Ballet Central’s joyful performance at Oxford Playhouse showcased the talent of Central School of Ballet’s graduating students. The dancers presented a programme of three short modern works, followed by Act III of Coppélia, restaged by Adela Ramirez.

The opening piece, Stay On It, was a new commission by choreographer Jules Cunningham. It was a chance for the nine dancers to show precision and control in a dance that demonstrated their ability to centre their bodies in first, rather than fifth position as they moved rhythmically in mathematical patterns. The dancers worked on the whole foot or demi-pointe, walking heel- (rather than toe-) first, their faces alert and alive as they negotiated sharp turns and changes of direction. Julius Easterman’s score seemed to me to convey the insistent demands of modern life, and the pressure just to keep going, to which the dance responded by bringing a sense of order.

The second newly commissioned work of the evening was Carolyn Bolton’s energetic, graceful and exhilarating Night Flight v2.0, performed on pointe by eleven women partnered by three men. This was a beautiful ballet, to music by Philip Feeney, which made full use of the classical vocabulary as the dancers continually gathered, dispersed and re-gathered, like constellations in the night sky. The lighting design, by Andrew Ellis, added a sense of mystery as pools of light appeared and disappeared, illuminating different dancers by turn, just as stars appear and fade from view.

Daniel Davidson’s I think we’re on different planets was a complete contrast, returning to a more contemporary dance vibe. It began in silence as the dancers gradually populated the stage. Isolated, traumatised, clutching their rib cages, they became a collective howl of anguish against loneliness. It reminded me of the Pandemic: the dancers seemed simultaneously to embody both the human victims and individual fragments of the virus worming its way among them, until out of the pain there emerged a beautiful duet.

After three ensembles works, Coppélia gave the audience more opportunity to identify and notice particular dancers. Misa Noguchi, a delightful Swanilda, who made turns en manège and temps levés on pointe look easy, was partnered by Ross Black as Franz, whose grand allegro devoured all the stage-space available to him. Shiori Akimoto, as Prayer, gave a calm and sustained rendering of her solo with bourrées that flowed across the stage, while Lucy Cozens as Dawn danced with great warmth and charm, seeming to carry and communicate sunshine from within herself. I also enjoyed watching the corps de ballet dancers, who delivered the group dances with commitment, building towards the finale with its exciting finish.

The attractive and informative programme included individual pictures of all the dancers, and everyone received a detailed cast sheet, giving us the opportunity to look out for the dancers in future and follow their progress. I felt fortunate to see these young professionals at such a pivotal point, on the cusp of their careers, and I hope that Ballet Central, under the direction of Kate Coyne and Ben Warbis, will return to Oxford Playhouse in years to come.

Maggie Watson

2nd June 2024