Ballet review: Tutus and Beyond makes no leap forward

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Ballet Ireland's attempt to bridge traditional ballet with a more contemporary version stagnates somewhere between the two. The Irish premiere of choreographer Ludovic Ondiviela's Lost could make for an interesting chamber-length ballet on its own, but on a programme with three other excerpts the overall effect is more recital-like than revolutionary.

Lost allows the dancers to break free of rigid choreography and stereotypical stories that so often make their way into ballets presented in Ireland. The dancers lie wrapped in white-sheeted cocoons with glowing orange electronic lights above them, as if they are extraterrestrials waiting for a signal to move. When they do rise, they connect through undulating arm patterns and off-balance lifts, translating ballet's vocabulary of steps into something slightly more mysterious and intriguing.

Although the performers appear vaguely superhuman with their intentionally vacant stares, they still form warm relationships with each other during the ballet's numerous vignettes. One dancer reaches for another as they are being pulled apart; the dancers use their legs animatedly like hands in conversation. It would have been nice to have an interval halfway through, or else for the ballet to be edited in its entirety because the multilayered movement proves a lot to absorb. Even though Lost is largely an ensemble piece, Jane Magan and Richard Bermange stand out when executing Ondiviela's vision.

It's tough to criticise Jules Perrot's Pas de Quatre, which opens the evening. This short ballet was created in 1845 as a showcase for renowned ballerinas Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Lucile Grahn and Fanny Cerrito. In this rendition the ankle-length tutus, floral hair wreaths and pearl wrist bracelets offer a throwback to that time.

Vivaldi Suite by Ray Barra and Sing Sing Sing by former Ballet Ireland dancer Rain Francis complete the evening, where the closely knit dancers are poorly served by lacklustre choreography. The art form has moved on from 19th century, and instead of making its own daring leap, with this programme of seemingly unrelated dances, Ballet Ireland takes smaller steps.