Gentleman Jack The Ballet Review

"Gentleman Jack is possibly the first ever ballet centred on a lesbian heroine: Anne Lister, the indomitable 19th-century Yorkshire landowner, known as Gentleman Jack, who lived and loved as she liked, with no concessions to societal mores and restrictions. Since the discovery and decryption of her detailed diaries, Lister has become a subject of fascination, generating novels, a popular TV series and now, too, a ballet, which premiered in the company's Leeds home and has reached Sadler's Wells as part of an extensive tour."

"Northern Ballet has an enviable repertoire of narrative ballets, and Gentleman Jack, artistic director Federico Bonelli's first full-length commission, perfectly fits the company's mould. Choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, the multi-award-winning maker of more than 100 ballets for a raft of international companies, with Clare Croft credited as dramaturg, its story flows with absolute clarity, its broad-brush characters coming vividly to life through choreography that is spare, unfussy and highly effective."

"A prologue shows Anne Lister in top hat, black frock coat with green lining and soft ballet shoes surrounded by a group of men on an otherwise empty stage, duskily lit by Christopher Ash. At intervals, she taps the floor with her silver-topped cane, her ever-present symbol of unfeminine dominance. She is danced with tremendous assurance by Gemma Coutts, her leitmotif move, an almost provocative flick of the hip and leg, denoting the character's self-confidence."

"Act I plunges right into the story. Anne confronts striking miners, but her attempts to make common cause with other landowners are rebuffed; the men's outrage at seeing a woman meddle in their business is clearly depicted. A domestic scene with her demure aunt, uncle and sister is disrupted by the arrival of Marianna, Anne's lover. The heat goes up a notch or two."

A full-length ballet centers on Anne Lister, a 19th-century Yorkshire landowner known as Gentleman Jack, who lived and loved without conforming to social restrictions. The work premiered in Leeds with a tour reaching Sadler’s Wells. Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and dramaturgy by Clare Croft create a story with clear flow and vivid characters. A prologue presents Lister in a top hat and frock coat, using a silver-topped cane as a symbol of dominance. Act I begins with Lister confronting miners and facing resistance from other landowners. A domestic family scene is disrupted by the arrival of Marianna, Lister’s lover, intensifying the drama.

Read at London Unattached