This year sees the centenary of the end of the First World War, and the English National Ballet returns to Sadler’s Wells to mark the occasion with its Lest We Forget triple bill, first seen four years ago. The three ballets reflect on the experiences of those who fought in the conflict, and those who stayed behind.
If you think Sir Kenneth MacMillan said all there was to say about the Great War in his magnificent Gloria, you are wrong, for choreographers Liam Scarlett, Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan have created powerful works on the same theme which are both beautiful and haunting.
On the opening night, the performance kicked off with Scarlett’s moving No Man’s Land. Set to music by Liszt (and regular ballet-goers will recognise excerpts which are also used in the Royal Ballet’s Mayerling), the piece embraces aspects of love and loss. The set is part munitions factory, part shattered landscape. It is a work of extraordinary beauty, with a touching pas de deux for Alina Cojocaru and Isaac Hernandez.
Russell Maliphant’s Second Breath suffers from being sandwiched between two stronger works and although the 20 dancers give it their all, it does not move like the opening and closing ballets.
Dust, by Akram Khan, brings the evening to a stunning close. It was his first creation for a classical ballet company, before his acclaimed reworking of Giselle, and it leaves the audience open-mouthed in wonder at the power of the dance on stage.
The dancers undulate in beautiful wave-like formations, then move in one fierce body to a pounding soundtrack. Khan’s choreography depicts the pain of the women who had to say farewell to their husbands and sons, yet would be working in factories to produce weapons meant to kill other husbands and sons. The effective use of dust and lighting adds to the atmosphere of this devastating piece.
Even after all the centenary commemorations are over, let’s hope the Lest We Forget triple bill remains in ENB’s repertoire as it is something to treasure.
The English National Ballet performs Lest We Forget at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London EC1 until 29 September.
