Symphony In C, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Wednesday August 20th 2017

"Symphony In C", Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Wednesday August 20th 2017

"Symphony In C", Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Wednesday August 20th 2017

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

The Australian ballet has redeemed their repuation after viewing a very ordinary performance of "The Sleeping Beauty" with the "Symphony In C" programme of works.  

In The Australian Ballet's annual subscription brochure this programme was advertised as "Symphony in C" plus two new one act ballets by Richard House and Alice Topp.  When I read that instead of the traditional triple-bill it was to be truncated into one act of five short works, including the two new works by Richard House and Alice Topp, I was not happy.  I wanted to see fully completed one act works by these two choreographers.

Gladly I can say that the night was worth it.  I can understand why the extra three short works were added to act one.  The two new works by these young choreographers were long enough to show their work and I did not feel cheated by the length of their works.  It is better to have quality than quantity.

Congratulations to the Arts Centre for the pre-show announcement with a slightly different message.  The gentleman informed the audience that there were five short works in Act One and requested that patrons please not turn on mobile phones and other devices in between.  People of course still turned them on, and one Stalls' usher shone her light to tell them to turn off their device.  Good on the usher for being so vigilant.  The view from the Dress Circle at times is like watching a Christmas tree light up with the rude patrons switching on their "Fear-of-missing-out" devices!

"From Silence" choreographed by Richard House opened the evening with audible gasps of appreciation from the audience.  The raising of the red curtain revealed the most sumptuously long red train hanging from the back of a Amanda McGuigan.  It was such a breathtaking opening.  Then when she was raised into the air there were more audible gasps of surprise as he had been hiding under the long red train.  The dancing was fine and will become more secure with more performances.  The four dancers did Richard House proud and with more confidence will relish in the beautifully constructed pas de deuxs.  Some of the lifts are tricky and with a new work the dancers need time to be in their "skin".  The first couple were juxtaposed with a second couple who wore costumes to counterbalance the odd splash of red.  Each dancer wore red in a different part of their costume and this is so in keeping with the theme of silence.  You never know where stillness or silence can appear.  The same with the slight red splash - we had to seek it out.

Costumes and Set Design by Kat Chan could have overpowered the work and added to what is hidden beneath the surface of any situation.  The union between dance and costumes paid homage to the iconic Alwin Nikolais.

"The Grand Pas Classique" choreographed after Viktor Bsovksky was brilliantly danced by Lana Jones and Brodie James.  Lana Jones, who has recently returned from maternity leave, danced with impeccable precision and accurate footwork that was like tatting a delicate lace table cloth.  I have rarely seen such precision in my fifty plus years of seeing ballet.  My heart was racing with the excitement and accuracy that this fine couple displayed. She was sharp and he was a fine bravura partner to show off his virtuosity.  Lana Jones displayed the most incredible finesse with epaulement and captured so nuanced movement qualities.  I was gasping and trying to remember the list of movement qualities that I witnessed.  One word: WOW.   Note the capital letters.  Repeat: WOW!
Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that I have not seen Lana Jones dance so well before.

"Pas De Trois From Imaginary Masque" choreographed by Stephen Baynes and costume design by Michael Pearce begins with the two, topless, athletic men on the floor.  The back cloth shimmers and reveals an exotic lady, Rina Nemoto.  Joseph Chapman and Cristiano Martino are strong and robust in this beautiful opening sequence.  They support Rina Nemoto in many complex sequences in a considered and fluid manner.  There is not a hint of doubt these men will honour this beauty as if a piece of fine porcelain.  This pas de trois teased me wanting to see more.

"Little Atlas" choreographed and with costumes designed by Alice Topp.  A large lit ring rose, angled and finally lowered to capture Leanne Stojmenov as if a prisoner of her own environment.  This was easily the best ballet so far and what competition had preceded this new piece.  There was a large curved beam upstage that also acted as a spacial divide between universes.

"Diana and Acteon Pas De Deux" concluded the first act of mixed works.  This pas de deux choreographed after Agrippina Vaganova and Joseph Mazilier was danced by guest artist Gillian Murphy and Ty King-Wall.  The audience laughed at his entrance as he wore a Grecian style tunic that was very camp and ridiculous.  His dancing and bravado made up for the historic and hysterical costume with his clean, sharp and polished technique. He displayed strong lines and crisp finishes to his sequences.  Gillian Murphy's angled her right wrist and poked her chin forward that detracted from her lines.  I do not know if this is choreographed but it looked corny.  "Diana and Acteon Pas De Deux" was my least favourite ballet for the first half of the programme.

