Corybantic Games

Corybantic Games is a ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's "Symposium", with costumes designed by Erdem Moralıoğlu and sets designed by Jean-Marc Puissant. It premiered on 15 March 2018 at the Royal Opera House, danced by The Royal Ballet.[1][2]

Corybantic Games
ChoreographerChristopher Wheeldon
MusicLeonard Bernstein
Premiere15 March 2018 (2018-03-15)
Royal Opera House
Original ballet companyThe Royal Ballet
DesignErdem Moralıoğlu
Jean-Marc Puissant

Production

Christopher Wheeldon had previously choreographed to Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" in a piece titled Corybantic Ecstasies, created for the Boston Ballet and premiered in 1999.[3]

The 2018 Corybantic Games was commissioned for Bernstein's centennial. The title is a reference to Corybants, which according to Greek mythology, were the armed and crested dancers who worshipped the Phrygian goddess Cybele with drumming and dancing.[4][5] The ballet made no reference to Plato's Symposium, the inspiration of Bernstein's score.[2] It is performed by 21 dancers.[4]

The set was designed by Jean-Marc Puissant[6][7] and the lighting was designed by Peter Mumford.[2] Erdem Moralıoğlu, known for his own label, ERDEM, was brought in to design the costume. Moralıoğlu met Wheeldon at one of his fashion shows,[1] and the two were introduced to each other through principal dancer Lauren Cuthbertson, a friend of Moralıoğlu.[8] Moralıoğlu himself had seen several Royal Ballet performances, including Wheeldon's After the Rain and The Winter's Tale.[1] He said the costumes of Corybantic Games are about "flesh, and youth, and life". It was also the first time he designed for men.[8] Due to Moralıoğlu's involvement, the publicity regarding the ballet before its premiere was mainly about the costumes.[4]

Original cast

Original cast:[4]

Critical reception

Corybantic Games received a range of positive to mixed reviews. The Guardian's Judith Mackrell commented that Wheeldon was "working at the top of his game."[2] Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times wrote, "[i]t’s not perfect... but it’s exhilaratingly full of creative force."[9] The Stage critic Neil Norman wrote, "[f]itfully engaging, amusing and overcrowded, it’s a triumph of style over content."[10] The Daily Telegraph's dance critic Mark Monahan criticised the costumes and called it "gaffer-tape chic."[5]

At the 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards, Aeternum won the award for Best New Dance Production.

At the 2018 National Dance Awards, Wheeldon was nominated for Best Classical Choreography.[11]

References
  1. Freeman, Liam (14 March 2018). "First Look: Erdem's Costumes For The Royal Ballet". British Vogue.
  2. Mackrell, Judith (16 March 2018). "Royal Ballet: Bernstein Centenary review – McGregor and Wheeldon at the top of their game". The Guardian.
  3. Dunning, Jennifer (16 March 1999). "Baller Review; Classicism, Sweetly And Authoritatively". The New York Times.
  4. Parry, Jann (18 March 2018). "Royal Ballet – Bernstein Centenary: Yugen, The Age of Anxiety, Corybantic Games – London". DanceTabs.
  5. Monahan, Mark (16 March 2016). "Bernstein Centenary review, Royal Ballet, Covent Garden – sleek but slender tribute to a musical master". The Daily Telegraph.
  6. Craine, Debra. "Dance review: Bernstein Centenary at Covent Garden". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  7. Mackrell, Judith (16 March 2018). "Royal Ballet: Bernstein Centenary review – McGregor and Wheeldon at the top of their game". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. Cook, Grace (15 March 2018). "A Fashion Designer's Otherworldly Costumes for the Royal Ballet". The New York Times Style Magazine.
  9. Sulcas, Roslyn (16 March 2018). "Review: An American in London (Bernstein, That Is)". The New York Times.
  10. Norman, Neil (16 March 2018). "Bernstein Centenary: Yugen/The Age of Anxiety/Corybantic Games". The Stage.
  11. "National Dance Awards 2018". The Critic's Circle. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
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