Scottish Ballet’s Autumn Tour

Published Friday 22 September 2006 at 16:55 by Bernard Bale

Scottish Ballet is not only alive and well but vibrant and exciting, as can clearly be seen by this pulsating performance which is currently on tour throughout Scotland after a heralded appearance at the Edinburgh Festival.

With six pieces to excite, the audience is treated to an evening of diversity and utter exhaustion. Each piece extracts emotion and at times, the very breath of its audience and leaves us all with barely the energy to applaud. Having said that the applause was indeed loud and long.

Sirocco is choreographed superbly and brilliantly performed to set standard. Refurbished Behaviour is almost a threesome with a thrilling performance by two dancers and a chair that seems to come to life. Room of Cooks is a threesome of a different style - woman, husband and her lover darkly entwined in a piece which can best be described as brooding.

Hauntingly captivating is Acrid Avid Jam with two dancers gently drawing us to the edge of our seats. Walking In the Heat was originally created for the Dutch National Ballet in 1992 but it has a distinctly sexy Latin message to deliver.

Peter Tchaikovsky would surely have the been the first to his feet to applaud The Nutcracker - Divertissement, a brilliantly costumed all-action piece that explodes onto the stage in Spanish, Arabian, Russian and French theme with Pas de deux as good as you will see anywhere.

Scottish Ballet has been transformed from a dying swan just two years ago to a thrilling, leaping and very alive dynamo of dance. It is no coincidence that this new lease of life began with the arrival of artistic director Ashley Page. The dancing talent on stage in this tour is fantastic, the music wonderful and the performance brilliant. Behind it all is the hand of a ballet genius.