GEMS. L.A. Dance Project

7 September, 2025 (matinee). The Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane Festival

Brisbane Festival media announcements for Benjamin Millepied’s Gems have frequently stressed that Gems, a work in three parts, reflects George Balanchine’s Jewels, also a three part work. It is an interesting, but perhaps confusing comment. Millepied of course danced with New York City Ballet (NYCB) and I was lucky enough to see him perform with NYCB in Jewels in 2010. Then I was impressed with his dancing in ‘Rubies’, the second section of Jewels. I referred to him in my review as ‘a boisterous Benjamin Millepied’.

Had the media not been so insistent that Millepied’s Gems reflected Balanchine’s Jewels I doubt I would have thought of making a connection. But Gems was not only a work in three parts but was made in collaboration with Van Cleef and Arpels, an upmarket and creative jewellery organisation. Charles Arpels, a co-founder of the company, was in part responsible for the development of Balanchine’s Jewels, so a connection of sorts is not beyond the realms of possibility..

The standout section for me was the second item, ‘Hearts and Arrows’, which Millepied made in 2014. Performed to a selection of music by Philip Glass, with arresting costumes of black tops of various designs with black and white skirts or shorts for the dancers, it showed Millepied’s beautifully constructed choreography that pushed the boundaries of classical dance into a contemporary mode of groupings and poses.

A moment in the section ‘Hearts and Arrows’ from *Gems*. Photographer not identified.

I was staggered by the brilliant dancing of one of the dancers (unknown to me by name but the tallest of the eight dancers who made up the company on this occasion). The pirouettes, tours en l’air and other airborne steps on view were so well placed and perfectly executed. Just spectacular.

The least arresting section for me was the first item on the program, ‘Reflections’ originally made in 2013 and performed to music by David Lang. It was danced in front of a bright red backcloth with the word STAY emblazoned in white across it, and on a red floorcloth with white writing on it that was hard to see from close up (I was sitting in row F of the stalls). One really needed to be seated upstairs in a gallery seat to look down on the wording.

It was not easy to focus on the choreography when the words seemed to take over (visual concept by Barbara Kruger). The writing on the floorcloth was something about ‘thinking of you’ and program notes say the section concerned ‘presence and absence, desire and memory’. But it would have had more effect I think had the so-called visual concept not pushed the choreography into the background. In addition the costumes were not as theatrical as I would have expected. Those track pants (not seen in the header image but very obvious in Brisbane) were not attractive.

The final section, ‘On the Other Side’, was also performed to a score from Philip Glass and took place in front of backcloth showing an art work by Mark Bradford.

A moment in the section ‘On the Other Side’ from *Gems*. Photographer not identified.

Program notes say this section traced ‘the bonds between individuals and the quiet strength of collective experience’. It was perhaps a trifle long but it showed Millepied again working with classically trained bodies and making complex groupings, and often focussing on very moving moments of stillness.

A breathtaking moment occurred (more than once too), for example, when one of the dancers took a pose with upper body and head bent back but with one arm stretching forward. The pose was held for several seconds before the dancer folded her body into another pose. Simplicity perfected.

The true highlight of Gems, however, was the exceptional dancing of all eight dancers throughout the three sections. There was quite a bit of ‘grounded’ work, which was something that Balanchine avoided but which is commonplace in contemporary dance. But what stood out was the way the bodies of all eight dancers were managed by Millepied in ways that did to a certain extent recall a Balanchine choreographic mode, but that had been manipulated in quite complex ways to create a new, contemporary look.

Shortly after Balanchine’s Jewels was first presented in New York in 1967 a journalist wrote, ‘Though there’s no important meaning in the fact that Jewels is the “first abstract three-act ballet”, there’s lots of good copy in the phrase.’* I suspect that comparisons between Gems and Jewels is also ‘good copy’, but is perhaps just an unecessary comparison.

The three sections of Gems were put together for the first time for the Brisbane Festival. The work had much to offer in opening up a look at how dance can absorb much, and how in the hands of an exceptional choreographer can be developed into a particularly different mode of expression.

