Britain's Ballet Boyz Performs 3 US Premieres at Jacob's Pillow
Becket – Jacob’s Pillow presents the witty intelligence and bold contemporary explorations of the U.K.’s Ballet Boyz, July 16 – 20. Founded in 2001 by former stars of The Royal Ballet William Trevitt and Michael Nunn, the company appeals to a wide audience through its contemporary work and innovative presentation format; screening short, at times, humorous films before each dance.During its residency at the Pillow, the company, which includes both male and female dancers, will perform Liv Lorent’s Propeller, and the U.S. premieres of Craig Revel Horwood’s Yumba vs Nonino, Rafael Bonachela’s EdOx (formerly known as AmOx), and Russell Maliphant’s Broken Fall.
“The Ballet Boyz are a brilliant team and a brilliant invention. Lucky for us that these two star dancers ventured out of the royal nest to create something new and different for ballet and for contemporary dance overall. They work with some of the finest dancers in the world, and their talents extend to filmmaking, video installations, and producing. I’m delighted we’ll be presenting three U.S. premieres at the Pillow,” comments Ella Baff, Executive Director at Jacob’s Pillow.
Liv Lorent, artistic director of balletLORENT in the U.K., created Propeller for Michael Nunn and Ukrainian ballerina Oxana Panchenko, who will perform it at the Pillow. Panchenko trained in Kiev and won the 2003 Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Artist in Classical Dance. With a score by Ezio Bosso and Antonio Vivaldi, Nunn gracefully assists Panchenko who appears just as lost without his guidance as he is intent on helping her find her way. The Guardian (U.K.) notes that the work “transfixes into moments of sharp, silvery beauty.”
Set to music by Astor Piazzolla, Yumba vs. Nonino was choreographed by Australian-born Craig Revel Horwood, of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing fame. Inspired by the Argentinean tango, the dance is satirically seductive, boastful, and vivacious and pays tribute to the enduring friendship between Ballet Boyz founders Nunn and Trevitt who will perform the duet at the Pillow. The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) calls the work “pure high jinks” and says it is “danced with just the right mix of seriousness and panache.” Another duet evokes a more serious mood. EdOx, Rafael Bonachela’s reworking of his AmOx, will be performed by dancers Tim Morris and Oxana Panchenko to original music by composer Ezio Bosso. The New York Times says the work exhibits “geometries of fabulous strangeness and power.”
Russell Maliphant’s Broken Fall was originally created for French ballerina Sylvie Guillem, Michael Nunn, and William Trevitt and premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2003. The work is set to a commissioned score by English composer Barry Adamson. At the Pillow Broken Fall will be performed by Michael Nunn, William Trevitt, and Oxana Panchenko. In the work, the female dancer is manipulated by her male counterparts. The men toss her back and forth, flip her over their shoulders, and carry her high above their heads. The Times (U.K.) commends the company’s performance of Maliphant’s work, saying, “Its fluent, power-sharing phrases are delivered with muscular charisma and a supple intimacy.” Broken Fall was awarded a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance in 2003.
Ballet Boyz was established in 2001 to challenge and enlighten audiences by merging multiple artistic fields. The company presents collaborative efforts by choreographers, composers, artists, designers, filmmakers, and photographers. Since its formation, the company has won numerous awards, including the Olivier Award for Broken Fall and nominations at the 2001 and 2003 South Bank Show Dance Awards. In 2005 Ballet Boyz became an Associate Company of Sadler’s Wells, one of London’s leading dance venues. Having toured in the U.K. and internationally, Ballet Boyz boasts an extensive repertoire with 28 original commissions. Performing with the company is Oxana Panchenko, former dancer for the English National Ballet and the City Ballet of London and Tim Morris, a founding member of Hofesh Shechter Company (a troupe that will also perform at Jacob’s Pillow July 9 – 13).
While touring with The Royal Ballet, Ballet Boyz founders Nunn and Trevitt created short video documentaries that gained a popular following and garnered critical acclaim in England. Since then they have included film interludes in their company’s performances. They have recorded their creative endeavors in the documentaries, Ballet Boyz and Ballet Boyz II—The Next Step. Video diaries and behind-the-scenes highlights of their work have also appeared on the British television series 4Dance. A four-episode program, The Rough Guide to Choreography, aired in June and July of 2004 and reached an audience of two million people. Their documentary Strictly Bolshoi followed Christopher Wheeldon, as he became the first Englishman to create a new work for the Bolshoi Ballet in 2005 and the film garnered a 2008 prestigious Rose d’Or award for television work. They worked again with Wheeldon and the Royal Ballet in May of 2008 on Electric Counterpoint, in which four dancers performed to and with intricate video projects including a virtual corp de ballet comprised of digital reproductions of the dancers themselves.
Nunn and Trevitt’s films capture the highs and lows of creating a show and lend an additional dimension to the work presented on stage, emphasizing the accessibility of dance and attempting to reach wider audiences by displaying their personable and cheeky humor. The Ballet Boyz often create films during the company’s stays at various venues that are geared to reflect each environment’s unique personality and provide a location-specific touch to each performance. They expect to create and show at least one such film for their Pillow performances.
