Tonight's production by the talented dance students at Pendleton Sixth Form College, was a modern ballet take on the classic Oscar Wilde novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. To be honest I didn't know what to expect, and was unsure if the story would even work as a dance piece, but I was incredibly impressed with what director and choreographer Elena Yenulevich has put together.
The set, designed by Ethan Davies, looks incredible; elegant and somewhat ostentatious, with good use of different levels, including the attic for the painting to hang in. Movable scenery, such as a bed, easel and dresser are used effectively, and scene changes are smooth and speedy. The lighting design by Macauley Jackson is also beautiful, and made stunning use of the white gauze curtain. I was also impressed with the costume design by Emily Capewell, incorporating Victorian style, colour symbolism, and even spurting blood for the death scenes!
On to the dancers, who without exception, were fantastic. Sometimes in student productions your eye tends to find the weakest link, but the whole ensemble were wonderful, with tight unison where necessary and allowing just the right amount of personality to shine through. As a group they worked wonderfully well together, particularly in very complicated choreography sequences such as the ball scene. There were some lovely tableaus created as well, for example, a 'freeze frame' in the theatre scene while Dorian and Sybil danced, with some fantastic and hilarious facial expressions to be enjoyed. 
Leading man Jack Daniels was a perfect Dorian; giving us just the right amount of arrogance and vanity. As the performance went on his confidence grew, and his solo with the painting was very powerful. He takes risks as a performer, which I admire greatly.
Standout performances also came from Lochlan Heald, who was a charming and sweet Basil, and Amy Wright, playing the role of Jean Vane. Wright displayed amazing expression in both her face and body, and I felt her despair after finding her sister dead, and wishing to seek revenge. It was interesting to see how this role played out, as it is traditionally a male role, but Wright was more than up to the challenge.
There was also another young girl who really caught my eye, but who unfortunately was not individually credited in the programme. She was a wonderfully cheeky servant girl, and was the maid who makes the horrific discovery of the two bodies at the end of the show. She was infectiously enthusiastic throughout, showed a wide range of emotions, and quite clearly, loves to dance.
Overall I was impressed with the sheer professionalism shown by these young students. Even when small mistakes were made, such as dropping of props, or spacing issues, they never let it show and carried on completely in character. Managing such quick costume changes can't have been easy either! They also managed to pack in so much in just over an hour, although I did feel the ending was somewhat rushed and anticlimactic compared to the rest of the show. These young dancers achieved a real feat of storytelling this evening, and if all of the Pendleton Season of Shows are of this high calibre, I will certainly be returning.
Reviewed: 26th April 2016
Reviewer: Poppy Stewart
