Highland Fling
Show: Highland Fling by Scottish Ballet
Venue: Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Date: 14th April 2018
Director and choreographer: Matthew Bourne
Music: composed by Herman Severin Løvenskiold; performed by The Scottish Ballet Orchestra
Principal dancers: Constance Devernay (The Sylph) & Jamie Reid (James)
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Highland Fling is a reimagining of the original ballet by Filipo Taglioni, La Sylphide, which was first performed in 1832. This new version was created by Matthew Bourne in the 90s, and is set in modern-day Scotland. The story follows a young man, engaged to be married and living a pretty wild life, who attracts the attention and adoration of a mysterious Sylph. She draws him into her world, but their attempts to be together will inevitably end in tragedy.
Seeing this performance so recently after a production of The Little Mermaid made for an interesting contrast. Both present central themes of doomed love and an ill-fated desire to change who (or what) you are, and yet were very different tonally.
This particular show doesn’t feel like a traditional ballet for the most part, and would be more accurately described as ballet-meets-interpretive-dance-meets-comedy-meets-tragedy. It’s highly story driven, and the first half in particular was very comedic (and it’s worth pointing out for those interested that it may not be one for young children, as there are a fair few references to sex and drugs). The second half takes a darker turn, when James enters the realm of the Sylphs. I particularly enjoyed the choreography in this section, with the Sylphs’ movements enhancing their ethereal and alluring nature.
Production stills, courtesy of Scottish Ballet.
The ability to shift from the comedic, jaunty tone that prevailed throughout the bulk of the performance, to deliver a surprisingly powerful and poignant climax was great – and the latter portion of the show with its haunting final image was definitely the highlight for me.
The setting of 1990s Scotland and various pop-culture references made for a fun and unique set-up, but I appreciated the choice to retain Løvenskiold’s musical score from the 1800s. It was a nice nod to the story’s more classical roots, and it tied in well with the fairy tale-esque elements of the story.
It was altogether very different from any other ballet I’ve seen, but I admired it for its bold, playful interpretation of a classic.
Heck, I haven’t even seen it, and I already admire it for its bold, playful interpretation of a flying MAN IN A KILT! *ahem* Excuse my exuberance. But geesh. What an image! 😀
Sounds like a great production, Callum, and thanks for sharing. Really. You made my morning! 😀
My pleasure! I did think of you when I saw the poster 😉
😀 You know me so well. 😉
I think I’m in love with the man in kilt. We don’t have such a thing in the U.S., but I think they’re very attractive. The story, based on the stills, looks passionate, like it’s more about the storytelling instead of making the perfect lines dancers strive for in ballet.
You’re quite right; it was definitely very story driven, and there was a wildness and an intensity to the movement.
This shows how often I think about ballet: I knew that ballet often incorporates a story, but I was never under the impression that one could actually figure out the story other than, “Oh, I think that ballerina is sad? Did the other ballerina die?” Something like that.
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