WHEN THE English National Ballet (ENB) announced a new work which interpreted 10 great footballing moments through the medium of dance, there was much to look forward to - not least in the hairdressing department, writes Helen Pidd.
Would the company don Charles II wigs of tightly permed curls to play Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita? Are there any dancers bald enough to make a convincing Archie Gemmill, who scored a wondrous goal for Scotland against the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup ("Scotland are in dreamland!" blared David Coleman)? Can a dancer still look elegant en pointe in a Maradona mullet?
Alas, these important questions must remain unanswered. The Beautiful Game - A Football Ballet, which opened in Liverpool last night, does not take its mission literally. Its nine-strong cast wear their own, tasteful hair throughout.
And while they do incorporate elements of each of the 10 pieces of footballing history voted for by more than 20,000 fans as being the best ever, they do so in a rather loose manner.
But even those who view football matches as nothing more than an inconvenience to their TV-watching routine will recognise some of the scenes played out in the ENB's creation. It opens with five buff boys in football kits jogging out of an imaginary tunnel, followed by four dainty ballerinas in sporty, tight white tops and red, white and blue tutus.
After miming tossing a coin, the boys seem to be out on the town, drinking and doing a sort of laddish Zorba's dance, but with beautifully pointed feet. Then they're back twirling around on the pitch, and before long the blond one suddenly scores a goal and falls into the cradled arms of his team-mates.
Another highlight comes when one of the ballerinas is hoisted into the sky, her fingertips clearly tapping an imaginary ball, which will invoke painful memories for those still bitter about Diego Maradona and the Hand of God.
Other memories recreated with arabesques and battements include Gordon Banks' save against Brazil in 1970, David Beckham's free kick against Greece in 2001, Johan Cruyff's nifty turn, debuted in 1974, and, of course, Geoff Hurst's "They think it's all over" goal from 1966.
At the launch, John Barnes - a guest of the New Football Pools, which commissioned the ballet for its 85th anniversary - admitted that professional ballet dancers train far harder than their footballing counterparts.
"For most footballers, they just have to give their all for 90 minutes two times a week, and apart from a few training sessions spend the rest of the time resting. They only train intensively for six weeks before the new season," said Barnes, who in the 1980s was sent, with his team-mates at Watford, to learn ballet by the club's manager, Graham Taylor, who believed it would improve their footwork, coordination and balance.
Ballet, Barnes had the grace to admit, is much more technically difficult than his sport. And after a stint on the TV reality show Strictly Come Dancing, he would know. "There are lots of different ways of playing football. It depends on how tall you are, what position you're in. There is no right or wrong way of playing football. Whereas with ballet you have to be not only technically proficient, but you have to do it in a particular way."
- Guardian Service
