Ballet Nights #010 DecaDance Review 4*
Ballet Nghts’ DecaDance showcased a combination of mostly new works danced by a cast of stars and youngsters
This article was first published on London UInattached
DecaDance was the 10th London iteration of the Ballet Nights brand, now comfortably installed in Chelsea’s Cadogan Hall. Having seen all its predecessors, I feel confident in stating that it was the best so far.
The brainchild of former dancer Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, Ballet Nights’ founder and artistic director, it was originally billed as “a new way of seeing dance”. I would, however, amend that to read, “an interesting way of breathing new life into the gala format”. So, like a gala, each programme consists of short numbers – 11 in the case of DecaDance – but rather than old chestnuts, they range from ballet to contemporary dance, established numbers and new commissions, performed by star dancers and promising unknowns, and increasingly including performers from foreign companies.
The whole thing is compèred by the amiable Devernay-Laurence to impart easily digestible morsels of much-needed information.
Each of the two Acts begins with an instrumental piece. DecaDance opened with Debussy’s ethereal ‘Clair de Lune’ by Ballet Nights’ resident pianist Viktor Erik Emanuel; in glaring contrast, Act II was introduced by an angry snatch from Hindemith’s ‘Viola Sonata Op 25 No 1’ played by Dominic Stokes, on his return to Ballet Nights.
The dance part began with a delightful performance by two Royal Ballet young dancers: newlyweds Harris Bell and Sae Meada in Moszkowski Waltz. A bright, joyous, flowing piece of classical ballet, it was danced with tremendous charm by both partners.
Then came Out of Breath, choreographed by Northern Ballet’s George Liang on music by Olafur Arnalds, danced by Northern Ballet soloist Alessandra Bramante and leading man Joseph Taylor, now a key member of London City Ballet.
It was a dark, intense meditation on the pressures of time, where the two characters struggled for physical connection. Just like the preceding piece, it used the language of classical ballet, but with totally different accent and intention.
Dancer and choreographer Travis Clausen-Knight is a Ballet Nights regular – we’re familiar with his muscular choreography. DecaDance hosted the world premiere of his AE, exploring the question “how do you prove you’re human?”, which he danced with Isabelle Evans. It’s a spiky, characteristically disturbing duet, relying on jerky movement and bodies building fleeting architectural shapes. I liked it a lot.
Next came a misfire: 20 graduating students of Central School of Ballet performed Times Square Ballet, Ashley Page’s take on the Leonard Bernstein musical On The Town. The Broadway pizzazz was a huge ask for these young non-American dance students. Commendably, they gave their all. It just didn’t fit in.
Act I ended very strongly, with Dov’È La Luna, choreographed by the director of the prestigious Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Jean Christopher Maillot, and performed by two sculptural dancers in flesh coloured unitards, Lou Beyne and Jaat Benoot (pictured top).
Again, it used classical ballet language but pushesd it to its limits, as the two dancers, first placed on opposite angles, sought each other. Benoot’s movement was at times reminiscent of Nijinsky’s Faun; Beyne was a cold, distant, yet magnetic figure. I loved this piece.
Robert Cohan’s stunning Lachrymosa came in Act II. We recently spoke to Yolande Yorke-Edgell about this piece, which featured in Yorke Dance’s Modern Milestones programme; it was cogently danced here by Edd Milton and Amy Thake
Very different but equally entrancing was Joshua Junker’s 324A, conceived during lockdown by The Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer and performed by himself. It’s built on the harmonious shapes a body can produce, Junker’s long, wing-like arms particularly impressive.
The students of Rambert School have become regulars at Ballet Nights and they never disappoint. Atlas, choreographed and performed by Chrysanthi Nicolaou and Django Bates-Blower was a wonderfully mature contemporary pas de deux, a raw, abstract piece with intricate partner work, set to urgent music by Ori Litchik.
Can you make a metal stick dance? Royal Ballet principal Matthew Ball can, but that doesn’t make his piece The Measure of Things particularly interesting. Inspired by people’s dependence on tools, Ball devised a whimsical piece centred on a metal stick. Ball has already put down his marker as a choreographer to watch, but this one will probably not join his canon…
The final piece was a gala staple: the virtuoso duet Diana and Acteon. I confess to being a little sick of seeing it, though when performed with bravura it can still enthuse. This rendition marked the Ballet Nights debut of dancers from Mexico’s Ballet de Monterrey – Laura Rodriguez and Gael Ventura.
Rodriguez, formerly unofficial first lady of Acosta Danza, displays spectacular Cuban technique, with steely balances, powerful jump, beautiful arabesque lines and a strong stage presence; I do wish, though, she’d add a little more expression – at times she gave the sense of dancing by numbers.
Gael Ventura was hampered by a truly awful gold skirt that cut the line of his legs. His dancing is solid, but not spectacular, and a misunderstanding between the two at the very end rather marred the finale.
No matter, this was still a hugely enjoyable show, showcasing works with strong, engaging identities.
© Teresa Guerreiro
(Banner image credit: Ballets de Monte Carlo, Lou Beyne and Jaat Benoot in Ballet Nights DecaDance. Photo: Deborah Jaffe)
Ballet Nights #010 DecaDance was at Cadogan Hall on 4 February 2026.
DecaDance Tours the UK March – October 2026. Details and tickets here