Janet-Street-Porter on the three ballerini: Polunin, Proietto and Putrov break the mould
The Three Tenors, says Janet-Street-Porter, brought opera to an entirely new audience, using popular material performed in arenas, not concert halls. Can former Royal Ballet star Ivan Putrov do the same for ballet?
His brilliant idea is an evening of spectacular dancing, Men in Motion. The biggest draw, after a tumultuous week in which he walked out of starring in the Royal Ballet’s next production, was 21-year-old Sergei Polunin, in Narcisse, a spectacular tour de force that showed off his athleticism to perfection. Ivan Putrov is a lyrical performer, who, like Polunin, came to find the Royal Ballet too restricting. He is enchanting in a solo set to Gluck and in a new work, designed by Gary Hume, which he also choreographed.
The show-stealer is the subtly hypnotic Daniel Proietto, in the beautiful AfterLife (Part One). The running order is a bit odd and the event needs to end on more of a high note, but it’s a step in the right direction, and shows that classical ballet needn’t focus around anorexic women in tutus. Ivan’s concept can easily be expanded with other soloists and merits a wider audience.
Polunin is ballet’s next rock star.
via The Independent
Photo: from left Daniel Proietto, Sergei Polunin, Ivan Putrov
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
The audience were bristling with anticipation. Would Polunin appear, or not? He did, and it was an anti climax. His performance was passable, for which he received polite applause.
Daniel Proietto performed Afterlight to perfection. A Thing of Beauty. The applause raised the roof, deservedly so, with some of us giving a standing ovation!