Sylvia

Published Monday 28 January 2008 at 14:15 by Gavin Roebuck

The title doesn’t sell too well but the ballet is delicious.

Sylvia pays homage to the 19th-century French ballet style and Ashton’s champagne like choreography, revived by Christopher Newton to Delibes’ expressive music, combines to make a charming show.

So a nymph captured by huntsman and restored by Eros to her true lover becomes an excuse for inventive and decorative dances. Both in the solos and attractively crafted groups this cast has a technical sparkle though lacks some of the nuances of style that Ashton loved and could have more emotional appeal. While it is wrong to compare artists with each other, which is why dance awards are invidious, a lack of emotional engagement and over concentration on athleticism can give audiences a less rewarding experience than dancers who fully consider their roles.

Marianela Nuñez always dances like joyous sunshine but Sylvia is a huntress, seductress and delicate woman and in the title role she doesn’t yet quite fulfill all these demands, though she is an engaging and developing artist. David Makhateli has a soft quality to his dancing which may be approprite for the lovesick shepherd Aminta but he was a touch too bland and unexciting in the steps of elevation and lacks the charisma a true star needs.

Ballet productions lit by Mark Jonathan are a joy as he has sensitivity to artists and sets. Peter Farmer tastefully develops the sumptuous original Second Empire designs of Robin and Christopher Ironside. Conducted with brio by Benjamin Pope - it’s a delight.