Ballet BC
★★★★☆ Dynamic
Festival Theatre: Fri 23/Sat 24 May 2025
Review by Suzanne O’Brien
Ballet BC‘s double bill showcases the company’s range and cohesion through two very different pieces: Crystal Pite’s enigmatic Frontier, and Johan Inger’s theatrical and emotional Passing.
Touring the UK under the aegis of the Dance Consortium, Canada’s preeminent contemporary dance company stopped off for two nights at the Festival Theatre. Originally created for NDT, Pite has reimagined Frontier for Ballet BC while the second work of the evening, John Inger’s Passing, was created for Ballet BC in 2023.
Artists of Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella Dance in Frontier by Crystal Pite. Pic Luis Luque
Crystal Pite’s Frontier is a thrilling and visually striking work that explores the unknown, dark matter, and the personification of shadows. The piece unfolds in a seamless flow of movement, light, and sound.
The experience begins before the first dance step is taken. Hooded figures, dressed entirely in black, silently enter from the sides of the auditorium, rolling onto a stage almost swallowed by darkness. The dancers’ anonymity suggests that this is not about individuals, but about a shared physical force.
There’s no central character or clear linear plot. This is very much an equal company piece with 24 dancers on stage (including four from Rambert School). Some dressed in white to represent human forms, all others in black.
one ominous being
These black-clad shadow figures are not merely reflections, they seem to have lives of their own, manipulating and even resisting the dancers in white. The figures grow, gather, and there are some truly impressive images created, especially when they move in birdlike ways and dance as a large group, almost blending into one ominous being.
As you would expect from a piece that examines the unknown and shadows, the lighting must be on point, and Tom Visser does not disappoint.
Frontier – Ballet BC dancers Jacalyn Tatro and Rae Srivastava in Frontier by Crystal Pite. Pic: Michael Slobodian.JPG
Large see-through sheets are draped at the sides and back of the stage, designed by Jay Gower Taylor, and lights are shone from behind them. When dropped, they gradually reveal tall standing lights that pour more and more light onto the stage altering mood and meaning.
Torches appear briefly, creating moments of stark intensity, and perfect lighting levels create the illusion of dancers floating or moving in ways that are beyond human capability. At other points, Visser uses subtle changes in light to highlight the work of the dark figures, so the audience are able to appreciate how they are lifting, moving and manipulating the white figures.
sense of mystery
More than simply enhancing the movement, Owen Belton’s original compositions feel as though the sound is a direct extension of the dancers’ bodies and minds, like a soundtrack shaped by their movements and emotions. The choral, church-like music that bookends the piece frames the performance as a kind of ritual, creating a sense of mystery.
Throughout, the company performs with clarity, strength, and control. Strongly executed, Frontier is a reminder of the ability dance has to explore what can’t always be seen.
Dancers of Ballet BC in Passing by Johan Inger. Pic: Tristram Kenton.
The second half of the evening, Passing, shifts tone dramatically. At 55 minutes, it’s the longer of the two works and looks at birth, love, death, celebration, and the relentless passage of time. Broken into vignettes, Johan Inger’s demanding choreography is a blend of various dance forms with contemporary dance, tap, and folk influences. It also includes voice and an a cappella duet sung and danced simultaneously by two performers with control and gorgeous intimacy.
Opening with two dancers scattering ash-like dark confetti, the piece shifts between the beautiful and the utterly absurd. One especially memorable moment is an exaggerated birth scene where 18 dancers emerge into the world, followed by episodes of joyful chaos, emotional release, and surreal comedy.
breathtaking
While the piece delivers many moments of brilliance choreographically, some sections verge on the excessive, particularly the scenes of hysterical laughing and crying which seem to go on for a good few minutes too long.
That being said, the final sequence is quite simply breathtaking. A prolonged confetti drop, with all dancers taking to the stage in flesh-coloured undergarments, continually marking the space with their movements. The petals never stay still for long, constantly shifted by the dancers weaving around and through each other.
Dancers of Ballet BC in Passing by Johan Inger. Pic: Tristram Kenton.
Though the scene may appear chaotic at times, but the control and precision on display should not go unnoticed. It feels deeply symbolic, possibly suggesting that our individual marks on the world are both fleeting and profound.
The structure of the evening might have benefited from reversing the order. With a 28-minute first act followed by an interval of a similar length, the near hour-long second half feels slightly unbalanced.
Nevertheless, Ballet BC delivers a moving double bill that demonstrates the strength of a unified company and their commitment to pushing the expressive boundaries of contemporary dance. the lighting and visual design elements in both works are not only beautiful but integral in elevating the choreography and deepening the impact of each piece.
Running time: One hour and 50 minutes (Including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT.
Fri 23/Sat 24 May 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Ballet BC on UK tour
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Tue 27/Wed 28 May 2025
Tickets and details: Book here.
Swan Theatre: High Wycombe
Sat 31 May 2025
Tickets and details: Book here.
Plymouth Theatre Royal
Tue 3/Wed 4 June 2025
Tickets and details: Book here.
Grand Theatre Wolverhampton
Fri 6/Sat 7 June 2025
Tickets and details: Book here.
Norwich Theatre
Tue 10/Wed 11 June 2025
Tickets and details: Book here.
Dancers of Ballet BC in Passing by Johan Inger. Pic: Luis Luque.
ENDS
