A ballet version of ‘1984’ is streaming for free and it’s great – Time Out

Worriedyour annoying neighbours might dob you in for a lockdown crime you havent committed?Scared about whats going to happen to your personal health data over the coming months? In these uncertain times, the prescient details of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four feel more contemporarythan ever.

Of course, you may know how it all pans out in Room 101 already. But for a truly one-of-a-kind spin on this dystopian novel par excellence, the UKsNorthern Ballet has just made its critically approved 2016 adaptationavailable to stream online on a pay-what-you-feel basis. Slick, stylish and unsettling, it could well change the way yousee ballet.

If youre not yet familiar with the story, the protagonist Winston Smith (played here by Tobias Batley) lives in a world where all actions and even language are controlledby an all-powerful regime,and the Thought Policecrack down on thoughtcrime in every form. Then he falls in love with a fellowdissenter

In this adaptation, a troupe of grey-clad proles, choreographed by former Royal Ballet dancer Jonathan Watkins, flutter beneath the ominous projected eyes of Big Brother. A dark score from Tony-nominated Alex Baranowski enhances its most chilling moments. And through all the menace and gloom, Batley makes a compelling anti-hero.

Part of a digital lockdown seasonthat also includes an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood for the BBC, theLeeds-based Northern Ballet is streaming 1984 on YouTube until May 3. The companys dance film EGO is streaming online now, and its acclaimed adaptation of Dracula will also be available for free in the UK over the coming weeks. Whoever said going tothe ballet had to mean seeing your umpteenth Swan Lake?

Morethings to do at home?

Catch a hit play from Londons National Theatre

Stream a DJ set from one of Berlins coolest clubs

Check out a classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical

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A ballet version of '1984' is streaming for free and it's great - Time Out

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero