London City Ballet: Fall 2024 Season

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Founded in 1978, the London City Ballet, despite some ups and downs, is clearly thriving.  The company first disbanded in 1996 but rose phoenix-like in a new, more compact version.

A small classical troupe, only twelve dancers at the moment, the LCB’s colorful history was laid out in a series of short films that preceded three of the ballets.  In these newsreels newspaper headlines saluted the founding of the troupe which became the resident company at the legendary Sadler’s Wells Theatre, famously home to the fledgling Royal Ballet.  The film snippets showed the company failing then rising up again.  Along the way Princess Diana became its royal sponsor. The rest of the story was optimistically revealed on the stage of the Joyce.

Their performance at The Joyce Theater was first rate:  joyful, sensual and technically perfect.  Artistic Director Christopher Marney has fashioned a company of top notch dancers.

“Larina Waltz,” choreographed by Ashley Page to the lilting melodies of Tchaikovsky, opened the program.  It was a dynamic expression of the classical ballet bona fides of this youthful company.

Arrayed in a line of five couples, the men in black tunics and the ladies in white tutus, they performed unison partnering showing off the easygoing style that became more evident as the program progressed.  Couples peeled off until only one remained, soon replaced by a succession of couples, all of whom performed charming, if not dazzling, turns, lifts and complicated steps, the men leaping and the women showing off balance and grace.  This was a charming lagniappe, a gift to warm up the audience’s expectations.

“Consolations and Liebestraum,” choreographed by Liam Scarlett (a Royal Ballet veteran who died way too young) to piano music by Liszt was played exquisitely by Luc Xu Cheng.

A moody work, “Consolations” began and concluded with Miranda Silveira kneeling in a cool pool of light, slowly rising only to be joined by Ellie Young who duplicated Silveira’s thoughtful meanderings.  Young was partnered by Nicholas Vavrečka in a duet full of bending and unfolding, a sensual relationship.

Jimin Kim and Alejandro Virelles’ subsequent duet was more angular and dramatic, followed by a sad quartet of interchanging partners that fed directly into the final duet danced by Joseph Taylor and Silveira who was heartbreakingly abandoned and left alone.

Emily Noble’s dark costumes added to the emotional mysteries of the ballet.

This work was heartbreaking in another way.  It displayed Scarlett’s talent to express emotions in movement and an ability to fill a stage with his imaginative choreography.

“Five Dances,” choreographed by Arielle Smith to John Adams’ playfully repetitive score, was a jaunty work that gave the dancers a chance to fill the stage with quick, skittering, direction-switching steps wearing Noble’s colorfully witty asymmetrical tunics which flowed about the dancers’ bodies as they plunged into Smith’s swift movements.

Arthur Wille had a wild solo that took full advantage of his wide-ranging technique sending him sliding and careening from one side of the stage to the other.

“Five Dances” featured unsubtle, but impressively colorful lighting by Andy Murrell that kept changing the mood as the backdrop changed from one basic color to another.  No lighting designer was credited.

The final work, “Eve,” was by the troupe’s director, Christopher Marney.  It was a retelling of the Adam and Eve story from the point of view of poor put-upon Eve, here portrayed by Cira Robinson as a confused creature whose confrontation with the sexy Serpent (Álvaro Madrigal Arenilla) dressed in a vivid red unitard initially camouflaged by long overcoat (costumes by Stevie Stewart, with Eve’s simple dress provided by Fabula Collective.

Jennie Muskett’s eerily dramatic score accompanied this vision of Eve waking up alone, soon joined by the seductive Madrigal who offers her the mythical apple.  Behind them the backdrop is alive with shadows and, at one point, a tree that grew from a bush to an overwhelming giant surrounded by turbulent skies, all a very symbolic accompaniment to the stage filled with nude-looking variations of Eve and Adam who do little to comfort the confused Eve with their slow, low-to-the-ground slithering movements.  Eve is eventually abandoned by the Serpent and the crowd leaving her to cope with her uncertain future.

Marney, helped by costumes, visuals and lighting, created a dreamscape ghostly vision that gave this Biblical parable some psychological and emotional substance.

The London City Ballet was a pleasant surprise and will hopefully return soon.  The company impressed with its fine-looking dancers and interesting choreography.  This is a troupe that avoided the pitfalls of gimmicks .  It’s the real thing: a classical chamber ballet with room to grow.

London City Ballet (September 17 – 22, 2024)

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-242-0800 or visit http://www.Joyce.org

Running time: 90 minutes including one intermission