It has never been doubted that Northern Ballet is home to some of the leading talent in the dance world, but Sketches further affirms the company’s role as a pioneer in shaping the future of the performing arts space.
The title Sketches: Past, Present and Future captures the spirit of the performance which provided creatives a safe space to trial new choreographic work and push the existing boundaries of what we know to be classical ballet.
The choreographic platform, conceived by Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director Federico Bonelli, enjoyed a successful run during the 2024 season. Its mission is clear: to nurture and encourage emerging choreographers and provide them with a platform through which they can workshop fresh and innovative ideas and showcase them to an audience.
Whilst far removed from the usual opulence of a typical Northern Ballet production, the stripped back setting of this performance brought a refreshing, intimate touch. It is not often that you have the opportunity to sit up-close and experience the technical brilliance and emotional nuance of artists which had the effect of elevating the narratives of each piece.
Short introductions to the work by the respective choreographers offered a rare and invaluable insight
into the vision and inspirations which drove the artistic and creative process and perfectly
contextualised each performance. Drawing on deeply personal influences and contemporary events,
each performance was electric and exciting, showcasing interesting movements and redefining the
boundaries of classical styles.
Though each piece was uniquely different, they collectively worked as a seamless unit which developed a cohesive full production – perhaps due to their shared objective: express individuality and explore the evolving possibilities of classical movement.
Stand out moments include the daring and intimated pas de deux work in Vince Virr’s piece titled
Glimpse and the emotional range of the dancers in George Liang’s Waves of What Remains. Liang’s
Longing for Spring Breeze was a particular highlight of the evening, which presented a striking
interpretation of a Taiwanese Hokkien song using the format of a classical ballet pas de deux. The
musical accompaniment created specifically for this performance was by James Buckle, the result of a
collaboration with Leeds Conservatoire. This demonstrated the rich potential of partnerships within
the artistic world and evidenced the importance of nurturing such relationships.
This year’s programme featured chorographic work from Vince Virr, George Liang, Yosuke Mino,
Bruno Serraclara, Daniel de Andrade, Tobey l’Anson, Jun Ishii and Albert González Orts. This cohort
includes Northern Ballet dancers, artistic associates and guest choreographers, bringing them together
in a display of both current and future choreographic artists. The performance concluded with a short
excerpt from Paquita, a Spanish romantic ballet which is very technically demanding of its dancers,
and paid homage to the art form’s historical roots.
Sketches and Northern Ballet continue to challenge the expectation of classical dancers and prove the
adaptability of such a traditional style. This programme in particular encourages its choreographers to develop new ways of moving within the classical realm of dancing and experiment with bold new concepts.
Proving that tradition and innovation can coexist on the same stage, Sketches has confirmed that the future of dance is promising.
