Artistic Directors: Michael Nunn and William Trevitt
Choreographers: Russell Maliphant, Seirian Griffiths, Xie Xin, Ivan Pérez, Liam Scarlett, Maxine Doyle, Christopher Wheelon and Javier de Frutos
After 25 years, BalletBoyz’s Still Pointless serves as both a retrospective of their greatest hits and a showcase for a range of choreographic voices, but above all, it celebrates the extraordinary skill and versatility of the company’s dancers.
Opening with archival footage of Michael Nunn and William Trevitt on their first day of rehearsals in 2001, the production immediately captures their infectious passion for dance and charisma. We watch them learn Russell Maliphant’s choreography from a VHS tape before the curtain rises on Critical Mass, synthy 90s music and intimate choreography rooted almost entirely in one spot. Bathed in blue light, the repetitive sequences flow seamlessly and establish the dancers’ remarkable synchronicity.
In contrast, Motor Cortex, newly commissioned for this programme and choreographed by company dancer Serian Griffith, explores whether we truly possess ‘agency over our thoughts, movements and intentions’. Through dark, repeating duets that multiply across the stage, Griffith creates a restless and unsettling atmosphere.
Xie Xin’s Ripple is perhaps the evening’s most perfect marriage of company and choreography. The dancers’ musicality and astonishing plasticity embody the qualities of water itself, melting and surging across the stage with mesmerising precision.
After years of persuasion, Russell Maliphant finally created Fallen for BalletBoyz, and the piece also highlights the company’s curatorial strength. Each work throughout the evening feels distinct, yet together they move within a shared artistic language, creating a satisfying sense of progression and cohesion.
Closing the first half is Ivan Pérez’s Young Men, which is initially presented as a filmed dance piece. Film has long been central to BalletBoyz’s artistic identity, not only through the backstage footage that demystifies the choreographic process, but also in the way the company captures movement on screen with intimacy and cinematic drama. Young Men exemplifies this beautifully.
Opening the second half, Liam Scarlett’s Serpent channels the oscillating fluidity and latent malice of its namesake animal into choreography that emphasises the dancers’ muscularity and control. BalletBoyz are at their strongest when performing as a full ensemble, and here every dancer demonstrates meticulous attention to detail while maintaining an impressive collective chemistry.
Maxine Doyle’s Bradley 4:18, set to a crashing jazz score, adopts a more theatrical language to examine masculinity and male interaction. From eruptions of almost slap-sticky violence and performative bravado, Doyle captures the contradictions of male behaviour with a wit that feels distinctly aligned with BalletBoyz’s sensibility.
Christopher Wheeldon’s exquisite duet Us offers a quieter, more introspective moment. Exploring connection and the push-and-pull of relationships, the piece draws the audience inward, allowing the beauty and emotional subtlety of the choreography to speak for itself.
Lastly, Javier de Frutos’ Fiction closes the evening with irreverent humour. Built around a fictional audio narration imagining the choreographer’s death before his premiere, the piece playfully recounts his life story as the dancers weave around ballet barres. Fittingly, the night ends with the exuberance of Donna Summer’s joyous Last Dance. It may mark the final dance of the evening, but it certainly will not be the last chapter in BalletBoyz’s enduring legacy.
Runs until 16 May 2026
