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Theatre

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English National Ballet: Melody On The Move Triple Bill (Melody On The Move/Sinfonietta Giocosa/A Million Kisses To My Skin)

Description: Triple bill programme showcasing the works of acclaimed British choreographers Michael Corder, Christopher Hampson and David Dawson.



Rating: 3 out of 5 Sarah Frater's rating
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Dir: Wayne Eagling.

Cast: English Naitonal Ballet

Sadler's Wells Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN

Phone: 0844412 4300

Website: www.sadlerswells.com

Email: ticket.office@sadlerswells.com

Extra info: Food, Air Conditioning, Pub

Transport: Tube: Angel Transport for London , Tube / Bus: 19, 38, 341 Transport for London

Sweet return to the radio days

The English National Ballet triple bill featured Melody on the Move, Sinfonietta Giocosa and A Million Kisses to my Skin
The English National Ballet triple bill featured Melody on the Move, Sinfonietta Giocosa and A Million Kisses to my Skin

By Sarah Frater
7 Mar 2007


A mini Sleeping Beauty is Melody on the Move, complete with a good fairy, handsome cavaliers and a magical princess.

That Melody is set to light classical music from the Thirties, Forties and Fifties matters no more than the costumes being of the same era, as is the giant Bakelite radio from whose dial the dancers emerge.

New in 2003, Michael Corder's family-friendly ballet is sweet and safe, a well-crafted nostalgia fest, and the unexpected hit of this triple bill that features two new ballets with ostensibly far greater claim to success.

Sinfonietta Giocosa and A Million Kisses to my Skin are both plotless works. Both use an athletic, almost gymnastic-style of movement, both are set to classical music, and both are dressed in sleek leotard-look costumes.

Both are also the work of youngish British choreographers, both Royal Ballet School graduates, and many a dance world luminary, including the Royal Ballet's director, no less, rocked up to see how they fared.

David Dawson produced the stronger of the two ballets. His Million Kisses had no story narrative, but it had a clear choreographic one, with ideas developing as the piece progressed, including couples sharing, swapping and synching their moves.

His choice of Bach was also, perhaps, easier on the ear than Christopher Hampson's more challenging Martinu, although it was the quality of the choreography that scuppered Million Kisses.

Hampson's super-spiky neo-classical ballet was full and fast, yet it felt dated, and there was an empty athleticism to the relentlessly sporty moves.

Tonight (0870 737 7737).

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

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