BalletBoyz, Young Men, Wilton's Music Hall

As the actual centenary of the Armistice that put an end to World War I approaches (11 November), BalletBoyz’ Young Men returns to the London stage as the company’s own commemoration of that devastating conflict.

Originally conceived for the stage and premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2015, it was subsequently turned into a highly atmospheric award-winning film, shot on location on the killing fields of Flanders.

Now Young Men returns to the stage in a new hybrid adaptation of live dance and film to be shown at Wilton’s Music Hall. The cult all-male company, which for this particular work includes two guest women dancers (women, too, suffered the devastation of the war), will perform sections of the original stage production against a background of scenes from the film.

Choreographed by Iván Pérez, Young Men chronicles the experiences of the soliders sent to fight in WWI, portraying the desolation and hopelessness of the trenches and the senseless carnage of the war. One particularly harrowing scene sees a shell-shocked soldier haunted by the horrors he experienced, his body contorting in pain, his face a grimace of grief.

Young Men is danced on an intensely dramatic score composed by the singer songwriter Keaton Henson, which will be performed live at Wilton’s Music Hall.

Film is very much a pet project of BalletBoyz founders and artistic directors, William Trevitt and Michael Nunn, who over the years have created a number of dance documentaries. However, with Young Men BalletBoyz became the first ever dance company to present a full-length feature film. It was shown by the BBC last year.

Having filmed sequences intermingled with live dancing will likely intensify the impact of the reworked Young Men, which was perhaps stronger in the film than in the original stage version.

BalletBoyz Young Men was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK arts programme for the First World War centenary, and joins ENB’s Lest We Forget and Akademi’sThe Troth as some of the dance world’s tributes to the lives cut short by the conflict.

Age Guidance: 12+