NATIONAL YOUTH BALLET  GALA AT SADLER’S WELLS 
14TH October 2007

This annual gala – repeated some days later at Leatherhead – is always a most joyful evening.  Youngsters for over seventy dance schools rehearse over weekends and an August Summer School to present an evening (and specially commissioned) ballets, repeating some from previous repertoire and adding new works.

This year Jill Tookey, founding director, has made a coup.  She persuaded HRH, The Prince of Wales to give her permission to adapt his children’s book, The Old Man of Lochnagar into a ballet, commissioned a score from Nigel Hess (at HRH’s suggestion) and took a calculated risk in asking Drew McOnie to create the choreography.  The risk was negligible as McOnie now a member of New Adventures, has spent a decade performing with BYB (he was hilarious in TOAD) and has a flair for choreography.  He also had Matthew Bourne looking over his shoulder. The result is delicious and I cannot wait to view it again, and soon.

There are many splendid little touches such as the journey to Gormland where Jack Wilcox and Katie Webb have a ‘spot-on’ duo a la Astaire and Rogers.  Before that the Old Man’s fall into the lake brings him face to face with Water Maidens, fish and birds; all ideal impersonations for the youngsters to perform.  By far the best dancing (and most fascinating character) came from Louis McMiller as the Eagle who takes the hero on his journeys.  McMiller is tall, commanding and graceful and he manipulates hi massive wing span with authority.  This is also the best designed costume of the work.  Interestingly he also looks and moves like Tyrone Singleton who, surely, would have been cast in the role only a few years ago.  Singleton, now a soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet, performed with three other BRB dancers who had all been NYB members, in a revival of Jonathan Payn’s Phoebus Arise (Music Dvorak), just for this gala.  This also shows how much of a ‘family’ atmosphere NYB has.

Janet Kinson, a founder member of NYB who retires at the end of the present year, revived her Young person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Britten) with Wilcox as the Conductor beleaguered by far too many notes.  Diane van Schoor’s La Piazza made a welcome return wince it gives blocks of young ladies a change to tackle a Tarantella and other Italianate dances and indulge in some dramatic goings –on.  Another welcome is to Wayne’ Sleep’s TOAD which is always guaranteed to bring much humour into the theatre.  Here Jamiel Laurence (Toad) William Bozier (Ratty) and Imogen Taylor (Mole) bear the brunt of the choreography and, again, the youngest tots and revel in such characters as the ducks, rabbits and lambs.  Country Suite uses Percy Grainger tunes to effect in a pleasant Victorian reverie.

Even if one did not admire the choreography and dancing there is always the superb costume design to savour – mostly by Jill Tookey.  The cut of the cloth, contrasting colours and addition to the dance characters; all make them an integral part of NYB,
Highly enjoyable.    

Charles Hedges,
Dance Expression.