After interval "Symphony In C" choreographed by George Balanchine begins with an opening tableau that received appreciative applause from the audience.

As an aside, remember the name Katherine Sonnekus as her photo did not appear in the programme.  Is she a new recruit, a contractor, a dancer on exchange with another company or from the Australian Ballet School? Who ever she is, she did not stand out but blended in with the style of the company.  I am so curious and look forward to seeing more of Katherine Sonnekus dancing with the company.

Leanne Strojmenov was in top form with Guest Artist David Hallberg in the first movement. They shone as a partnership with his assured support and his dynamic and explosive sautes.   He is as light as a feather and suspends in space with his ballon.  His batterie is sharp and precise.  

The second movement showcased the return of Lana Jones and this time partnered by Ty King-Wall.  They make a great duo and I look forward seeing them teaming up together again in the future.

The third movement saw Ako Kondo partnered by Chengwu Guo in another powerhorse pas de deux.

The third movement pas de deux was danced beautifully by Jade Wood and ANdrew Killian.

The corps de ballet framed the ballet with their neat spacing and accurate port de bras.  It is such a delight to see the dancers coached to display a consistent wrist shape.  One dancer on stage left in the opening sequence was so fragile that her port de bras required effort.

Overall the dancers were in top form and redeemed themselves with a great night of dancing.

Overall this performance obtained a 7.5/10.

20:21, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday September 2nd 2015

20:21, Australian Ballet, State Theatre, Wednesday September 2nd 2015

The Australian Ballet have provided a superb night of dance with "20:21" showcasing three different choreographers.

"Symphony in Three Movements" by George Balanchine is a clever use of space, groupings and technique.  Music by Stravinsky screams for movement and ballet.

This ballet has a large ensemble of women who provide beautiful shapes that melt into a Mexican Wave of port de bras.  This would be more effective if some of the women held their core sufficiently to support the strong position of their arms to create the lyricism of the overall movement.

Another example was a young lady whose arms were flapping while most were held steadfast.  This became an issue when groups changed positions in opposite directions.  Due to her arms not being held created a slight collision as the dancer in the opposite direction was running headlong into the arms of this other dancer.  It is not a complaint but shows how difficult it is for 16 dancers to maintain port de bras positions, and to create seamless synchronisation.

I really enjoyed the ballet with its angular movements.  I must commend Natasha Kush who had intensely angular wrists that looked like Samson holding the pillars apart.  The final tick or kink in her foot when in attitude derrière detracts from her line and highlights the inconsistency with the other dancers.

The colour scheme for the costumes is flattering and provides the audience with an ease to watch the details of the choreography.

I look forward to this ballet being repeated in future seasons.

"Filligree and Shadow" is a new work by Resident Choreographer, Tim Harbour.  Set Design is by Kelvin Ho and mainly consists of a curved wall upstage which is striking.  There is not enough room for the dancer's entrances either side of this curved wall as the dancers appear to squeeze through the narrow gap.  This is particularly obvious with the broad shouldered men.

The Lighting Design by Benjamin Cisterne and highlights the shadows and and spotlights with dramatic effect.  While the lighting works, it feels discordant with the black costumes as you cannot see the choreography at times.  This is at its most frustrating when there is intricate moves in dark shadows upstage.  I wonder if a another colour costume with the shaded two tone tights would be more effective.

Choreographically there are some exciting phrases.  At other times there are two and three different phrases occurring and work when the lighting is conducive, but fail when in shadow as you cannot see properly.

Some of the partnering was confident and at times it appeared hesitant.  With more performances the dancer's confidence will grow - knowing that this is a great addition to the contemporary repertoire of the Australian Ballet.

The final work of the evening is one of my all-time favourite dance pieces, "In the Upper Room" to a score by Philip Glass.  What a wonderful celebration for Twyla Tharp who is celebrating her 50th year of creating dance.

I have been blessed to have seen this work five times prior to this viewing. Once by Twyla Tharp's company in Melbourne.

The Australian Ballet dance this ballet with zest, verve and gusto.  A last minute replacement with the the deletion of Chengwu Guo gave the performance a new edge.  For a replacement whether scheduled or not gives the audience food for thought:  Was it planned? Was Chengu injured?  Has the dancer worked with this cast before?  It created an adrenalin rush for me, and thank you for the excitement.

I do not care that there were a few slips and misjudged lifts as this is the pinnacle of aerobic dance. These dancers are masters of their craft and dance a near marathon.

The only thing that I did not witness was the funky looseness of Twyla Tharp.  I wanted a little more coolness or fun.  Though I do qualify this as they had a replacement dancer and no wonder they may have been a little on edge.

