As I walked into the notorious purple theatre at the Lowry Theatre, I wondered how a Ballet company could perform the life and personality of a person who was alive during the establishment of the United Kingdom.
It was not simple being a woman in the 18th Century, even less so if you were a lesbian. For Anne Lister, the only way she could imagine being able to express herself was by the disguise of enciphered diaries. For this show, the biggest challenge would be translating this code into a performance. Despite this, the Northern Ballet Company were able to depict an insight into what Anne Lister’s personality looked like; bold, vibrant, and full of life. The ballet company took Lister’s diaries and, through the choreography, music, and sets, created an immersive experience of what it was like to be her.
What struck out to me the most was the use of the ensemble to create a live imagery of Anne Lister’s writing. The Words, Jun Ishii, Bruno Serraclara, Stefano Varalta, Julie Nunes, Kaho Masumoto, Helen Bogatch, between many others were dressed in leotards that copied the patterns of Lister’s writing. A diary that was written almost 200 years ago, that took until the 1980s for someone to start deciphering it, and then the pages being represented in leotards. A fascinating connection from past to present.
The choreography did not disappoint either, as each dancer represented a mathematical shape or Latin figure that reoccurred through Lister’s pages. An important depiction of why her diaries are such an important part of who she was as a person and thus helping us understand who she was. These subjects were not something that was taught to women widely during Anne Lister’s time, and to see it in an embodied representation rather than props was a moving touch.
I felt that this was also highlighted through the minimalist stage props that helped shape the story. The use of blocks that were bookcases on one side and screens on the other facilitated the passage of time, space and moods through the ballet. We walked along with Anne Lister through her family’s estate, the mines, the (suggestion: replace “local pub” with aristocratic offices or mine and landowners or the guys (forgot his name) office, or mention places she actually went to. I don’t think she went to a pub), her rendezvous through the main continent, and her struggles as a masculine woman in the early 1800. Always walking by herself, which at the time was not a freedom that women could afford. Depicting that she was a free traveller who took her life by the reins.
Anne Lister was a ruthless businesswoman, someone who wanted to leave a legacy even if it meant going against societal roles. This was showcased beautifully by Gemma Coutts, who performed Anne Lister. It was easy to deduce if she was sad, angry, tormented, pensative, or aroused. When she was sharing the stage with the rest of the cast, she blended easily yet was able to maintain centre stage. Especially when Lister’s lovers appeared on stage.
It is not every ballet that you enjoy where you will see an explicit dance. I wondered at the beginning how they would portray Lister’s sexual encounters, and I was not let down. From the outside perspective, it was clear what was happening between the dancers, but it still remained respectful to both dancers and the real-life people the dance was based on.
As someone who is also queer, it was an emotive moment to be able to see the life of someone who had to be herself in the shadows be displayed in the Lowry with freedom, life, and boldness.
