Kisses in the theatre
Deirdre Tarrant31/03/2010 10:03:00 a.m.
From Here to There, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, St James Theatre, reviewed by Deirdre Tarrant
ENDING their triple bill tour in Wellington in order not to conflict with the NZ International Arts Festival has worked well for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
The dancers are in great shape.
Three stylised classical works were shown with an interesting progression as the evening moved forward and the choreographic style became fuller and freer.
First up Silhouette was a sculptural setting of dancers in space, sometimes obscured by moving screens, in very constricted poses and using a motif of pelvic ripples to punctuate the unusual arrangement for harpsichord, orchestra and snare drum by Francis Poulenc. The music was intriguing and the choreography, by Christopher Hampson, succeeded in playing alongside the complexity of the rhythms. Design by Gary Harris sent crisp lines cutting across beautiful tutus as the screens and lighting by Jordan Tuinman both cut the stage space.
A Song in the Dark, choreographed by Andrew Simmons, used a classically stylised vocabulary and was much busier onstage with rippling canons, high extensions and dancers making strong use of the breadth of the stage.
It certainly fulfilled Simmons’ intention to create a work that challenged the dancers physically. It was confusing that there were large silhouettes in the design of this work and that the programme had lift out posters and no information or order listed. A number of comments were overheard as viewers worked out what they were watching.
The evening climaxed with David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to my Skin set to Concerto No 1 in D Minor by JS Bach. I saw this work the first time the company performed it and once again, loved it. The design throws rich and regal colour across grey panels that slowly lift as the energy gets more generous and the movement more sumptuous.
Abigail Boyle really relished the challenges and shone but all the cast seemed totally immersed in this work and their vitality sent those million kisses out into the theatre. Other stand out variations across the evening were the dynamic duo of Paul Russell and Medhi Angot, and the solo section danced by Tonia Locker, in Silhouette. The night belonged to Michael Braun, in both A Song in the Dark and A Million Kisses to my Skin. He was completely at one with the choreography and shone.
ENDING their triple bill tour in Wellington in order not to conflict with the NZ International Arts Festival has worked well for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
The dancers are in great shape.
Three stylised classical works were shown with an interesting progression as the evening moved forward and the choreographic style became fuller and freer.
First up Silhouette was a sculptural setting of dancers in space, sometimes obscured by moving screens, in very constricted poses and using a motif of pelvic ripples to punctuate the unusual arrangement for harpsichord, orchestra and snare drum by Francis Poulenc. The music was intriguing and the choreography, by Christopher Hampson, succeeded in playing alongside the complexity of the rhythms. Design by Gary Harris sent crisp lines cutting across beautiful tutus as the screens and lighting by Jordan Tuinman both cut the stage space.
A Song in the Dark, choreographed by Andrew Simmons, used a classically stylised vocabulary and was much busier onstage with rippling canons, high extensions and dancers making strong use of the breadth of the stage.
It certainly fulfilled Simmons’ intention to create a work that challenged the dancers physically. It was confusing that there were large silhouettes in the design of this work and that the programme had lift out posters and no information or order listed. A number of comments were overheard as viewers worked out what they were watching.
The evening climaxed with David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to my Skin set to Concerto No 1 in D Minor by JS Bach. I saw this work the first time the company performed it and once again, loved it. The design throws rich and regal colour across grey panels that slowly lift as the energy gets more generous and the movement more sumptuous.
Abigail Boyle really relished the challenges and shone but all the cast seemed totally immersed in this work and their vitality sent those million kisses out into the theatre. Other stand out variations across the evening were the dynamic duo of Paul Russell and Medhi Angot, and the solo section danced by Tonia Locker, in Silhouette. The night belonged to Michael Braun, in both A Song in the Dark and A Million Kisses to my Skin. He was completely at one with the choreography and shone.
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