Pirates of the Coliseum

LONDON: English ballet companies have tended to avoid the big Russian blockbuster ballets but in autumn the Royal Ballet introduced Don Quixote and now the English National Ballet has gone one better presenting Ann-Marie Holmes’ lavish Le Corsaire.

It's a ballet packed with good dance, some of Petipa’s loveliest variations for the women and the toughest and most exciting for the men. Like Lord Byron, on whose poem the work is based, the male corps looked ‘mad, bad, and dangerous to know’.

Bearded and tousled, they are the most rugged gang of reprobates to stir female hearts. And as for the ladies there are bare midriffs, chiffon veils and tulle with enough glitter to think the festive season hasn’t passed.

Hollywood designer, Bob Ringwood has combined techno-wizardry and theatrical skill in breath-taking designs. The pirate ship that sails the ocean waves in the prologue and comes to grief in the final scene is a triumph while the sets are iconic in their Eastern splendour.

However the plot is shameful: sex slavery, piracy, hard drugs, knife crime, gun crime – dressed up in brash Orientalist fashion. But played by a cast of beautiful people with elegantly pointed feet and no-one seemed to care.

Saturday night saw Tamara Rojo as Medora with guest star Matthew Golding as Conrad and together they blazed a meteoric trail through the ballet. Rojo’s dual role as lead ballerina and company director is taking its toll on some of her finer technical details but there are still few to rival her when it comes to fiery virtuosity and her fouettés were simply fabulous.

Golding, too, is in his element, his charismatic presence in addition to an awesome elevation and multiple turns winning over the audience.

Vadim Muntagirov in the role of Ali joins the couple in the famous Corsaire pas d’action. It is such a pleasure to see this choreographic gem in its original form rather than just the pas de deux which is a staple of gala fare.

Muntagirov gets the famous male solo and distinguishes it with a combination of classical elegance and virtuoso skills. This season has seen him come of age boosting his formidable technique with a burgeoning stage authority making him one of the most exciting male dancers around.

Gulnare was danced by another rising star, Laurretta Summerscales. She had her debut as Medora a few days later. In an utterly disarming way she never seems to be working very hard although her technique is fierce: limbs instinctively finding textbook positions and her fifths dovetailing to perfection. In Act 1 she teases the Pasha with coquettish charm then brings lyrical beauty to the dreamy pas de deux in Act 2.

She also spurred her Conrad, Arionel Vargas, to increased heights charging his performance with renewed energy. There is wisdom in pairing a newcomer with a more experienced partner and it paid off in the ease they showed in the spectacular lifts and the confident supported work. Ali was danced by Zdenek Konvalina in a high quality performance, no tricks, just clean classical lines and a pleasure to watch.

The English National Ballet are in fine form and Le Corsaire gives plenty of opportunity in the many soloist roles. I particularly liked Fernando Bufala’s Birbanto, a tough character played with great integrity and a dash of virtuoso flair. The tall elegant Ken Saruhashi was an unlikely Lankendem but after a low key entrance took on the character in a very convincing manner. He was well teamed with Ksenia Ovsyanick’s Gulnare.

She is a dancer with a particularly warm and appealing stage presence who brings something special to each role and was an excellent foil to Summerscales’ Medora. Of the Odalisques Jia Zhang and also Alison McWhinney, both dancers with exceptionally long legs and an enviable ballerina line of neck, were outstanding, as was Senri Kou is the bouncy allegro solo.

Company stalwart, Michael Coleman has clocked up another great part, waddling with glee as the lusty impotent Pasha in a costume encrusted with jewels.

Maggie Foyer
22 January 2014