It is hard to believe that Dances at a Gathering was created by the same man who was responsible for the original choreography in West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof. Jerome Robbins was a choreographic genius, easily switching between creating popular dances for Broadway hits to the more refined works seen on the classical ballet stage.
In Dances at a Gathering, currently being performed at the Royal Opera House, there is no specific plot – the cast of 10 dancers perform a series of solos and pas de deux, just relishing in the joy of movement. There is some vague backstory, in that these are people who know each other and have had some sort of friendship, but other than that, the work is pure dance to a selection of piano mazurkas and waltzes by Chopin.
At the performance I saw, Marianela Nunez was radiant, displaying supreme control in the slow sections of the music. Francesca Hayward displayed her swift footwork to great effect and Alexander Campbell soared in his solos. It is a great ensemble piece, with the small cast in top form.
The second ballet in the programme is Cathy Marston’s new work, The Cellist. It is a distillation of the life of Jacqueline du Pre, the prodigiously talented young cellist whose career was tragically cut short by the onset of multiple sclerosis.
It is a hugely moving work, with Lauren Cuthbertson giving a tour de force performance as the young woman, crippled by the loss of her ability to play the music she loves. In a novel move, the cello is given life in the form of Marcelino Sambe, who cleverly takes the form of the instrument and moves with lyricism and incredible fluidity.
Other cast members also shine: Anna Rose O’Sullivan is tender as the cellist’s sister, and the conductor (in real life, Daniel Barenboim, who gave his blessing to this production) is danced with power and charisma by Matthew Ball.
Dances at a Gathering/The Cellist is at the Royal Opera House until 4 March. There will be a live performance screened at cinemas on 25 February, repeated on 1 March. www.roh.org.uk/cinema
