Sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical
theatre in four distinctive short works showing the remarkable choreographic
range of The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon.
Fool’s Paradise
Luminescent and shimmering, Fool’s Paradise marked the
first of Wheeldon’s many collaborations with composer Joby Talbot. It was
created in 2007 for Wheeldon’s own company, Morphoses, and first performed in
2012 by The Royal Ballet.
The Two of Us
The wistful songs of Joni Mitchell set the scene for the
UK premiere of The Two of Us, a duet of deep intimacy and yearning. It was
created in 2020 for the Fall for Dance Festival in New York, and had American
ballet dancers Sarah Mearns and David Hallberg in its original cast.
Us (Duet)
Us is a tender duet danced by two men. It was created in
2017 for BalletBoyz and is set to Keaten Henson’s music.
An American in
Paris (Ballet)
The Royal Ballet celebrates Wheeldon’s extraordinary
success in musical theatre by performing the ballet scene from his Tony
Award-winning musical An American in Paris. Set to Gershwin’s jazzy melodies,
the musical is inspired by the 1951 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly
and Leslie Caron. The musical went on to win four Tony awards.The full musical depicts a blossoming romance
between the American G.I. Jerry Mulligan and a French ballerina, Lise Dassin.
The ballet excerpt was Wheeldon’s take on one of the most memorable scenes from
the film – an extended sequence in which the two central characters dance
through Paris.
Broadcast live via satellite from the Royal Ballet &
Opera, Covent Garden. 3hrs.
Tickets: £17, Seniors £16 + £1.20 per ticket if booked
online