Michelle Potter, 8 September 2025

Featured image: A moment from ‘Reflections’ the first section of Benjamin Millepied’s Gems.

All images used in this review come from internet sources and are not necessarily from the Brisbane performances.

*See the section on Jewels in The International Dictionary of Ballet (Detroit: St James Press, 1993). Volume 1: A-K, p. 721.

I attended Gems as a member of the general public. My ticket cost $120.

Garth Welch, AM (1936–2025)

Garth Welch, extraordinary dancer with a range of companies in Australia and elsewhere, has died at the age of 89. I clearly recall a brilliant performance he gave decades ago as Albrecht in Giselle with the Borovansky Ballet. What a thrill it gave me as a young student, and there were many more exceptional performances to come.

In 1990, after watching his career unfold over the years, and while pursuing my own varied dance activities, I had the huge pleasure of interviewing him for the National Library of Australia’s Esso Performing Arts and Oral History Archive Project. The interview is open for research purposes but is not yet available online: Welch asked that written permission be sought before it was made available for public purposes. The restriction was to last until his death so I am hoping that it might be made available online in the near future. In the meantime, the catalogue summary of the content of the interview gives an idea of the depth of the discussion. Here is a link to the information from the NLA catalogue—Garth Welch interviewed by Michelle Potter in the Esso Performing Arts collection [sound recording]—and, as a taster, below is the summary of the content as extracted from the catalogue entry.

Welch talks about his family background and childhood in Brisbane; his early experience of dance and dance education with Phyllis Danaher; early acting experience; joining the Borovansky Ballet Company in 1954; other ballet artists he worked with and performances with Borovansky. He discusses performing in London and the value of living overseas. He also speaks about working as principal dancer in the Australian Ballet Company and under Robert Helpmann’s choreography; his Harkness Fellowship; beginning as a choreographer; contact with Rudolf Nureyev; moving to Ballet Victoria and on to West Australia Ballet Company as artistic director; his role as Zac in “A Chorus Line”; and his sons who have both become dancers. He speaks about dancing again in “After Venice” with Sydney Dance Company; directing “Othello” in Manila; his current work “In Praise of Folly” and his views on the future of Australian dance.

The National Library’s dance material also contains images of Welch in various roles including some rare shots of a rehearsal in Canberra where, as seen in the two images below taken by the Australian News and Information Bureau, he partnered Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake in October 1970.*

Garth Welch, AM, 14 April 1936–02 September 2025

Vale!

Michelle Potter, 5 September 2025

Featured image: Garth Welch and Kathleen Gorham in Yugen (detail). The Australian Ballet, 1965. Photo: © Australian News and Information Bureau/National Archives of Australia

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*The photos are dated 1971 on the websites of the National Archives of Australia and the National Library of Australia (and elsewhere on various internet sites). But it is clear from programs held in Libraries ACT that Fonteyn and Welch appeared as ‘guest stars’ in Canberra in a program that began in late October 1970. The year 1970 is also given by Edward Pask in his Ballet in Australia. The second act 1940-1980, p. 154.

Below is the information extracted from the website of Libraries ACT:

Serenade, Gayaneh, Les Patineurs & Swan Lake:Australian Ballet ’70:Program 3
Australian Ballet (Margot Fonteyn & Garth Welch guest stars)
22-Oct-1970 – 27-Oct-1970 Canberra Theatre
1.program 2.flyer 3. local cast insert

Colin Peasley, OAM (1934–2025)

Colin Peasley, whose dance career was extraordinarily varied, has died in Melbourne at the age of 90. In 2000 he was interviewed by Bill Stephens for the oral history collection of the National Library of Australia. The interview is open for research purposes but is not yet available online: Peasley asked that written permission be sought before it was made available for public purposes. The restriction was to last until his death so I am hoping that it might be made available online in the near future. In the meantime, the catalogue summary of the content of the interview gives an idea of the depth of the discussion. Here is a link to the information from the NLA catalogue—Colin Peasley interviewed by Bill Stephens [sound recording] | Catalogue | National Library of Australia—and, as a taster, below is the summary of the content as extracted from the catalogue entry. The interview lasts for over seven hours!

