| Corybantic Games | |
| Italic Title: | yes |
| Choreographer: | Christopher Wheeldon |
| Composer: | Leonard Bernstein |
| Place: | Royal Opera House |
| Ballet Company: | The Royal Ballet |
| Designer: | Erdem Moralıoğlu Jean-Marc Puissant |
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]
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] 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[5] [6] 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. 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.[7] Due to Moralıoğlu's involvement, the publicity regarding the ballet before its premiere was mainly about the costumes.[4]
Original cast:[4]
Corybantic Games received a range of positive to mixed reviews. The Guardian 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."[8] The Stage critic Neil Norman wrote, "[f]itfully engaging, amusing and overcrowded, it’s a triumph of style over content."[9] The Daily Telegraph dance critic Mark Monahan criticised the costumes and called it "gaffer-tape chic."[10]
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]