Rambert: Newcastle Theatre Royal

A few things you may not know about Rambert. Now in its 90th year, Rambert was the first classical ballet company to be established in the UK. Founded by Dame Marie Rambert, she was inspired to become a dancer after seeing Isadora Duncan perform. After joining Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, she was assistant to Vaslav Nijinsky on the infamous Rite of Spring which caused a riot at its premiere. Her company dictated new trends in dance while insisting on solid classical training.

Since the 1950s, the company’s work diversified, concentrating on the development of contemporary dance, and has earned a worldwide reputation in this field. In 2013 they became known simply as Rambert.

I eagerly anticipated their annual visit to Newcastle to see what the past year had brought forth. Onlookers were not disappointed – the variety and richness of the three ballets: Frames, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature and The Three Dancers, gave a wonderful platform for the cast to demonstrate their supreme artistry and physicality.

The stand-out piece for me was the middle work, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature, performed to music by Stravinsky and J S Bach, which had a lyricism and flowing beauty reflected in the movement, costumes and lighting. The first work, Frames, to a strident, percussive score, was highly engineered and hypnotic, though a somewhat robotic take on modern society. The final piece, based on Picasso’s Three Dancers painting, was punctuated almost literally by three giant shards of mirrored glass which descended from the gods as they danced. Their youth and vigour was much appreciated (and envied) by an enthusiastic audience.

Marj Nelson