The curtain has just gone down on the Wayne McGregor triple bill at the Royal Opera House, London.
The Royal Ballet is celebrating McGregor's tenth anniversary as its Resident Choreographer with an evening featuring revivals of Chroma and Carbon life and the world premiere of McGregor's new ballet Multiverse, set to a new score by Steve Reich.
Wayne McGregor became Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer in 2006. His dynamic and visceral work has challenged the conventions of classical dance and created a new balletic style through his unique movement language.
Multiverse is his 15th work for the Company and is set to two scores by Steve Reich. It's Gonna Rain, written in 1965 was Reich's first major work and uses a looped tape recording of a Pentecostal minister, preaching on the story of Noah. It's Gonna Rain is juxtaposed with Reich's newest score Runner, commissioned especially for Multiverse, which brings together past and present in Reich's 80th birthday year.
Set and ‘concept' design is by the Pakistani artist Rashid Ran, lighting design by Lucy Carter, costumes by Moritz Junge and the dramaturg is Uzma Hamid.
Chroma was created in 2006 and took the ballet world by storm. The score, drawn from original music by Joby Talbot and his arrangements of music by American rock band The White Stripes, is combined with stark, minimalist designs by architect John Pawson.
Chroma won the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and led to McGregor's appointment as Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer. Since its premiere the ballet has been staged around the world by some of the world's leading dance companies and for this revival Royal Ballet dancers will be joined on stage by dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the first time these two companies have danced together.
The triple bill also features the first revival of Carbon Life which premiered in 2012. Fashion and pop collide in Carbon Life with music by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt and fashion designs by Gareth Pugh. Ronson and Wyatt have assembled a group of musician's to perform live on stage to McGregor's choreography which references jazz, disco and hip-hop creating a bold work unlike anything else ever staged by The Royal Ballet.
The Wayne McGregor 10th anniversary celebrations continue in January with the first revival of Olivier Award winning ballet Woolf Works.
Wayne McGregor Triple Bill
Chroma, Multiverse, Carbon Life
Thursday 10 November – Saturday 19 November
BOX OFFICE: 0207 304 4000 – www.roh.org.uk
CREATIVE TEAM
Chroma
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Music: Joby Talbot and Jack White III
Orchestration: Christopher Austin
Set Design: John Pawson
Costume Design: Moritz Junge
Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Multiverse
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Music – Its Gonna Rain / Runner: Steve Reich
Set and Concept Design: Rashid Rana
Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Dramaturg: Uzma Hameed
Carbon Life
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Music: Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
Artists: Brody Dalle, Rose Elinor Doughall, Jonathan Pierce, Sam Sparrow, Zanna Van Vorstenbosch, Santan Dave
Musicians: Adam Chetwood, Bryan Senti, Jason Silver
Designer: Gareth Pugh
Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Conducted by Koen Kessels with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
CASTING
Chroma
10 / 14 / 16 / 17 / 19 November
Lauren Cuthbertson, Sarah Lamb, Federico Bonelli, Steven McRae, Calvin Richardson*
Dancers from Alvin Ailey: Jamar Roberts, Yannick Lebrun, Rachel McLaren, Jacqueline Green, Jereboam Bozeman
Multiverse
10 / 16 / 19 November
Lauren Cuthbertson*, Sarah Lamb*, Marianela Nunez*, Francesca Hayward,* Olivia Cowley*, Mayara Magri*, Anna Rose O'Sullivan*, Federico Bonelli*, Steven McRae*, Edward Watson*, Paul Kay*, Eric Underwood*, Matthew Ball*, Calvin Richardson*
14 / 17 November
Tierney Heap*, Akane Takada*,
Beatriz Stix-Brunell*, Itziar Mendizabal*, Leticia Stock*, Yasmine Naghdi*, Hannah Grennell, Tristan Dyer*, Luca Acri*, Edward Watson, Marcelino Sambe*, Ryoichi Hirano*, Benjamin Ella*, James Hay*
Carbon Life
10 / 16 / 19 November
Marianel Nunez, Francesca Hayward*, Akane Takada*, Olivia Cowley, Beatriz Stix-Brunel*l, Edward Watson, Ryoichi Hirano, Tristen Dyer*, Paul Kay, Eric Underwood
14 / 17 November
Claire Calvert*, Anna Rose O'Sullivan*, Leticia Stock*, Yuhui Choe*, Mayara Magri*, Matthew Ball*, Reece Clarke*, Alexander Campbell*, Fernando Montano*, Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød*
*Role Debut
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
Carbon Life was so dire I nearly burst out laughing. The music was truly awful; a derivative of a bit of Genesis with echoes of a bit of Pet Shop Boys, circa 1992 a la Top of the Pops. (yes – that dire);
Chroma was danced brilliantly and it was good to see the marvelous Alvin Ailey dancers. and our people working together so well.
A lack of light and shade in Multiverse makes it flat and uninteresting.
So, I enjoyed Chroma, not the rest. You can’t expect magic every night.
……..
I enjoyed seeing Quintessential last night at the Peacock Theatre. Five new pieces by 5 different choreographers, New English Ballet Theatre. I enjoyed most of all Entitlement’s Lure by Valentino Zucchetti, but all the pieces were good; the works of Daniela Cardim, Marcelino Sambe, George Williamson and Kristen McNally were very varied and the evening deserved the warm response it received. The dancers were excellent. So one night of magic out of two is pretty good really and I am lucky to be able to enjoy these wonderful nights of creativity a mere bus ride from home!
Chroma very much the best piece on show tonight, I thought, and the inclusion of the amazing Alvin Ailey dancers brought a new energy to the dancing.
I personally find McGregor’s choreographies quite boring to watch but they seem very challenging to dance…Wish to be a young dancer to try them!