A celebration of Ashton works **** This year is the 120th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Ashton, the British choreographer who played a major role in the history of the Royal Ballet. His distinctive vocabulary – speedy footwork, sweeping bends of the torso – is recognised as the quintessential “English style” and his ballets are regularly performed throughout the world. These include full-length works, such as the joyous and , as well as shorter masterpieces including , and the luminous .
This month sees the start of Ashton Worldwide, a five-year international festival celebrating the work and legacy of the man, during which many of his works will be performed. The festival kicked (or should that be jetéd?) off with the Sarasota Ballet at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre, dancing a number of Ashton’s shorter works. Founded in 1987 by Jean Weider Goldstein, the company, now under the directorship of Iain Webb and Margaret Barbieri (both former Royal Ballet dancers), specialises in dancing Ashton pieces.
Opening night saw the dancers in and and gave the audience the opportunity to assess these rarely seen works. , first performed in 1947, is a pretty piece, well suited to the small Linbury stage, but lacking in any real substance. Things got meatier with , which was created at the height of World War Two and dealt with a symbolic battle between good and evil.
Danced barefoot, with the women with their hair down, the ballet has a modern feel to it, sh.
