Ballet Central 2024 Tour at Oxford Playhouse, 31st May 2024 – Maggie Watson reviews

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.

 

Ballet Central at Oxford Playhouse 31st May 2024

Ballet Central come to Oxford Playhouse for the first time as part of their 2024 UK tour. The programme includes captivating works by acclaimed choreographers, performed by dance talents from the renowned Central School of Ballet as they step into their professional careers. Enjoy the grace and power of classical ballet alongside dynamic contemporary dance, and meet future stars of dance, just before they launch their professional careers.

The Ballet Central company comprises 32 young dancers: the 2024 graduating class of Central School of Ballet. Ballet Central graduates go on to dance with companies including English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Black and Rambert Dance Company, as well as international dance companies across the globe. It was created in 1984 as the touring company of Central School of Ballet to give Central’s graduating students the opportunity of professional performing experience to ticket-buying audiences. The company visits towns and cities across the UK every spring and summer performing in mid-sized theatres. The company also performs a range of choreography at various points throughout the academic year in Central’s Gable Theatre in London’s Southwark.

This year’s dazzling programme, devised by Artistic Director Kate Coyne, includes the final act of Petipa’s Coppélia, a celebration of classical ballet with the stunning score by Leo Delibes. Two newly commissioned works make their debut: Jules Cunningham’s contemporary work Stay On It set to a rhythmic track by minimalist composer Julius Eastman; and Carolyn Bolton’s high energy ballet Night Flight v2.0 performed to a new score by Philip Feeney. Daniel Davidson‘s recent work I think we’re on different planets is a moving evocation of heartache and our yearning for connection.

Inspiring new audiences, the Ballet Central Tour is the perfect introduction to ballet for audiences of all ages.

Date: Friday 31st May 7.30pm

Venue: Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW

Tickets: From £14, concessions available, buy online here

Find out more about Ballet Central here

BALLET CENTRAL TOUR – SUMMER 2024
Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells, London (10 May)
Corn Exchange, Newbury Spring Festival (21 May)
Chipping Norton Theatre (25 May)
Oxford Playhouse (31 May)
Chelmsford Theatre (4 June)
Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds (19 June)
Uppingham Theatre (21 June)
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (24 June)
EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge (4 July)
The Britten Theatre, London (17&18 July)