The 2016 Autumn Harlow Ballet Gala

By Bridget McAlpine

BALLET is often regarded by the uninitiated as a fluffy and delicate dance form: dainty steps and fluid movement dressed up in pretty, frilly costumes.

It can be all these things, of course. But there is so much more to ballet. It takes strength, dedication and, above all, determination to excel in this most demanding of dance forms – characteristics widely displayed in this versatile gala.

With the event incorporating Harlow Ballet’s 30th choreographic competition, young choreographers took the opportunity to devise and direct some inspiring works. These more than held their own alongside the more classical items on the programme.

The competition, which is sponsored by the Jack Petchey Foundation, showcased the flair and imagination of nine choreographers. It was won for a second time by 16-year-old Grace Lilly, whose dark and haunting The Possession was dramatically interpreted by Nadia Jones and Millie Banfill.

The dark theme was also very evident in Outcast, 13-year-old Edie Holgarth’s depiction of painful alienation, while the solo work Suffragette, featuring Grace Lilly, was particularly emotive and won first-time choreographer Poppy Evans (16) second place in the competition.

But there was warmth and colour on the programme, too, with the lively Spanish-themed Ibailar!, devised by Darcy Wylie (13).

The first half of the programme closed with a section from the great romantic work Giselle, due to be staged by Harlow Ballet next April. Recreated by Claire Hickles, this movement saw the dance space crowded with the eerily beautiful Wilis, supernatural women who take revenge on unfaithful men. In this spell-binding work, Charlotte Taylor (Friday’s show) gave an ethereal yet assured performance as Myrthe, the Queen of the Wilis.

After the interval, the blend of contemporary and classical continued. Dazzlingly energetic items such as Fame, choreographed by Chelsea Hammond (15) and Let It Go, devised by Charlotte Filer (11), catered to modern tastes while Mrs Hickles’ grand and elegant Capriol looked back to the court dances of Tudor times with its stylish and stylised movements.
Capriol featured some of Harlow Ballet’s youngest students, as did the Native American-themed Colours of the Wind, also choreographed by Mrs Hickles. These very small children, some appearing on stage for the first time, worked hard and displayed amazing concentration to produce
some very promising work

The classical theme returned with the finale, the evocative Faure’s Requiem, a dramatic tribute to faith and remembrance choreographed by Harlow Ballet artistic director Michael Branwell.

Friday’s cast, led by Stefan Donovan, Solenne Boyce and Jessica Foreman, gave a moving and heartfelt interpretation of the work which left the audience sitting spellbound for some time after the dancers had left the stage.