Boyz' own stuff thrills Eden Court

BalletBoyz: The Talent 2013

Empire Theatre

Eden Court

IF their name is not strictly accurate — the BalletBoyz, as they demonstrated at Eden Court, are about a lot more than just ballet — then there can be no quibble about the title of this year’s show, "The Talent".

Under the leadership of former Royal Ballet lead dancers Billy Trevitt and Michael Nunn, the group may have their roots in ballet, but have added a crowd pleasing mix of contemporary dance influences which ensured an Inverness audience with much lower age base than your average classical ballet performance.

The 10 strong company of dancers revealed in the after show Q & A that their path into dance had not always been a conventional one.

Some of them did not start thinking seriously about a career in dance until they were in their late teens — positively over the hill by comparison with classical ballet students, whose rigorous training regime usually gets under way while they are still in primary school.

Along with the all male line up, it means that the choreographers working the with the company might find themselves entering new territory.

That was certainly true in the case of Liam Scarlett, who opened the double bill of new music.

Scarlett has always acknowledged women dancers as a key inspiration for his work. In their absence, though there were moments of delicacy and tenderness, he adopted a combative stance for his piece, "Serpent", whose sinuous moves were reminiscent of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira.

At one point the underlying menace in the score and choreography was made explicit as dancers squared off for a brief burst of sparring, though the overall similarity in tone and Scarlett’s emphasis on pairs work meant that there were moments when interest flagged, despite the dancers’ efforts.

More satisfying was Russell Maliphant’s "Fallen".

With the tribal beats of film composer Armand Amar’s score and the young dancers dressed in a gang like uniformity, there was an urban edginess to "Fallen" that "Serpent" lacked.

Maliphant’s choreography embraced the size of the cast, whirling them around in a circle, sometimes being hoisted high on each others shoulders, at others crouched low or rolling over the floor like some kind of feral pack, bouncing off each other’s bodies and soaring into the air in a riveting display of physicality and grace.

Contributing greatly to both pieces was lighting designer Michael Hulls, who effectively complemented the action on stage.

CM