Review: Still Pointless BalletBoyz at 25, Sadler’s Wells

In 2001 at the Roundhouse Theatre, BalletBoyz performed Pointless, now for their 25^th anniversary, they have reimagined it, featuring a melting pot of choreographers, the ten-member male ensemble present a mixed bill that highlights the legacy of the company so far.

Created by former Royal Ballet Company dancers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, BalletBoyz is athletic and rooted in contemporary ballet. The pair have spent the past 25 years encouraging inclusivity and shifting their attention between both stage and filmed forms of dance.

The piece is narrated by videos featuring both Nunn and Trevitt, they are instantly likeable and warm. It begins with a true homage to the original production and takes you back to the company’s beginnings. Video footage shows the pair learning the choreography from a VHS tape of Russell Maliphant’s Critical Mass, followed by a live expert from the piece. It is intricate and brings a sense of occasion to the evening. It is exciting to get to see the pair perform, who have retired from performing and prefer to sit on the other side of the directors’ table.

The first act sees another piece from Maliphant, Fallen, a work created for the company. Xie Xin’s Ripple is ethereal, with the bodies in constant motion as if in denial of stagnation, as they mirror patterns of bodies of water. Young Men by Iván Pérez portrays the spoils of war and its effects on the men who partake in it. In a nod to its future, dancer Serian Griffiths tackles the complex topic of our own actions and their consequences in the most contemporary offering of the evening Motor Cortex.

The second act hits a flow state, the variety and talent of its current cohort shining through. It opens with Serpent by Liam Scarlett. Despite the controversy that surrounds the late choreographer, his work is intrinsically human. This emotive style paired with a souring score from Max Richter lead this piece to feel poignant and memorable, and one of the more classical selections.

Christopher Wheeldon’s Us is another emotionally driven piece during the second act. The duet set to a score by Keaton Henson is captivating. The work has a meaning, but Wheeldon has never told a soul what it is, which leaves it beautifully up to interpretation. This is not the first version of Us that I have seen, but the contemporary style of these dancers make it look and feel effortless and heart breaking all at the same time.

Nestled neatly between these two pieces is Bradley 4:18 by Maxine Doyle. Score by Cassie Kinoshi moves from elevator music to Leonard Bernstien’s Dance at the Gym from West Side Story. Doyle, on top of this, interweaves comedy and violence with all the men clad in suits dealing with emotional fallout.

Rounding out the evening is Javier de Frutos’ Fiction narrated by Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton featuring music by Donna Summer and a score by Ben Foskett. The piece is an imagined scenario where Frutos has died before the premiere of his latest work. Set at the interval backstage, the dancers navigate around, over and below a ballet barre. Canon is the key to this work, with repeating dialogue causing dancers to repeat multiple sections of movement as the obituary is read. It is an interesting concept, and final moments of Kai Tomioka spinning freely to Summer’s Last Dance are truly euphoric.

Still Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25 is a wonderful whirlwind tour de force. Celebrating its history and looking to the future, this is a showcase of 25 years of beautiful artistry and inclusion.

Artistic Directors: Michael Nunn OBE, William Trevitt OBE
Production Manager: Mike Lindsay
Lighting Design: Andrew Ellis, Michael Hulls, James Farncombe, Jackie Shemesh
Executive Producer: Nike van Schie
Choreography: Russell Maliphant, Seirian Griffiths, Xie Xin, Iván Pérez, Liam Scarlett, Maine Doyle, Christopher Wheeldon, Javier de Frutos.
Music and score: Richard English, Berwyn Cooper, Jiang Shaofeng, Armand Amar, Keaton Henson, Max Richter, Cassie Kinoshi, Ben Foskett ft Donna Summer
Words for Fiction: Ismene Brown
Fiction narration: Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton
Rehearsal director: Hannah Rudd

Still Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25 runs at Sadler’s Wells until Saturday 16 May before embarking on a UK Tour.