New v New

On Saturday, I was at The National Ballet for 3 dance pieces. The last piece, Cacti, was a "loving" critique of contemporary dance. Certainly, parts of it were played for laughs including some ridiculous poses and portentous voice-over from a "modern arts critic". But it was the most warmly received for its kinetic choreography as well as some truly humorous passages. Humour is often missing from modern dance, but classical as well.

The first two pieces were from Balanchine. For this evening, they acted as as bridge to the past since Balachine usually used classical techniques in modern ways. So the Four Temperaments felt of a kind with Cacti, in its focus on technique and non-narration. In contrast, Rubies with its evocation of group dances and village life seemed a musty throwback to a hermetic ballet repertoire.