***** (5 stars)
“Utterly brilliant!”
My daughter was very pleased for me when she heard I was going to see Scottish Ballet perform Crystal Pite’s Emergence, which I missed when it had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2016. I had no idea what to expect, but she raved about the piece…
Now I understand why she was so impressed! But first I must tell you about the world premiere that preceded it last night – Julia Cheng’s Entress. I was familiar with the word egress thanks to Terry Pratchett’s insistence that it’s not a female eagle but another word for an exit. It seems that an entress isn’t a female tree-person from Tolkein’s world, but an old Scottish word for an entrance!
I find myself unusually lost for words when trying to describe both works – I can say that they are both danced to fascinating scores, that they both use a monochrome palette, and that they have classically trained dancers moving in such extraordinary ways that at times I wondered whether they’d had some of their joints removed and replaced with multi-directional ball and socket joints in order to move in the ways I was seeing on stage.
But these words fail to give any idea of the extraordinary visual spectacle in front of me. Two different pieces, both exploring individual dancers’ ability to move in any number of ordinary and extraordinary ways and the actions, reactions and interactions of individuals, small groups, and the entire company. Movement grew, changed, developed, flowed across the stage in an endlessly inventive stream. At times I wished it were possible to freeze the action, to pause and take in what I’d already seen – but we were carried on and on until the final moments brought a storm of applause.
One of the great joys of the Scottish Ballet company is their strength and depth of talent throughout all the levels – and this was clearly demonstrated in Entress when First Artist Rishan Benjamin danced the part of Nüwa. Part goddess, part snake, Nüwa spun and swirled in a flowing robe as she wove her magic under the undulating white cloud/canopy that stretched above the stage and had a life of its own as a third partaker in the action. I’ve always enjoyed watching Rishan, and was delighted to see her shining in the spotlight, an equal partner with Soloist Kayla-Marie Trantolo, the Protagonist who seemed to be seeking to escape from the community which much of the time surrounded her. The entire company demonstrated their versatility, their athleticism, their incredible dance skills and their ability to convey the surging emotions gripping them. Isobel Waller-Bridge’s score, sensitively played by members of the Scottish Ballet orchestra under Yi Wei, was full of poignant moments and passionate outbursts.
How I wish I could see it all again, NOW! There was so much to take in, so much to think about, so much to enjoy and appreciate – one performance simply isn’t enough. Please, Christopher can we see it again very soon??!
And then there was Emergence – short, sharp, snappy and utterly brilliant! To sum it up as ‘an exploration of hive mind’ is totally to oversimplify a superbly choreographed piece which again I could watch over and over and over… The whole company were outstanding – solos, duets, and groups flowed into each other: everyone contributing to the whole, no ‘star’ and ‘also ran’ here, but a truly ensemble creation, totally extraordinary precision, total togetherness in the act of creation, and a total joy to behold.
Composer Owen Belton’s score was also new to me – it seemed mainly to use percussion instruments, but I was so engrossed in the dancing I can’t be sure: suffice it to say that music and movement fused to create something very special. Small wonder that the EIF performances were raved about and that last night’s Glasgow audience went wild with their applause at the end of the piece.
Yet another total triumph for Scottish Ballet!
Scottish Ballet presents Emergence, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Run Ended but production will tour to His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen 25th – 26th September 2026 https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/emergence-talk-ballet/
and the Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 1st to 3rd October 2026 https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/emergence/
ScotsGay Arts 