The Stage

Voluntaries / The Lesson / Infra

Published Friday 14 November 2008 at 12:30 by Gavin Roebuck

Having little faith in the creation of new classical works, The Royal Ballet has appointed a contemporary dance maker to the post of resident choreographer. Wayne McGregor uses his position to create the 25-minute Infra, in which he moves the dancers around with little, if any, narrative. Add gloomy lighting by Lucy Carter, a 59-foot long LED screen showing walking people by Julian Opie and a trendy score by Max Richter and hey presto, the choreographer of a Harry Potter film has created a modern dance work.

The choreography includes ugly lines and crude raw duets mixed with sharply fluid - though fragmented - athletic biomechanical movements.

Edward Watson expands his versatile range as a dancer in this piece. The making of Infra is the subject of a BBC2 documentary to be broadcast on November 22, along with a televised performance. Decide for yourself if this is a thrilling cutting-edge dance or as fashionably clever an idea as the Emperor’s New Clothes.

Maybe it will last as long in the repertoire as Glen Tetley’s 1973 Voluntaries. This fusion of emotion and classical lyricism to music by Francis Poulenc balances the expressive and the technically demanding - Rupert Pennefather with Marianela Nuñez excelled.

Flemming Flindt’s The Lesson is a dark portrayal of a dance teacher who steps beyond the border of sanity with an unfortunate student. Taken from the Ionesco story to music by Georges Delerue, it is well performed by a cute Roberta Marquez, a predatory Johan Kobborg and an eccentric Laura Morera as the Pianist.

The company has clearly plenty of money for conductors fees as both Barry Wordsworth (Voluntaries) and Daniel Capps (The Lesson) conducted the orchestra of the Royal Opera House.