Review by Raphael Kohn
⭐️⭐️⭐️
First, there was City of a Thousand Trades. Then, there was Black Sabbath: The Ballet. Now, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s director Carlos Acosta completes his ‘Birmingham Trilogy’ with Luna – a six-part ballet piece exploring the women who made history, and the way women have shaped history. Accordingly, Acosta himself is credited for the ‘Creative Concept’ – an artistic credit, but not as a choreographer or director. Instead, Luna is a showcase of five female choreographers’ unique perspectives and narratives of womanhood throughout history.
As a collection of vignette-like perspectives on women’s experiences, it works. Each of the six has their own narratives and stories to tell. Wubkje Kuindersma’s ‘Terra’ opens the ballet, a celebration of the earth from which humanity comes. It’s followed by possibly the best scene of the whole ballet, Seeeta Patel’s ‘Learning to dream big’, an inspiring celebration of the power of education to uplift women. Patel’s work may be the most literal in its storytelling, but this only works in its favour, giving it a full narrative through which it delivers a solid point.
As Luna progresses through Thais Suarez’s ‘Unwavering,’ Arielle Smith’s ‘Empowerment’, Iraxte Ansa’s ‘Overexposed’ and finally Wubjke Kuindersma’s ‘Luna’ to finish (Kuindersma bookends the entire ballet, choreographing the opening and closing scenes), things get less and less literal. With that, the second half of the ballet becomes particularly narrative-less, a series of aesthetically effective scenes which certainly centre women, and sometimes allow for interesting reflections on the role of women in ballet and society at large, but progressively less successful narratively.
With its six separate scenes and disconnected stories, it feels incomplete at times. As part of a ‘Birmingham Trilogy’, it feels out of place, not securely grounded in the women of Birmingham and the story of the city. There’s never a real link to the city made at any point – one fleeting projection conjures the skyline at one point, but disappears so quickly that it’s easy to miss entirely. It feels like a shame, a jewel in the city’s artistic crown producing work apparently inspired by Birmingham, but somewhat lacking in actually referencing and celebrating its home city.
It’s generally performed very nicely, with a diverse mix of choreographic styles throughout that keeps it all fresh, and always visually interesting. Frequently, dancers oscillate through initiating movements, never starting together, which can occasionally feel imprecise and not quite synchronised. But it’s never too much of an issue, especially with the excitement that many of the choreographers bring to the stage.
The diversity of the choreography is matched by a particularly eclectic score, all of which is at least arranged, if not originally written by, Kate Whitley. Some of it is fairly familiar – a darkened orchestration of Fauré’s requiem (performed without a choir but with two soloists, soprano Marianna Hovhanisyan and baritone Themba Mvula) is a familiar sound, and even the theme tune from the TV show Casualty makes an appearance (seriously). Whitley contrasts this with some very minimalist sequences, particularly reminiscent of Philip Glass, especially in the first and last scenes.
Whitley takes a particular risk in writing parts of the score for a children’s chorus – a chorus which Acosta proudly told the press room has no experience in singing, brought together for Luna for the first time. Coached by charity ‘Ex Cathedra’, they’re actually remarkably good, featuring in Kuindersma’s bookending scenes of the earth and the moon.
It all looks interesting enough. Devoid of any physical set, the only scenery to be found is provided in the form of Hayley Egan’s projections. Complete with famous quotes to introduce each scene and celestial, shimmering backgrounds, it maximises space for the dancers to perform while also creatively setting the scenes. At times it can feel a bit empty, especially in scenes involving fewer performers, but that emptiness itself offers its own dark aesthetic.
As a final part of a trilogy by someone as acclaimed as Acosta, it’s a shame to say that Luna somewhat disappoints. It’s never boring, or aesthetically uninteresting. But for a ballet by BRB, supposedly celebrating its home city and uplifting women, Luna simply doesn’t make the mark it should. It’s enjoyable to watch and the music is great, but it doesn’t quite reach the celestial highs it could.
Luna plays at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 5th October, then at Sadler’s Wells on 22nd and 23rd October. Tickets from https://www.brb.org.uk/shows/luna
Photos by Katja Ogrin