Strapless / After the Rain / Within the Golden Hour, dance review: Exquisite steps paint picture of a scandal

Strapless is a short work full of great detail, says Lyndsey Winship, and plays alongside two of Wheeldon’s abstract works which both demonstrate his mastery of gorgeous physical geometry
Starting with a scandal: Strapless
Lyndsey Winship16 February 2016

Christopher Wheeldon’s Strapless starts with a scandal. The bare shoulder of 19th-century beauty Amélie Gautreau, immortalised in John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madame X. It was enough to outrage Parisian society. Is it enough to make a ballet out of? The more you know about the story, the more you’ll get from the ballet. The excellent Natalia Osipova is Gautreau, moving with the self-possession of a woman who knows all eyes are on her. Edward Watson is a highly strung Singer Sargent, distracted from painting by thoughts of his young lover.

This is a short work full of great detail: a nagging wife’s character betrayed through irritable flicks of her feet; the eager and exploratory bodies of a pair of illicit lovers. But something about the structure overall dulls the impact, and it doesn’t drill down quite deep enough, although there’s a clever coda, which leaves things on a poignant note.

Strapless plays alongside two of Wheeldon’s abstract works, After the Rain and Within the Golden Hour, both demonstrating his mastery of gorgeous physical geometry. The highlight is the former’s daringly slow pas de deux — against the grain of modern ballet’s usual breakneck hyperbole. Marianela Nuñez, able to infuse the smallest movement with pathos, is tenderly partnered by Thiago Soares in a duet that feels like one long, sweet exhalation.

Until March 11, Royal Opera House (020 7304 4000, roh.org.uk)

Latest dance articles

1/9

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT