Thoughts: Alice in Wonderland

The Alice in Wonderland reviews share similarities:

All mention the last full-length story ballet that was created at the Royal: Twyla Tharp's Mr. Worldly Wise, which was apparently a disaster. None, though link to a past review of MWW or say why.

They are all tapping into the problem of the story ballet, and posit if Alice will set the mark for 21st Century story ballets. However, Jennings and Sulcas say that the choreography is no different than anything else. What makes it so modern is the score and the stage design. These are parts that make up the whole of a ballet, but what is missing is a choreographic step forward. They say that they expected more from Wheeldon, and that he is operating within his comfort zone, but they don't explicitly say what they expected. It seems like when they say that the choreography isn't any different than any other old classic ballet, it would be a good time to suggest why it should be different or how it could be different. Or, they could address the challenges of modernizing classical ballet choreography.

They provide examples of how the choreography is similar to other classic ballets:

-Alice's choreography is largely reactive

-Wheeldon's choreography has, with Electric Counterpout, "lacked dramatic substance," according to Luke Jennings.

-They are too faithful to the original story (like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty)

-"There's not much that would indicate, choreographically speaking, a 21st-century ballet," writes Sulcas. "Perhaps that doesn't matter much. But there are far too few memorable dance moments in Alice that might reflect something of hte characters' feelings or development, or suggest their unconscious desires and fears.

Responding to this, the reviews seem to suggest that even THE classics are more substantive than this. Since most classics were made at a time when ballet was a bigger part of culture, choreographers were able to develop characters that audiences could connect with. With Alice, the reviews suggest that Wheeldon has stuck to what a classic ballet looks on paper, but he hasn't considered the context in which they were originally choreographed — and how that played into the currently culture.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/8361826/Alices-Adventures-in-Wonderland-at-Covent-Garden-Seven-magazine-review.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/mar/06/alice-adventures-wonderland-review/print

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/mar/01/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-review/print

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/arts/dance/02alice.html