ALLEGRI DIVERSI
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Christopher Rodgers-Wilson, Victoria Marr, Samara Downs, Jonathan Caguioa, William Bracewell, Lei Zhao; photo: Roy Smiljanic
MUSIC GIOACHINO ROSSINI
DESIGNS TERRY BARTLETT
LIGHTING JOHN B. READ
A conflation of two joyous instrumental pieces by Rossini, for clarinet and orchestra, gave me the basis for this abstract but very ‘Italian’ suite of dances for six virtuoso dancers. Allegri was a deliberate response to the many pieces, full of ‘import’ and ‘message’ that seemed to be around at the time. I was simply ‘full of steps’ and straining at the confines of the old Sadler’s Wells Theatre, hence the miniature cast and the influence of both Bournonville and Cecchetti.
‘A fizzing showcase of classical dance’
THE GUARDIAN
'Graceful, evocative and absurdly inventive'
THE SHROPSHIRE STAR