Dance review: Scottish Ballet

Published on Sunday 6 September 2009 20:12

PLAYHOUSE, EDINBURGH ***

DIVERSITY in a triple bill is always a good thing, allowing different tastes to be catered for during one evening. Unfortunately, it also means all three pieces are tarred with the same brush – hence the three-star rating, when in fact at times Scottish Ballet were on five-star form at their International Festival performance.

Frederick Ashton's Scnes de Ballet remains a work of constructional genius. It is extraordinarily tricky to perform, with copious pirouettes and jumps, and it's testament to the dancers that they could deliver the work with such grace under enormous Festival pressure. For the moment, the work resides an inch outside their comfort zone but may well move inside it over time.

William Forsythe's complex Workwithinwork, however, is Scottish Ballet to the core. You can't fake Forsythe – you've either got it or you haven't – and Scottish Ballet's take on it at the weekend was nothing short of remarkable. Great news, then, that we'll see it again in their autumn programme.

Conversely, the much anticipated world premiere of Petrushka, by Ian Spink, needs to be packed away and chalked up to experience. A stunning set and gutsy performance from Daniel Davidson in the lead role are all this has going for it.

Virtually free of choreography, the piece left these hugely talented dancers wandering aimlessly searching for steps.