Peasley speaks of his childhood and introduction to ballroom dance and live theatre, visit to the Sydney Tivoli, discovery of the Kathryn Dunham Dance Troupe and their performances, his lessons in ballroom dancing and Adagio dancing from Leslie Rutherford. He talks about his discovery of Gertrud Bodenwieser, the dance scene in Australia and obstacles facing male dancers. He discusses his course in tap and acrobatic dancing with the Rudas School of Acrobatic Dancing, jazz and classical dance with Valerie Tweedie, recollections of Estelle Anderson, his work on television, his parents reaction to his dancing career, industrial action taken by Channel 9 dancers and his decision to audition for Garnet Carroll in his theatrical productions, auditioning for George Carden for a Tivoli show in 1958 and the craft of auditioning and his lessons with Martin Rubinstein. He discusses his meeting with Peggy van Praagh, classes with the Borovansky Ballet dancers, detailed comparison of dancing teaching methods, differences between the roles of corps de ballet and principal dancer, his first days with the Australian Ballet, its structure, early history, the strain of their touring schedule and the campaign to displace Peggy van Praagh. He discusses of the dance styles of Rudolph Nureyev, Eric Bruhn, Garth Welch and Karl Welander and describes Robert Helpmann’s ballet ‘The Display’, Helpmann’s appointment as co-Artistic Director and overall significance to the Australian Ballet, Anne Woolliams period as Artistic Director to eventually be replaced by Peggy van Praagh, Marilyn Jones as Artistic Director, a major strike by the Company dancers, his view of Maina Guelgud as Artistic Director, why he was asked to resign as Regisseur General and instead took the job of Director of Education; and his great enthusiasm for teaching.

The National Library’s dance material also contains images of Peasley in various roles including the two close-up images below (left in Elektra in 1966; right as the younger Ugly Sister in Cinderella in 1973). Both images: © Walter Stringer/National Library of Australia.

Colin Peasley, OAM, 15 October 1934–02 September 2025

Vale!

Michelle Potter, 4 September 2025

Featured image (detail): Colin Peasley taking a curtain call following his retirement from the
Australian Ballet, 2012. Photo: © Jess Bialek

Leanne Stojmenov and Daniel Gaudiello in 'Cinderella'. The Australian Ballet, 2013. Photo: Jeff Busby

Dance diary. August 2025

Leanne Stojmenov

News released early in August is that Leanne Stojmenov has been appointed artistic director of the Perth-based West Australian Ballet (WAB). She will begin her appointment in January 2026, taking over the reins from David McAllister, who was appointed in 2024 as interim director following the departure of previous director, Aurelien Scannella.

Stojmenov grew up in Perth, and began her professional employment with WAB. She then had an exceptional career with the Australian Ballet for 18 years (beginning in 2001) before retiring at the end of 2018. Moving back to Perth, Stojmenov took up various dance-related roles before being appointed artistic director. See her biography on the WAB website at this link (still under the heading Rehearsal Director at time of posting).

I have great memories of watching Stojmenov on stage, even as far back as her very early performances with WAB. I will never forget an absolutely stunning performance in the pas de deux from the last act of Don Quixote. She must have been about 18 but her technique was almost unbelievable. For references on this website relating to Stojmenov’s performances follow this link.

As a taster, here is part of what I wrote about her performance in Coppélia in a 2016 Australian Ballet production:

………… I had the good fortune to see Leanne Stojmenov as Swanilda. Her characterisation was engaging and beautifully maintained from beginning to end, including at those times when she was not the centre of attention but mingling with others on the side of the stage. She smiled, she frowned, she pouted, she stamped her foot, she was playful—her every thought was so clear. Her dancing was calm and assured but still technically exciting. It was a truly charming performance.

With every good wish to Leanne Stojmenov for success in her new role!

Meryl Tankard’s Wild Swans

Last year I received a purchase request for 30 copies of my book Meryl Tankard. An original voice, first published in 2012.. When I received the request I had to have a reprint made as I had no copies left from the original run. It was a very small reprint with one or two minor typographical errors corrected—nothing major. But the reprint activities did send me back to a little further research.

I didn’t review the show when it was first performed in 2003 in Sydney as I had various other opportunities to write about the work, including one or two preview articles and an article for the official Australian Ballet program. Just one of those articles, the Australian Ballet program note, appears on this website.

The various reviews were quite diverse. In an article that was commissioned from me by the editor of Australian Art Review,* and published in the issue dated November 2003-February 2004, I wrote that the public reaction ‘ranged from spluttering outrage to to wild enthusiasm’. I was closer to the ‘wild enthusiasm’ end of the range and wrote in that same Australian Art Review article that it was ‘a controversial work from a controversial artist’. I wrote in particular that I especially enjoyed the exceptional collaborative nature of the work.

But just recently, as part of continuing research into the topic, I came across a YouTube item that was loaded from Stella Motion Pictures in January 2025, some twenty years after the creation of Wild Swans. It was a reminder of the work that went into the production and it was quite a thrill to see some of the major dancers who performed in it, including Felicia Palanca, Annabel Reid and Tim Harbour. There are also hints within it as to why the work has never been restaged.

Follow this link to see the video.

Felicia Palanca as Eliza in Meryl Tankard's 'Wild Swans'. The Australian Ballet, 2003. Photo © Regis Lansac — Felicia Palanca as Eliza in *Wild Swans*. The Australian Ballet, 2003. Photo: © Régis Lansac. National Library of Australia

New contact form

It appears that the contact form on this website is no longer working and in fact has probably not been working for some time. An attempt to fix the issue is currently underway and news that the form is again up and running will be provided as soon as available.

Press for August 2025

– ‘Not an easy production to understand or enjoy.’ Review of Marrow. Australian Dance Theatre. CBR City News, 1 August 2025. Online at this link.

– ‘Unexpected collaboration in the right steps.’ Review of Mandolina Ballerina. Canberra Mandolin Orchestra and Tessa Karle, 17 August 2025. Online at this link.

Michelle Potter, 31 August 2025

* Australian Art Review was a Sydney-based journal published between 2003 and 2013.

Featured image: Leanne Stojmenov and Daniel Gaudiello in Cinderella. The Australian Ballet, 2013. Photo: © Jeff Busby

Leanne Stojmenov and Daniel Gaudiello in 'Cinderella'. Photo Jeff Busby

Mandolina Ballerina. Canberra Mandolin Orchestra and Tessa Karle

My review of Mandolina Ballerina was published online by Canberra City News on 17 August 2025. That review can be read at this link. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the City News post.

*********************************

16 August 2025. Folk Dance Canberra, Hackett ACT

Mandolina Ballerina was a somewhat unexpected collaboration between the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra, augmented by the presence of a harp and a double bass, and Canberra-raised Tessa Karle, a former student of Canberra’s Dance Development Centre and currently a dancer with the Wellington-based Royal New Zealand Ballet. The program, which had just two performances on one afternoon, consisted of ten separate, short musical items from various well-known composers. Each item was introduced by conductor Michael Hardy. Four of the musical items included a solo choreographed and danced by Karle.

Canberra Mandolin Orchestra (without harp and double bass). Photo: © Eva Schroeder

First the music. One item, Serenade Espagnole, was written especially for mandolin in 1963 by French composer François Menichetti. The rest, which included short excerpts from well-known ballets such as Swan Lake, Coppélia and Nutcracker, had been arranged for mandolin by Hardy.

With the exception of Serenade Espagnole, which had just the right sound to my ears, the musical excerpts conveyed a quite different impression when played on mandolins rather than by an expanded orchestra. But it was an experience to watch the audience’s reaction. Almost everyone was taken in by the music and people around me, especially older folk, were fully absorbed as they swayed from side to side, or followed the music with waving hands or (silent) tapping of the feet. These reactions were especially noticeable during the playing of Johann Strauss’ Beautiful Blue Danube—that very danceable waltz.

Secondly the venue. Mandolina Ballerina was performed in a small hall in the Canberra suburb of Hackett, a hall used by Folk Dance Canberra for its classes and activities. The hall had a stage, which was not used. The audience was seated in three rows arranged in an untiered semi-circle with the orchestra also on floor level in front of the stage. An open area was set up between the orchestra and the audience with a Tarkett dance floor spread over that space, which became the performing space for Karle.

