Scottish Ballet: Autumn Season

As Ashley Page's leadership of Scottish Ballet matures, the company is increasingly engaged with contemporary choreography. This triple bill, of Balanchine, Forsythe and Dutch National Ballet's resident choreographer Krzysztof Pastor, showcases the possibilities and potential of ballet. Although Balanchine is accepted as a master of classical ballet, Rubies is abstract, eschewing traditional narrative and aiming at a dynamic, impressionistic vigour. Revived recently by the Royal Ballet and Russia's Mariinsky, it offers almost camp musical theatre from the corps de ballet and a virtuosic pas de deux: premiered in 1967, it reveals the influence of contemporary approaches without departing from balletic rigour. William Forsythe created Workwithinwork in 1998, and it comprises a picaresque series of set-pieces, even more abstract than Rubies but founded on strict precision. Formal in structure and presentation, conversational in tone, Workwithinwork suggests complex relationships through an almost dry choreography. A recent outing at the Edinburgh Festival evinced Scottish Ballet's comfort with this cerebral style, a clear signpost of their movement towards challenging dance. Pastor's In Light and Shadow betrays Russian influence, but draws heavily from Balanchine's manipulation of ensemble. Through these three works, Scottish Ballet make a clear claim to be a contemporary company, playing to their strengths and championing modern, energetic dance. With their new premises offering the space for great new work, and brave programming that is accessible without being obvious, Scottish Ballet are taking their remit to create a national ballet identity seriously, and lining themselves up with radical performance.