The Royal Ballet review, Royal Opera House: The company’s latest celebration is fresh and uplifting

The celebration of American choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins is full of bravura technique and gala showstoppers

Francesca Hayward and William Bracewell in ‘Dances at a Gathering’, which builds a powerful sense of connection between the performers (Bill Cooper)

The Royal Ballet’s celebration of American classics makes a fresh and uplifting night of dance. Across works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, it goes from cool grace to tenderness. The dancers respond to Chopin’s mazurkas and polonaises with hints of folk steps, half-sketched or danced full-out, like fragments of cherished memory. They’ll tease and compete with each other, flit into more romantic duets, or hold still as if posing for a family photograph. The mood shifts quickly, from dazzle to gentle melancholy and back.

George Balanchine made Apollo in 1928, when he was just 24 – but already bold enough both to strip everything down and to take on everything new. Danced to a crisp Stravinsky score, it’s a ballet of taut classicism, with sharp edges that still look modern. There’s a bare hint of narrative: Apollo is born, sees the gifts of the Muses, and ascends to Olympus. It unfolds in marvellous shapes: limbs twining into garlands or fanned out in glowing lines.

Vadim Muntagirov is a poised young god, responding to both the elegance and the jazzy detail, the sharp knees or the toddling walks on his heels. Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Mayara Magri and Yasmine Naghdi are a fine trio of muses.

Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux is a gala showstopper, mixing airy detail and bravura technique. And you don’t get more bravura than the astonishing Natalia Osipova. This is dancing lit up with star power and mercurial wit. She can start with glittering attack, slow right down to emphasise the voluptuous curve of a step, then whirl away at outrageous speed. Reece Clarke partners handsomely, with a strong jump and clean line.

Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering puts ten dancers on stage, at play with Chopin piano music and each other. The steps are brilliant, but Robbins gives them a spontaneous, almost improvised quality. It builds a powerful sense of connection between the performers, a warmth that feels particularly moving right now.

Alexander Campbell, as the man in brown, has bounding technique and gorgeous musical phrasing. With every step, he seems to draw you deeper into his train of thought. Francesca Hayward floats with windblown lightness.  Marianela Nuñez dances with radiant calm, while Laura Morera is dashing in green, with wry jokes and prancing high kicks.

Until 13 June (live stream 11 June)