“Sleek, slinky and smooth, sophisticated yet playful, Deviations feels like peeking in on an easy going jazz club. A follow up on her success with Take Five Blues for English National Ballet, Quagebeur relies heavily on the language of classical ballet. Whatever the jazz music is saying, the classical aesthetic remains. There are long lines, classical port de bras, traditional partnering and a lot of pointework.

Elisabeth Richter’s gorgeous costumes are special too: classy black, part mesh tops with black leather-look skirts with a cherry red panel for the women, similar coloured matching pants and tops for the men.

The dancers come together in ever new combinations. The ensemble dances feature strong group formations but, as good as they are, the ballet is at its best in the duets, when things quieten down, emotion not so much bubbling to the surface as erupting spectacularly.

All the time, the dance comes very naturally from the situations Quagebeur sets up. Every scene comes with its little narratives.

But more than anything, what came over was the utter joy of dancing. The dancers appeared to be giving themselves wholly to the music, and having fun doing it. There were a lot of happy, naturally smiling faces on stage. Interaction appeared spontaneous. And that does communicate to the audience, helping them to enjoy it all too.”