English National Ballet celebrate William Forsythe in sharp new highlight show
From the edgy snapshots of Rearray (London Edition 2025) to the joyful club energy of Playlist (EP), English National Ballet are lucid and sharp in this celebration of William Forsythe. It's part of the company's ongoing relationship with one of the world's most influential choreographers – a jewel in ENB's crown, and one that it's keeping diamond-bright.
Those brackets in the titles underline the way Forsythe likes to revise his works: adding, tweaking, reframing for different casts and different circumstances. Rearray started out in 2011 as a duet for French stars Sylvie Guillem and Nicolas Le Riche. Forsythe then reworked it as a trio, and has reshaped it again for ENB.
It's a ballet in blackouts. Sangeun Lee, Henry Dowden and Rentaro Nakaaki stroll in and out of steps, trying out classical moves, turning them inside and out. Then the lights snap out. Sometimes they come back on to a drastically different tableau; sometimes a dancer is still finishing off the last move of the previous scene. David Morrow's electronic score stops and starts too, just not in sync with the lights.
Lee is elegant and slightly aloof, always in control of the situation. The two men can get goofier, a contrast to her poise. Though she's the cool one, they get a wider range of material, making tight patterns with linked arms and semaphoring hands. All three make the most of Forsythe's highly articulate steps: the way he emphasises the depth and contrast of a movement.
Herman Schmerman (Quintet), from 1992, is a speedy showcase for five dancers, set to the thwacks and chimes of Thom Willems' score. It's a deliberate mix of the virtuoso and the casual. A dancer will take a pose, then thrust a hip to pull it off balance. Just as they're in full flight, another dancer will wander past, then suddenly explode into jumps. Aitor Arrieta, Alice Bellini, Ivana Bueno, Francesco Gabriele Frola and Swanice Luong bring plenty of attack to the driving moves.
Playlist (EP) is a giddy delight, and a belter of a finale. It starts from the joyful recognition that, since virtuoso ballet steps are often danced to a steady beat, they'll work to a soundtrack of club classics. The first version, created in 2018, was a bravura showcase for ENB's men. It's so much fun that Forsythe expanded it, adding dances for women and songs by Barry White and Natalie Cole. Precious Adams and Junor Souza are particularly dazzling in their fleet-footed duet. The whole company has a fabulous time – and so does the audience.
'The Forsythe Programme' is at Sadlers Wells until 19 April
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