Jellicle Ball

The "Jellicle Ball" has earned Cats the reputation of being one of the hardest shows to perform in musical theatre history. The number is a full 9 minutes and 30 seconds (originally 10 minutes) of unbroken dance, demanding the highest calibre of dancing from performers who are also singers, actors, and playing cats.

The "Jellicle Ball" is often conflated with "The Song of the Jellicles", but it is the dance-only section of the overall Ball sequence.

Context
The Jellicle Ball is an annual celebration which has gathered all the members of the Jellicle Tribe together on this night. As the cats dance in celebration, Grizabella creeps into the shadows to watch. Victoria, the white cat, is symbolically mated with one of the male characters of similar age, after which everyone snuggles down to nap. However the magical cats - Mistoffelees, Coricopat and Tantomile, sense Grizabella's presence, and in retaliation the cats begin to dance again, even more spectacularly than before.

Throughout the number, many of the cast will usually leave the stage to dance along the aisles and interact with the audience.

Pas de Deux
In the middle of the "Jellicle Ball", Victoria performs a pas de deux with one of the male cats, exactly who varies between productions. The intimate choreography made up of balletic lifts is sometimes dubbed the "mating dance".

In the 1980s and 1990s, Victoria's dance partner was mainly either Admetus (UK) or Tumblebrutus (outside of the UK). More recent productions usually give this featured moment to either Admetus or Plato. The part has also gone to Pouncival, Carbucketty, Mistoffelees or Alonzo in major replica productions throughout the years.

Music
The music for the "Jellicle Ball" combines many of the melodies heard previously in the show, including the "Overture", "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats", and "The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball". The only character's melody we hear however, is Old Deuteronomy's.

In 2003, Andrew Lloyd Webber cut out some bars of the music when he rearranged the show for the UK Tour, reducing the length of the Ball by around 30 seconds. This change has been incorporated into all replica productions since.

Sections
The "Jellicle Ball" is made up of many sections, each of which were named by Gillian Lynne. Some sections have alternate names, used by different productions and replicators. Additionally, some sections, mostly in the beginning half of the ball, differ between productions and years. This video gives an overview of all the sections:

Audio

 * "The Song of the Jellicles" and "The Jellicle Ball" from the 1981 London cast recording


 * "The Song of the Jellicles" and "The Jellicle Ball" from the 1983 Broadway cast recording


 * "The Jellicle Ball" from the 2018 Andrew Lloyd Webber Unmasked: The Platinum Collection (1998 film version)


 * "The Jellicle Ball" from the 1998 Hey, Mr. Producer! live recording


 * "The Jellicle Ball" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (1988)

Trivia

 * A cover of "The Jellicle Ball" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was used as the theme music for the BBC's broadcast of the 1982 World Cup