Kenneth MacMillan: Steps Back in Time

Viviana Durante Company

— ,The Pit
photo of dancer

In honour of the hugely influential Kenneth MacMillan, a choreographer who was way ahead of his time, the legendary ballerina Viviana Durante directs a programme from his enthralling earliest works.

Tearing up convention and turning staid ideas on their head, MacMillan began creating his own ballets in the 1950s. Believing that dance had the power to explore the human condition, he made pieces with a ‘real world of feeling’, drawing on potent storytelling and an emotional quality that invited audiences to become caught up in the fate of his characters.

As an artist whose association with MacMillan dates back to their time at The Royal Ballet, Durante has both danced and revived his creations. To celebrate his legacy and to mark 25 years since his death, she selects three short ballets – House of Birds, Danses Concertantes and Laiderette, the latter staged in full. Together, they highlight the boldness, complexity, wit and relevance of his choreography. Performed by artists from Ballet Black and The Royal Ballet, including principals Lauren Cuthbertson, Francesca Hayward and Thiago Soares, each contains a passionate pas de deux, another famous MacMillan forte. 

Theatre & dance Dance

Watch the performance on the Royal Opera House’s live-stream of Viviana Durante Company on Thursday 19 April at 7.45pm BST.

1 hour/no interval

Includes post-show talk after each performance

Age guidance 10+

UK

Presented by the Barbican

Performers

Thiago Soares House of Birds and Laiderette
Lauren Cuthbertson House of Birds
Meaghan Grace Hinkis House of Birds
Francesca Hayward Laiderette
Akane Takada, José Alves, Benjamin Ella Danses Concertantes
Ballet Black with dancers from Scottish Ballet

Reviews

‘Kenneth MacMillan: Still the Royal Ballet’s prince of the pas de deux‘
Independent
‘Went to the top of the elite world of ballet with works featuring tortured psyches and a string of outsiders and misfits‘
Guardian

Discover

Live stream: Kenneth Macmillan - Steps Back in Time

Watch Viviana Durante Company's performance of Kenneth Macmillan's Steps Back in Time, live streamed from our Theatre. Starts at 7.45pm (GMT+1)

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