The Royal Ballet, Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House

The breathtaking skill and artistry of the dancers of The Royal Ballet are the driving force of this mixed programme, which includes two miniature masterpieces from William Forsythe and George Balanchine, the first revival of Christopher Wheeldon’s narrative ballet Strapless and the world premiere of Symphonic Dances, a new abstract ballet by Liam Scarlett.

The title of Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude says it all – a breathtaking, blistering work set to the final movement of Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony, in which the musicality and technique of the five dancers are pushed to their limits.

There’s the same sense of virtuoso display in Balanchine’s Tarantella, a pas de deux bursting with wit and swagger. Wheeldon’s Strapless explores hypocrisy, ambition and desire, and features a brilliant ballerina role at its centre; The Guardian called it ‘a superb piece of stagecraft’ at the 2016 premiere.

Closing the mixed programme is Symphonic Dances, a new abstract work from Liam Scarlett, Artist in Residence at The Royal Ballet and a choreographer in demand around the world.