For this, my sixth viewing, I had tears in my eyes for the first time. I had tears of joy at the Bomb Squad who are the most perfect I have seen dance these roles.  Their purity of line and precise technique juxtaposed the funkier moves of the other dancers.  I think it was Ako Kondo and Miwako Kubota who excelled in these roles.  Thank you for my making my heart soar and my body have an out of body experience.  This has only occurred in about ten performances in 50 years of viewing theatre.

The Stompers who begin and create an atmosphere of anticipation with their playfulness, mirroring and retrogrades.  They also conclude the dance work with the same playfulness, mirroring and retrogrades.

Each viewing provides an opportunity to see new aspects of the piece.  I love Twyla Tharp's homage to so many genres of her training, including cheer leading and tap dancing.  I particularly love the "shuffles" and for the first time the tap "wings" stood out with accurate execution.

The final movement appears to be the whole ballet in fast forward.  It is as if we have the fast Forward Button and are controlling what we are viewing.  NO WITNESSING!  It is unforgettable perfection.

I am in awe of the dancers counting this complex music with its repetitive phrases.

I yearn for Triple Bills of this quality.  David McAllister has excelled with this superb Triple Bill that always provides more "dance" for your dollar!

Please bring back "Billy the Kid" by Aaron Copeland performed at the Palais Theatre in the late 1970s.

Overall 8.5/10

Imperial Suite and Suite En Blanc June 25 2014.

Imperial Suite and Suite En Blanc

State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne,  Wednesday June 25 2014.

This classical double bill by The Australian Ballet of "ImperialSuite" and "Suite En Blanc" was superb.  Both are not my favourite ballets, though I must give credit where it is due.  They were superbly danced, to the extent I say the best I have seen them performed by this company.

"Imperial Suite" choreographed by George Balanchine is a classical ballet in shades of blue.  A rich blue that is so regal it is nearly purple at times.  To think that this ballet originated in 1941 is a testament to Balanchine's training, heritage and musicality.

The solo piano played by Duncan Salton was beautiful to listen to.  The dancers must be in heaven to dance to such beauty.

This ballet showcases technique, musicality and artistry.  All I can say is that the dancing was exquisite and the precision of the footwork was impeccable.  The turned out heel and the elegant and square shoulders, the extended lines, the pas de deux, the musicality, the coherence.  Pure bliss.

"Suite En Blanc" choreographed by Serge Lifar  is a white ballet with the very commanding opening tableau.

I cannot single out anyone for not contributing.  It was pure team work.

The Pas de Cinq was danced with assurance and a slight edgy feel, as one dancer was replaced from the cast list.  This gave the performance a slight tension which added to their concentration and efforts.  They danced with a dedication to their team.

The Pas de trois with Madeleine Eastoe, Kevin Jackson and Andrew Killian was sublime.  They moved as one.  Kevin Jackson returning from a short stint with the American Ballet Theatre seemed to have a new level of maturity and confidence.  He seemed effortless and so robust in his body.  Both he and Andrew Killian were so methodical and assured in their support of the sublime Madeleine Eastoe.

The Serenade, dance by Reiko Hombo was exquisite in her musicality, artistry and dancing.  If she is not promoted to principal in the next 12 months it is only because the other Senior Artists are also so deserving.  I cannot remember such a strong Senior Artist team for years.  I had tears well up in my eyes with her magnificent technique and interpretation.

Laura Tong is such a fine dancer and her interpretation of Variation de la Cigarette was precise and powerful.  It was such a shame that in her final pose her foot slipped and stole from her a faultless performance.  In true professional style she covered this and took our attention away from this "inconvenient " irritation. To maintain one's composure, technique and musicality takes skill. She was so self assured, as if she stamped out a cigarette and made her finish so individual and relevant to this ending.

The Mazurka, danced by Chengwu Guo was breath-takingly brilliant. Powerful, majestic and electrifying.  This was sheer bravura and masculinity at its best. Cheers of appreciation resounded at the conclusion of this masterful technician's solo.  He reminds me of the powerful and young Danilo Radojevic.  I would love to see this young man perform the "Billy the Kid" solo choreographed by Michael Kidd and coached by Danilo.

Amber Scott was so beautiful in her Variation de la Flute.  She is so feminine, and is so solid in her technique that originates not only in her core but also her heart.  Her port de bras is so fluid, lyrical and weightless, as if she is about to take flight.

The double tours en l'air by the men were phenomenal.  Their finish into a clean fifth position was something I have rarely seen consistently by a group of men over an entire night.

Congratulations to The Australian Ballet on such fine work and artistry.