THE volume and warmth of the reception afforded to London City Ballet as they returned to touring to Bath’s Theatre Royal after an absence of nearly 30 years, is testament to the way that ballet, dance and movement have recaptured the imagination, particularly of younger theatre-goers, over the past decade. Harold King’s once enormously popular company, dedicated to touring classic works while continuing to craft their own new dance works, finally gave up the uneven battle of financing their tours without the aid of any revenue funding, in 1996 after years of successful productions.

With much of the arts still struggling, surviving often only because of public funding, what on earth inspired artistic director Christopher Marney and his team to resurrect a company which, at the height of its popularity, had Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, as its patron? The answer is that thanks to TV programmes as diverse as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice, old loves have been revived and a whole new generation has been introduced to dance and movement .

And by mixing a little classical ballet, the Ashley Page-choreographed Larina Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, with the Kenneth MacMillan-choreographed Ballade, music by Faure, Five Dances choreographed by Arielle Smith to John Adams music, drawing the audience into as close a relationship with a company as can be found in any Christmas pantomime, and Christopher Marney exploring the story of Adam, Eve and the serpent, via Jennie Muskett’s fascinating mixture of sounds and music, the company was never in danger of losing the attention of their audience.

There is an old saying in theatre “always leave them (the audience) wanting more”, and with the respective segments of this programme timed seven, 15, 18 and 20 minutes respectively, the presentation fitted that description perfectly. Just 11 dancers were on show to bring each segment vividly to life, apart from Ballade, where just four dancers, Ayca Anil, Alejandro Virelles, Alvaro Madrigal and Joseph Taylor, indulge in a wonderful exercise of choreographic poker. Between them they showed an aptitude for classical ballet, mime, storytelling and high drama that gave the audience a delicious taste of the very best of so many aspects of dance.

There are still strong arguments about the use of recorded music rather than live musicians to back a touring production like this one. Whatever your feelings on the subject, the full sound of the well-presented music that supported these dances certainly added to the enjoyment for the audiences. A simple, expertly-lit set and costumes that added to each changing mood, visually enhanced the value of each segment.

As the company sets out on a tour that will take them to China and New York, as well as this country, Cheltenham Everyman 2nd and 3rd of August, it is the strong hope of Bath audiences that it will not be another 30 years before this vibrant company returns to the Theatre Royal.

GRP

Photographs by ASH