Yugen (ballet) explained

Yugen
Italic Title:yes
Choreographer:Wayne McGregor
Composer:Leonard Bernstein
Place:Royal Opera House
Ballet Company:The Royal Ballet
Genre:contemporary ballet

Yugen is a one-act ballet by Wayne McGregor, to Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The ballet premiered on 15 March 2018 at the Royal Opera House, danced by The Royal Ballet.[1]

Production

The ballet was McGregor's first new work for The Royal Ballet in two years, and was created for Bernstein's centennial.[1] The ballet is performed by eleven dancers. The sets are designed by Edmund de Waal, a writer and potter, and features light boxes. The costumes are designed by Shirin Guild, and all dancers are in red loose-fitted outfits. The title of the ballet means the "beauty evoked with an economy of means" in Japanese (幽玄 in kanji).[1] [2]

Yugen is a co-production with the Dutch National Ballet, and the company will debut the ballet in September 2022. It is rescheduled from the original April 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.[3] [4] [5]

Original cast

Original cast:[6]

Critical reception

The Guardian Judith Mackrell wrote, "McGregor’s choreography is expertly musical, seeking out the lyricism of Bernstein’s melodies in long, floating lines, and riding its energies in such cleverly massed configurations that his modest ensemble can look like a tribe."[7] Roslyn Sulcas of the New York Times commented, "remains intensely responsive to the slightly strange fusion of sacred text and tone, with jazzy undercurrents in 'Chichester Psalms.'"[1] The Evening Standard Emma Byrne wrote that Yugen "marks a new maturity: gone are the attention-grabbing pyrotechnics, and in their place just sumptuous, lyrical movement."[8]

At the 2018 National Dance Awards, McGregor was nominated for Best Classical Choreography.[9]

Notes and References

  1. News: Review: An American in London (Bernstein, That Is). New York Times. Sulcas. Roslyn. 16 March 2017.
  2. News: Royal Ballet – Bernstein Centenary: Yugen, The Age of Anxiety, Corybantic Games – London. DanceTabs. Parry. Jann. 18 March 2018.
  3. News: Dutch National Ballet Presents Three Premieres in Four Seasons Programme. BroadwayWorld. 11 March 2020.
  4. News: Dutch National Opera & Ballet Launches Online Platform. BroadwayWorld. 27 March 2020.
  5. News: Dutch National Ballet Announces 2022-2023 Season. BroadwayWorld. Rabinowitz. Chloe. 29 March 2022.
  6. News: Bernstein Centenary: Yugen/The Age of Anxiety/Corybantic Games. The Stage. Norman. Neil. 16 March 2018.
  7. News: Royal Ballet: Bernstein Centenary review – McGregor and Wheeldon at the top of their game. The Guardian. Mackrell. Judith. 16 March 2018.
  8. News: Royal Ballet Bernstein Centenary review: New Wayne McGregor work stands out. Evening Standard. Byrne. Emma. 20 March 2020.
  9. Web site: National Dance Awards 2018. The Critic's Circle. 27 November 2018. 17 October 2020.