The old saw, life begins at 40, might be true for Scottish Ballet. Founded in 1969, it has seen troubled times but since the arrival of Ashley Page as director in 2003 it has danced with toes atwinkle. Page celebrates the company’s 40th birthday with a mixed bill that tracks the progress of ballet over the past four decades, neatly starting with Balanchine’s Rubies (1967), the gemstone associated with 40th anniversaries.
In truth, Scottish Ballet hasn’t quite mastered Balanchine’s steps but they are fiendishly difficult and they haven’t danced them for long. In time, improvement seems probable. Fast forward to 1998 and William Forsythe’s Workwithinwork (to Berio), which picks up where Balanchine left off. People often mark Forsythe down for "empty athleticism" but his work has a bleak glamour that the cast of 16 fully grasped, with Tomomi Sato and Tama Barry especially connected to his dark languor and psycho-dynamic shadows.
Easier on the eye and the ear is Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light And Shadow (2000) to the opening theme of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and his Suite No 3. With modern-Baroque costumes, nice lighting, and cheery running and jumping, it is an upbeat close to the programme, albeit a bit lightweight.
Until tomorrow (0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com).
Scottish Ballet: 40th Anniversary Tour (Rubies/Workwithinwork/In Light And Shadow)
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN
