Ballet Nights, Brighton Theatre Royal – 18 March
Brighton Theatre Royal was packed to capacity on Tuesday, 18 March as Ballet Nights arrived for its first regional dance spring tour outside London. Founded and curated by the ambitious dancer and impresario Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, who also serves as compère, the critically acclaimed programme brought together world-class ballet, contemporary dance, and live music in a curated evening designed to engage both seasoned ballet fans and those experiencing dance in a theatre for the first time. What I wasn’t prepared for was just how extraordinary the evening would turn out to be.
Unlike a conventional ballet programme, Ballet Nights is a hosted live experience rather than a simple bill of works. Devernay-Laurence, a former soloist with Scottish Ballet, introduced each piece with warmth, insight, and storytelling, creating a sense of intimacy and connection. “You don’t need prior knowledge – just curiosity,” he noted. “The hosting, pacing, and proximity between artists and audience remove the intimidation factor. It’s about building a new tradition that speaks directly to the people in the room.” I heartily agree.
Whilst this was a new way to experience live dance, the engagement with Jamiel and the audience was a warm and witty one, and he’s comfortable on stage and engaging with viewers, both in a tongue-in-cheek way and also as a dance enthusiast. Devernay-Laurence’s segments added texture to the evening, creating a sense of connection between audience and performer, often missing in traditional linear classical ballet shows.
The evening’s programme was designed for contrast, momentum, and emotional impact. Classical works were interspersed with contemporary and experimental pieces, with each act chosen not just for its technical excellence but for the way it engages audiences. “Programming Ballet Nights is about storytelling,” says Devernay-Laurence. “Each piece has to shift the energy or reveal something about the artist behind the technique. It’s about how the work lands in the room, not just how it looks on paper.” Emblematic of this was former Stomp performer Guy Salim’s Temperature, which was an incredibly fast New York tap piece delivered with an insouciant shrug of the shoulders.
The opening piece by string quartet – Quartet Concrète (comprising musicians Anna Brown, Isabella Todes, Dominic Stokes, Joseph Barker) set the tone. It was quiet, precise, and delicate, immediately drawing attention to the performers’ technical excellence. From there, the evening moved through a series of works that showcased both individual virtuosity and inventive choreography. Among the headline performers, London City Ballet star French soloist Constance Devernay-Laurence (currently part of the Amazon Prime series Etoile), performed her striking solo I Married Myself choreographed by Christopher Wilden OBE, to the music of Sparks, displaying both technical precision and expressive characterisation.
Denys Cherevychko (a guest principal from the Austrian Opera Ballet) performed Les Bourgeois, choreographed by Belgian choreographer Ben Van Cauwenbergh, a self-contained narrative piece that combined subtle humour with classical technique. His versatility was a highlight, a self-choreographed piece set to a spoken-word Jacques Brel song, which elicited both laughter and applause from the audience for his comedic timing and characterisation, but it was clear that every movement was grounded in rigorous classical technique.
Later, Cherevychko closed the night with a more traditional pas de deux alongside an elegant Alina Cojocaru OBE (former principal with The Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet), a Balanchine-choreographed Diamonds that was pure classical magic – precise, lyrical, and utterly transporting. Diamonds is the final, opulent section of George Balanchine’s 1967 three-part ballet Jewels, set to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D major.
Contemporary works provided a striking counterpoint. The transatlantic dance duo of Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh, together known as BlacBrik, performed their own innovative piece Death of the Bachelors, set to music by Etta James, James Brown, and Sam Cooke. Their performance was exuberant, theatrical, and joyfully musical, with a blend of physical precision and playful energy that felt immediate and engaging. AE, performed by Isabel Evans and Travis Clausen-Knight, offered a more introspective, emotionally intense exploration of the human condition. This piece was lengthy but very emotive and thoroughly engaging.
Ekleido, performed by Hannah Eckholm and So Souza, delivered Life as a Performance, a high-energy contemporary duet with mirrored choreography, striking costumes, and a sense of theatricality that drew on dance hall and rave aesthetics. It was a very polished performance which drew much applause from a home crowd due to the inclusion of young Brighton dancer, Phoebe Dowglass.
