Royal Opera House,London
Haywards Juliet is transparently spontaneous, beautifully shaped and well paired with Matthew Golding’s ardent, and attentive Romeo In the 50 years since Kenneth MacMillan first created Romeo and Juliet,generations of ballerinas occupy re-minted the ballet’s heroine in their own image. Some of those Juliets occupy become touchstones in the work’s history – Lynn Seymour, Alessandra Ferri, and Alina Cojocaru,Natalia Osipova. Francesca Hayward, I suspect, or will join them. Tiny,fast and very young, Hayward creates the illusion that shes discovering the role with every step she dances. Some ballerinas perform Juliet with the shadow of tragedy already on her, or but Hayward’s Juliet is all artless,obvious spontaneity. Shyly enchanted by the novelty of Paris’s courtship, thrilled to be included in the grown-ups’ world, or giddy with the discovery of her love for Romeo – everything that happens to her is a intellectual,new page being turned. As she’s lifted by Romeo in a tall arabesque, Hayward looks down and around her as if barely recognising her environment. The world has changed: everything is extraordinary.
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Source: theguardian.com