On Thursday I went to the evening performance of Australia’s Queensland Ballet’s production of La Sylphyide at London Coliseum, which only lasted from 4-8 August! My friend Sophie won a pair of tickets from Dancing Times and invited me to accompany her which I was very excited about. We had no idea where our seats would be until we collected the tickets from the box office and were delighted to find we were Row C in the stalls – an amazing view and definitely a lot closer than I’d ever sat in the Coliseum previously. The last time I was there was when me and Sophie met for the first time and took part in the English National Ballet’s Swan Lake workshop on stage, which was a wonderful experience (I’m patiently waiting for the next one).
The cast isn’t huge, consisiting of:
The Sylphide – Sarah Thompson
James – Luke Schaufuss
Madge – Greg Horsman
Gurn – Vito Bernasconi
Effie – Mia Heathcote
Anne – Mary Li
Lead Sylph –Lisa Edwards
These are the main characters; there is also a group of witches, ‘2 lads’ and the pas de huit.
The story follows the tragic tale of impossible love, between a Scottsman James who is awoken the night before his wedding by a beautifully captivating sylph, who steals him away and leads him into a forest where he chases the idea of her having abandoned his fiancé. Of course it’s just not that easy…
The elegance of the Sylph’s opening solo was performed beautifully by Sarah Thompson as she filled the stage with a series of tiny neat courus and all of her movements had a floaty, fairy-like sense to them, almost presenting a dream like orb around the character of the enchanting Sylphide who will go onto entice James on the eve of his wedding to Effie.
The entire first act was danced in a Scottish manor house clearly indicated by the use of the set. I was very impressed with the amount of batterie included in the choreography, it was inspiring to see such intricate footwork and carefully thought out patterns. The Scottish national dances were portrayed well by the cast, enhanced by the excessive use of tartan costumes! I’d like to give a special mention to the children in the cast – it took me a while to notice them as they blended into the corps so well, they coped so well with the demanding steps. I thought there was a perfect balance between classical ballet and Scottish folk dance throughout the performance.
The second act was set in a mysterious, magical woodland glade where the Sylph had lead James away from his wedding festivities back at the manor. This is where the tragedy unfolds with help from Madge the witch, wonderfully acted by Greg Horsman.
Although some reviews I’ve read state otherwise, I felt very much transported by the company’s production of this classic tale, but perhaps this is because I had nothing to compare it to? Either way, the ballet is now up there with my favourites and wouldn’t hesitate to see it again given the chance.
I think you should all now go and have a read of Sophie’s review of our evening as well, which you can find here: http://ballerinadreamsdancediary.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1
Dreams That Glitter xo 