Review: BalletBoyz, Deluxe (streamed via Sadlers Wells Facebook page) - stunning and mesmerising
30/03/2020
Last year I was introduced to the BalletBoyz and their show Them/Us moved me to tears. I was looking forward to their new show Deluxe which, fortunately, was filmed before theatres closed and is available to watch online (details below).
Like Them/Us it is two pieces separated by an interval, each has a behind the scenes style intro which explains a bit about how the pieces were developed and their themes.
Bradley 4.18 is the first piece and depicts the different reasons why someone might be awake in the early hours, exploring different personalities.
The music is jazz-influenced and that was a problem for me because I'm not a huge jazz fan, particularly the more free-form stuff.
It made it difficult to fully bond with the piece although it didn't stop me appreciating the individual expressionism in the early parts and the intricacy and precision of the later sections when the dancing became more collaborative.
In the introduction to the second piece, Ripple, dancer and choreographer Xie Xin says she found working with just male dancers a challenge primarily because of the balance of power and movement a company of male and female dancers has.
It makes the accomplishment of what she has achieved with the piece all the greater.
Ripple was far easier to connect with than Bradley 4.18 and I found it quite breathtaking. The balance she achieves is in contradictory ideas that worked together beautifully.
Great strength was mixed with delicacy, simplicity mixed with the bold and intricate and fluidity mixed with power.
The idea of interconnectivity and layers, a blending and blurring, yet somehow remaining distinctive. It was truly beautiful, stunning and mesmerising to watch.
I'm going to give BalletBoyz Deluxe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and it is an hour and a half including introductions and interval.
BalletBoyz' Deluxe is available to watch for free this week until Friday on the Sadler's Wells website and the show will be back on stage when circumstances allow.
Look out for more of their work online in the coming weeks.
You might also like to read:
Review: Ballet Boyz: Them/Us, Vaudeville Theatre
More ideas for theatre you can watch online while theatres are closed.
From the archive: Why I don't like musicals.