The Mariinsky Ballet: Contrasts, Royal Opera House, London, dance review: 'Should be better'

The Mariinsky Ballet brings together Carmen, Wayne McGregor's Infra and Marius Petipa's Paquita

As Carmen, Diana Vishneva has great presence, but she can’t lift Alonso’s clichéd poses (Natasha Razina)

As an umbrella title for a triple bill, “Contrasts” is an understatement. In the only mixed programme of its London season, the Mariinsky Ballet brings together a very dated Carmen, a Wayne McGregor work with digital designs by Julian Opie, and a traditional tutu setpiece. Across the board, energy needs to rise. Despite individually strong performances, the Mariinsky look complacent.

Alberto Alonso’s 1967 Carmen Suite reframes the story of Bizet’s opera as a symbolic battle in a bullring, complete with Fate played by a dancer in a black body stocking. Only gusto could save it, but that’s in short supply.

As Carmen, Diana Vishneva has great presence, but she can’t lift Alonso’s clichéd poses. The rest of the cast is stolid: when Konstantin Zverev is a stolid Jose, while Evgeny Ivanchenko’s bullfighter looks pompous.

McGregor’s Infra is the most recent work here, created in 2008 for The Royal Ballet. It does spark some attack from these dancers. Taking on an unfamiliar style, the Mariinsky get halfway. They have the bendiness for McGregor’s steps, but his twisting, undulating flow of movement is still a reach for them. Some slip back into more familiar classical lines; others rise to the challenge. It takes a while, but they ease into the work’s brooding, lyrical tone.

Nadezhda Batoeva catches the melancholy of Max Richter’s score, a sense of introspection in her long, fluid phrases. Ekaterina Kondaurova is emphatic as the lonely woman in a crowd. Though her silent scream risks melodrama, she dances with authority and nerve.

If Infra is new territory, the grand pas from Marius Petipa’s Paquita should be home ground for this company. A suite of dances for a Spanish heroine, her partner, soloists and corps de ballet, it’s a party piece with plenty of chances to show off. Though this performance was strongly cast, it falls short on dazzle. The corps de ballet are perky rather than joyful. There’s a sense that the Mariinsky is resting on its laurels: given how good these dancers are, it should be better.

In the ballerina role, Viktoria Tereshkina has speed, authority and laser precision, but she doesn’t make it personal. For all her skill, she misses the ballet’s sense of celebration. There’s more warmth from the ardent Vladimir Shklyarov, whose soaring jump and tender partnering feel vividly individual. Among the soloists, Kondaurova dances on a grand scale, her long limbs sweeping. Batoeva brings delicate musical phrasing to her solo.