A quarter of a century on, with onstage experience tantamount to oodles of dazzling dancing steps at a plethora of storied venues; BalletBoyz returned to the theatre to mark their 25th anniversary since their debut performance, Pointless. This year's edition was at Sadler's Wells, London. Indeed, BalletBoyz have witnessed their popularity stem from a handful of curious attendees to it now being fastest finger first to be part of maximum capacity audiences! This was demonstrated by the initial opening of the performance showing historical video footage of when they first started out at The Roundhouse in London, with just seven tickets sold one week prior to the opening performance! In hindsight, these were seven smart souls who can say they were there to witness the inaugural production and perhaps inadvertently inspired the next 25 years of world class dancing produced by 10 dancers.
BalletBoyz are an all-male presenting cast founded in 2000 by former Royal Ballet dancers, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, both of whom have gone on to be awarded OBEs for their services. They're known for athletic, high-energy work, that mixes contemporary ballet and cross-disciplinary collaboration with film and music that is unapologetically high octane energy.
There was a sequence of male partnering, portraying technical precision. The style was more contemporary than classical ballet. Themes often tackle masculinity, war and loss of identity. The BalletBoyz dances are intentionally bleak and obscure; however exude a dramatic vibe that has its own hidden meaning and appeal.
BalletBoyz, through their dance, challenge the conventional narrative of romance that is an integral feature of traditional ballet. It compels the audience to introspect their own expectations of what ballet is and develop a willingness to respect and admire the unconventional!