Each year at this time the sixty-strong BRB splits into two groups which tour different regions of the UK. The 30 dancers who arrived at Wycombe Swan provided a very varied and entertaining sample of their work, in a programme of five separate pieces. The opener, Lyric Pieces, was commissioned last year from the American choreographer Jessica Lang. It’s set to some of Grieg’s piano pieces by that name, and it is a delight. There is a clean, fresh air about this group of dances, with the girls and boys in various combinations, and while there is no story, there is clearly a bond between them. A striking feature are Molo Designs black, concertina-like creations, which actually become part of the choreography.
After the interval came Harvest pas de Deux, which turned out to be the Peasant pas de Deux from Giselle – presumeably the PC brigade think “peasant” might offend. Anyway, nicely done by Maureya Lebowitz and the impressive William Bracewell. Kenneth MacMillan’s lovely Pavane pas de Deux fared well with Delia Matthews and Brandon Lawrence, while Momoko Hirata and Tzu-Chao Chou took on the fearsome Don Quixote pas de Deux with much bravura – did I see triple fouettées?
Finally came John Cranko’s timeless comedy and crowd-pleaser Pineapple Poll, in which all the girls fall for dashing Captain Belaye, and disguise themselves (very unconvincingly) as sailors to get on to his ship.
It simply zips along to a compilation of Gilbert and Sullivan numbers. Iain Mackay exudes vanity as Belaye, and Maureya Lebowitz is a charming Poll.
I’ve seen this work many times over the years, but never before have I seen the show stolen by Belaye’s batty fiancée, Blanche. In her extraordinary dress, tiny Laura Day dances like a demented wedding cake.
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