Light of Passage [Tristram Kenton]

CANADIAN choreographer Crystal Pite explores themes of migration and displacement in this impressive large-scale ensemble work.

Set to Polish composer Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No.3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs), conducted by Zoi Tsokanou, the ballet is divided into three self-contained dances.

Originating in 2017, the 30-minute Flight Pattern is a response to the ongoing refugee crisis. Pite fills the stage with 36 Royal Ballet dancers, clad in dark overcoats who move together, divide, separate and regroup as they confront immense, shifting walls.

Pite’s choreography vividly conveys the needs of the collective as well as personal loss. It’s mesmerising, although certain moves feel predictable.

The 10-minute Covenant focuses on the plight of children during times of conflict. Eighteen adult dancers offer various means of escape to six young dancers, aged from 9 to 11, who slide and cartwheel their way to freedom.

The third movement, Passage, features two members from the Company of Elders, the mature dancers’ group at Sadler’s Wells. Pillars of light descend. A mother mourns the death of her soldier son. The dance evokes this final journey and the importance of letting go.

Soprano Francesca Cheijina’s sensational vocals are a highlight. Jay Gower Taylor and Tom Visser’s backdrops evoke dramatic skies, light and shade.

Given the themes, it’s a shame the cast is not more diverse, although it’s refreshing to see a male duo and the talents of elders Isidora Barbara Joseph and Christopher Havell.

Light of Passage is beautifully staged and Górecki’s music is haunting, but for such an emotive peace it left me strangely unmoved. I yearned for something disruptive.

The beauty and grace of the choreography feels at odds with the ugliness and horror of so many refugee experiences.

Until March 12
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