‘Pictures at an exhibition’ is a dramatic and at times unsettling range of dance shorts by a selection of choreographers set to the music of Mussorgsky. The movements are sharp, the score at times almost overpowering but each piece is unique.

‘Daphnis et Chloe’, accompanied by Ravel’s orchestral score and choreographed by Attila Egerházi, is both elegant and surreal, expressing mystery as it delves into the innermost thoughts of lovers. Frustration, bewilderment and longing are expressed through fluid graceful movements.

The showcase of the ballet trio is Krzysztof Pastor's ‘Bolero’. Despite the endless repetitive circles of Ravel's score, the music never becomes jaded. It crashes like tidal waves, gathering pace and strength. Although Ravel saw his orchestral score as mechanical, with images of factories in mind, many choreographers have interpreted the music as passionate, dynamic and sensual.

Pastor dresses his dancers in fiery red; passion in an industrial wilderness. The dancers glide across the space as the lovers' ballet becomes ever more intense. The finale could be death, romantic love or melting into one, but the overall feeling speaks of beauty and completion, of finally finding the ultimate.

beutiful dance