Scottish Ballet at the Theatre Royal Glasgow Review

Scottish Ballet
Elsa Canasta &
Motion of Displacement
Theatre Royal, Glasgow

24-26 September 2015

www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-glasgow

Reviewed by Dee Ryz

Saturday’s Scottish Ballet performance at Theatre Royal in Glasgow was a showcase of 2 world premier pieces of modern ballet ‘Motion of Displacement’ by Bryan Arias and  ‘Maze’ by company member Sophie Laplane, as well as the reworked ‘Elsa Canasta’ by Javier de Frutos.

Elsa Canasta was set to music by Cole Porter, and the ballet was accompanied by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, with vocals by Nick Holder. The piece was without a narrative but featured duets interspersed with whole company movement, as well as a live singer, to embody and evoke the Jazz music of Cole Porter, in music hall nostalgia. The dancers regularly broke off into trios, launching themselves off a black sweeping staircase which was the only set used in the piece.

Motion of Displacement had a more linear structure, dealing with a theme of journeying. The music was an interesting mix of modern composer John Adams (think looping and intense) and traditional composer Bach. It worked well with Araias’ movement to create a build-up and climax. Performed by 5 men and women the piece regularly broke off into duets, cleverly moving around dangling lightbulbs which raised and lowered into the space and highlighted moments of the choreography.

Scottish Ballet are committed to developing emerging choreographic talent: Maze is a product of this. Performed by 4 dancers to music by Nick Cave, Minologue and Xela, Laplane has created a short and light-hearted piece, full of quirky movement.

The Theatre Royal is in the heart of Glasgow, a short 10 minute walk from Queen Street train station, St George’s Cross subway station and Buchanan St bus station. There is also a nearby NCP car park, with close links to the motorway. The theatre has an onsite cafe and bars, catering for light snacks, rather than meals, but plenty of bars and restaurants nearby for pre/post theatre. The building has recently been renovated and the new atrium makes the building more accessible to disabled visitors, with the original foyer tidied to reveal its splendour.

Overall, a fantastic 5 out of 5 from this ballet enthusiast and a must see for everyone who has a keen interest in modern dance.

Rating: 5/5 

Scottish Ballet is currently of tour with Elsa Canasta & Motion of Displacement, next stop is the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh (29-30 September). For more information visit www.scottishballet.co.uk.

For other shows at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow visit www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-glasgow.

Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA | 0844 871 7647