the floor as softly as melting butter.
These acrobatics were tempered with sensitive moments of delicacy where all that was needed was a simple touch to create a sensual, lingering connection.
Tonight’s show felt like the first half were mere studies on a theme whereas the second half was a more fully fledged work and all the more satisfying for it. A live orchestra provided a fantastic foundation for those pieces that made the most of the opportunity but generally, some of the choreography felt overly controlled, never really letting rip.
The BalletBoyz at full flight are always a sight to behold so if we at Queerguru revisit them time and time again, then we plead guilty as charged.
Balletboyz UK Tour 14th April – 129th May https://www.balletboyz.com/
☆☆☆☆ Reviewed at Sadlers Wells by JONNY WARD London Correspondent
