Sadler’s Wells, London
A triple bill of modern pieces highlight the challenges of modern ballet, but only in Crystal Pite’s work does it all comes together, especially in the dancing of Siphesihle November

It was inevitable really, that the strongest piece of this triple bill from National Ballet of Canada would come from Crystal Pite. One of the world’s leading choreographers across the ballet and contemporary spheres, Pite has mastered her art, and even her average pieces are pretty damn good by anyone else’s standards. Here, Angels’ Atlas gives us the night’s two highlights: a breathtaking backdrop that’s a waterfall of heavenly light (by Jay Gower Taylor) and the dancer Siphesihle November, a protean mover you can’t take your eyes off.

November is the revelation of this mixed offering from the Toronto company, last seen in London in 2013. The dilemma for any major ballet company when they tour abroad is whether to perform one of the ballet classics, or show off their contemporary work. Artistic director Hope Muir (who took over from longstanding leader Karen Kain in 2022) is making a statement with the latter, in a programme of all-Canadian choreographers. The first piece, Passion by James Kudelka, itself embodies the classical/contemporary dichotomy. It’s an intriguing set-up: two lead couples, one tutu-clad with classical steps (Larkin Miller and Genevieve Penn Nabity), the other (McGee Maddox and Heather Ogden) in chinos and T-shirt, velvet dress and contemporary moves. There’s also a small corps de ballet, weaving in among them, at once ethereal and stately. While for Penn Nabity and Miller classical restraint rules, Maddox and Ogden get more complex permutations; they embrace and part, sometimes ending up on opposite sides of the stage but looking directly into each other’s eyes, while the classical couple gaze outwards, smiles glazed. It’s an interesting experiment, well woven. A picture of fantasy versus reality? Really it’s two different types of fantasy, but ultimately too polite to reveal any real passion.