Review: Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born “delivered some truly beautiful moments”
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel sees Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born, which has great potential with the ensemble’s powerful presence.
| Title | Cayetano Soto – Schachmatt Dickson Mbi – Twice-Born |
| Company | Scottish Ballet |
| Venue | Sadler’s Wells, London |
| Date | 6 March 2025 |
| Reviewer | Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel |
It’s always a thrill to have Scottish Ballet (SB) return to Sadler’s Wells (06-08 March). Subtitled ‘Epic myths and jazzy wit from two dance visionaries’, the performance titled Twice-Born showcased three (rather than two) works; a short film by Sophie Laplane (short film), and two further ballets by Cayetano Soto and Dickson Mbi. The evening was introduced by Christopher Hampson, SB’s CEO and artistic director who has continued to strengthen the company through his tenure. He has taken bold decisions over the years; some have artistically paid off, others less so. Nevertheless, SB has clearly invested in a variety of voices, allowing for a nurturing of new and up-and-coming talent. This London season’s offering was of mixed quality.
The pre-show film, Dive, was a co-creation between Laplane and James Bonas, and directed by Oscar Sansom. Contrasts between blue and white dominate the film, rendering the choreography an essay on viewing bodies as they move through cube that shifts through pantones of blue and white. The work became more interesting as it unfolded; the highlights of capturing bodies in motion in the latter parts, to Lucy Allan’s compositions brought some truly beautiful moments. Laplane’s choreography is solid, but, as I’ve always noted in her works, there are some mesmerising moments and others which fall by the wayside.
The live performance commenced with Soto’s Schachmatt (Checkmate), a quirky and sharp piece inspired by Soto’s fascination with Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse. Ten dancers, five male-presenting, five female-presenting, commence on stage in a rich amber hue. Their costumes are tailored cornflower blue shirts and shorts; the black knee-length socks and flats enhance the clipped steps. Set to a playlist of music, from Rina Ketty to Henri Mancini, the dancers move through playful and popular tunes. The movements in Schachmatt are jazzy and flirtatious, yet contemporary and balletic – they are curious, engaging and effective phrases which fizz with energy and playfulness. The hand gestures, an ode to the legacy of jazz dance and Fosse’s teacher Jack Cole, compliment the eloquent choreography. The ‘riding hats’ come in handy, too. While each section of the ballet flowed into the next, there were two minor moments when I thought ‘is this the end?’ The first pause was a false alert. More so, I couldn’t help feeling that the actual ending, which was a series of steps walking off stage, leaving one lone dancer – with his hat lilted low, covering his face – was the ‘clever’ ending the audience was expecting. Maybe I got it wrong. As a newcomer to Soto’s work, I found Schachmatt very engaging. More please.
The evening closed with Twice-Born, Mbi’s commission which premiered in Autumn 2023. Mbi’s choreography and composition delivered some truly beautiful moments – in the first part a glorious use of the ensemble on the diagonal, and Rishan Benjamin’s memorable solo which could have been developed further. The dancers were committed to Mbi’s vocabularies, which seemed to be unsettled between the groundedness of percussive movements and the more upright ‘balletic’ moments. This wasn’t an overly successful experimentation and I kept getting drawn to the binaries that jarred in some moments. The very dated and ungracious dragging of three female dancers, by their male counterparts, felt rather unnecessary, particularly considering Mbi’s position as a male creative.
The ensemble is a powerful presence, and Mbi orchestrates the bodies with much attention to the hand gestures. The flexion of the hands, and luminescent, rippling actions of fingers are commanding moments. A careful editing of the work could refine this ballet, which has great potential. The composition, also by Mbi, was an organic partner to the work. Twice-Born has some wins, but also some losses.
With its fine collection of Hampson’s dancers, SB’s performance on opening night was much appreciated by its London audience, ahead of their New Zealand tour.
Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel is a dance scholar, educator and published author. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance (2003), the Universities of Durham and Surrey, and London Metropolitan University (2013). Her doctoral research focussed on Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces (1923), and the re-imaginings by contemporary choreographers Angelin Preljocaj and Mauro Bigonzetti. Kathrina is a former director of the Society of Dance History Scholars (now Dance Studies Association). Her scholarship on ballet histories has been published in peer-reviewed anthologies and journals, as well as newspapers, high-end magazines, and online blogs. She has authored a book on the legacy of Nathalie Poutiatine and ballet in Malta (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2020) and co-edited an extensive and pioneering anthology titled The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (Oxford University Press, 2021).
