Mere Mortals at Edinburgh International Festival – photo Andrew Perry, Edinburgh International Festival 2026
Matthew Paluch sees the highs and lows of San Francisco Ballet’s Mere Mortals: “The highs are powerful, but the lows feel eternal.”
San Francisco Ballet is on the road. First stop Edinburgh Festival, next Sadler’s Wells. The last time the company visited the Wells, they brought four different programmes; this time, one standalone work.
Commissioned by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo in her inaugural season, Mere Mortals by Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton is a visually stunning piece that confuses.
Many modern choreographers favour dystopian scenarios, and Barton is no different. This time it’s Pandora’s box, the myth discussing the dangers of curiosity, written by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod.
The work is handsome. The black box environment is often full of latex-clad dancers, extraordinary digital footage and unpredictable music. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia does wonders with the Floating Points score, which goes from the sublime to the grating, which is also a good analogy for the piece at large.
Mere Mortals at Edinburgh International Festival – photo Andrew Perry, Edinburgh International Festival 2026
Barton can create emotional environments through her movement, and she offers a plethora: male energy, female, sexual tension, tragedy. Large group sections start impressively but can then lack choreographic gravitas. The initial sense of intimidation and ritualistic fervour is definitely there, but somehow doesn’t last. This is the biggest issue with the piece throughout: lack of structure. And without this, one encounters issues with pace, dynamics, and connectedness. These are the elements needed if you’re looking for a successful, cohesive work.
I caught the Saturday matinée with Nikisha Fogo in the main role. What a dancer, with undeniable presence. Her first solo was a bewitching mix of emotional contortionism. Never did I think that someone dropping into the splits would work for me – but I’ve been proven wrong. Barton x Fogo is a very good mix. Initially, I missed the pointe shoe, but on reflection, I think it would’ve just muddied matters.
Mere Mortals at Edinburgh International Festival – photo Andrew Perry, Edinburgh International Festival 2026
Elsewhere, Fernando Carratalá Coloma as Prometheus absolutely brought his A-game. He’s such a fluid, organic dancer that you don’t quite appreciate how good he actually is. Add to that a natural, infectious sense of characterisation, and things are very good.
At one point in the ballet, I thought, “I definitely want to see this again”, and then a little later, I just wanted it to end. Fundamentally, it feels like a long 70 minutes, with highs and lows. The highs are powerful, but the lows feel eternal. Barton has talent – one can sense vision and emotionally fuelled movement – however, in Mere Mortals, those strengths are currently overshadowed by other weaknesses.
Swedish ballerina Nikisha Fogo will soon take up a new position in a new company when she becomes a principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet. After seven years with the…
Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.
Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.