English National Ballet - Triple Bill, The Mayflower, Southampton
FACED with a choice of The Nutcracker or this triple bill of lesser-known pieces, many of you will have already booked your tickets for the former.
But this three-in-one show is an absolute delight and I urge you to catch tonight's performance.
The programme of one-act ballets is the perfect entry point for newcomers, combining the best of classical and modern approaches.
But its imaginativeness, scope and sheer exuberance will also guarantee a joyful evening for the dance connoisseur.
The programme of bite-size beauties gets off to a cracking start with Double Concerto - one of the most delightful combinations of dance, music and design you could hope to see.
Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, choreographed by Mark Morris and featuring piano music by Virgil Thompson, is moodier and more intimate.
By complete contrast The Rite of Spring closes the programme with all the thunder and excitement of an exploding volcano. Stravinsky's anarchic score, which once drove audiences to the brink of madness, is brilliantly interpreted by choreographer Kenneth MacMillan.
The Triple Bill ends on November 13. You can see ENB's Nutcracker at the Mayflower Theatre from November 14
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