Live music played a central role throughout the evening. Violist Dominic Stokes, part of the musical outfit Rothko Collective, performed Hindemith’s Viola Sonata with virtuosity, both as a soloist and in collaboration with the talented Quartet Concrète. In an unusual combination of solo music and movement called String Theory, Stokes and dancer Leila Wright created a moving dialogue between movement and sound, highlighting the creative interplay at the heart of this particular Ballet Nights show. Atlas, a contemporary duet performed by Chrysanthi Nicolaou and Django Bates-Bloa, demonstrated the potential of emerging talent, students of the Rambert dance school clearly poised for significant careers.
The evening’s success rested not only on individual performances but on the skilful curation of the programme. Devernay-Laurence balances variety with cohesion, alternating classical and contemporary, dramatic and playful, light-hearted and emotionally intense works, creating a rhythm and narrative arc that carried the audience from start to finish. Despite a strong presence of contemporary dance, the classical works provided an anchor for those more familiar with traditional ballet, while the contemporary pieces offered fresh, challenging perspectives that expanded the experience.
Audience response confirmed the effectiveness of this approach. The Theatre Royal was alive with energy throughout, with enthusiastic applause for every performance. Even the more experimental pieces, which might have felt challenging or unusual, were received with warmth and engagement, suggesting that Ballet Nights is succeeding in its goal of making high-level dance accessible and enjoyable for a broad audience.
Devernay-Laurence’s role as MC added both structure and entertainment. Far from being merely an announcer, he guided the audience through the programme with charm, wit, and insight, offering glimpses into the creative process, the performers’ backgrounds, and the context of each work. This continuity helped to integrate the evening’s diverse repertoire into a coherent whole, transforming what might have been a series of isolated performances into a true evening of storytelling through dance and music.
Since its launch in a 200-seat studio theatre in East London in 2023, Ballet Nights has expanded rapidly. A move to Cadogan Hall allowed for larger audiences, while international tours in Brisbane, Bucharest, and Kuala Lumpur have demonstrated the programme’s broad appeal. Its arrival in Brighton marks the beginning of a wider national tour. The evening in Brighton demonstrated the success of this approach. Each work was performed with technical excellence and artistic commitment, while the transitions between pieces with the MC, maintained the evening’s rhythm and narrative arc. The curation, execution, and audience engagement combined to create a sense of occasion, leaving a lasting impression of both quality and accessibility.
For Devernay-Laurence, the Brighton date was deeply personal. “Brighton is very close to my heart,” he explains. “I spent many summers here as a child, visiting my grandparents, walking along the seafront, wandering The Lanes, playing on the Palace Pier. Bringing something I’ve created to Brighton Theatre Royal feels incredibly meaningful. Brighton audiences are open-minded, playful and artistically engaged – it’s a perfect home for Ballet Nights.” In fact Jamiel’s grandmother was in the audience last night and celebrating her 90th birthday for which she received a round of applause.
This show is a compelling demonstration of what a modern dance programme can be. It balances classical excellence with contemporary innovation, technical precision with expressive storytelling, and structured curation with spontaneous energy. For anyone seeking an engaging, diverse, and high-quality evening of dance, these curated performances offer a unique dance experience that is as approachable as it is memorable. It is made for diverse audiences without condescension. It is challenging without being alienating, blending high-quality ballet and contemporary dance presented with intelligence, humour, and care. From the technical brilliance of the performers to the inventive programming and the personal touch of the MC, the show is a triumph in accessibility and excellence.
For anyone who loves dance, or even simply wants to experience what a truly dynamic evening of performance can feel like, Ballet Nights is recommended. For someone who, like me, is often wary of contemporary dance, the show proved to be transformative: it broadened tastes, delivered humour and humanity, and never compromised on artistry. With world-class performers, thoughtful curation, and a programme that successfully balances accessibility with artistic ambition, the evening demonstrated that Ballet Nights offers real value for those seeking a night of live dance that is both exhilarating and enriching.
The company continues its spring tour in Richmond later this week on 20 March, with more performances planned across the UK. Tickets are well worth the price for an evening that combines artistry, joy, and a palpable sense of excitement in a theatre full of engaged, enthusiastic audiences. There’s a whisper that there may be a return to Brighton in November too…
For further information, visit www.balletnights.com
Brighton and Hove News
Find more arts and culture reviews at Brighton & Hove News – Follow @BHCitywhatson and @bhcitynews on Instagram.
Covering everything from fringe theatre to major tours across Brighton & Hove – tag us if you’re going!
#WhatsOnBrighton #BrightonandHoveNews #Brighton #BrightonTheatre #BrightonArts #BrightonHoveNews