Thirdly the dancing. The small size of the dance space meant that Karle’s choreography was limited. It could not include, for example, large jumps that moved through the space, or any structure that developed a noticeable floor pattern. The arrangement of seating on a single level also hindered the audience’s view (apart from that of those sitting in the front row) of the choreography. This was especially frustrating in relation to Karle’s performance of Anna Pavlova’s famous solo The Dying Swan, which has sections of the choreography taking place on the floor with the dancing showing the dying moments of the swan. I was seated in the third row and stood up for every dance section so I could see Karle well (including her feet!).

But in the circumstances, Karle’s performance was well worth watching. She has beautifully developed upper body movement and she also managed to inject a particular personality into each of her solos. Her changing emotional responses were perhaps most noticeable in her rendition of the ‘Habanera’ from Georges Bizet’s music for Carmen, which looked very different from, say, her facial expression and carefully considered movement in her performance of ‘Prayer’ to the music of Léo Delibes from Coppélia. Her performance of The Dying Swan, however, received the strongest applause. That particular solo always has a strong resonance for everyone.

In conclusion. Canberra Mandolin Orchestra deserves congratulations for taking on this collaboration. There were various aspects of the show, especially in relation to the dance component and background, that perhaps needed to be thought through in more detail. But, I hope the organisation will continue to work on the idea of collaboration across the arts.

Michelle Potter, 18 August 2025

Featured image: Portrait of Tessa Karle. Photo: © Eva Schroeder

I was a guest of Canberra Mandolin Orchestra at this performance.

Dance diary. July 2025

Sydney Dance Company in Athens

A recent article, written by Madison McGuinness and published on 9 July 2025 in The Greek Herald, had the following two introductory paragraphs:

The Sydney Dance Company captivated a crowd of 5,000 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus last week, performing Impermanence as part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival 2025.

Set against the historic backdrop beneath the Acropolis, the emotionally charged performance explored the fleeting nature of existence through movement and music.

The featured image on this month’s dance diary (see above) shows SDC dancers taking a ‘curtain’ call in front of that ancient building. It is the image that leads into the Herald article, an image that is credited to Australia’s ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan, who according to the article ‘hailed the performance as a personal milestone’.

While it was excellent news to hear of the success of Sydney Dance Company, Duncan’s image from Greece reminded me of those wonderful images dating back to the 1960s showing the Australian Ballet dancing at the Baalbek International Festival in Lebanon in 1965 when, for a few nights, they performed in the precinct of the ruined Temple of Bacchus.

I remember seeing images of the dancers in Baalbek but have not been able to find any for this post. The SDC image now takes the place of those 1965 shots, for me at least.

My review of Impermanence (onstage, Sydney 2021) is at this link.

Mandolina Ballerina (Tessa Karle)

Canberra’s Mandolin Orchestra has an interesting show coming up with the evocative title of ‘Mandolina Ballerina’. It features a Canberra-trained dancer, Tessa Karle, who currently performs with Royal New Zealand Ballet. The image below shows Karle in a recent production by RNZB, The Way Alone choreographed by one of Australia’s most admired choreographers, Stephen Baynes.

Kihiro Kusukami and Tessa Karle in Stephen Baynes’ *The Way Alone*. Royal New Zealand Ballet. Photo: © Stephen A’Court, courtesy Royal New Zealand Ballet

The image below is an advertising poster for ‘Mandolina Ballerina’, for which Karle has created original choreography, and in which she will perform. The music includes sections from Swan Lake and Nutcracker.

I am hoping to see the show, which will have just two performances on 16 August at the premises of Folk Dance Canberra in the suburb of Hackett. Potentially a review will follow.

The Panov tour … a little more

After reporting in last month’s dance diary on the death of former Russian dancer Valery Panov, I went in search of a little more detail on the 1976 tour to Australia and New Zealand by Ballet Victoria in which Valery Panov and his then wife, Galina Panov, were guest artists. I was able to gain access, via the National Library of Australia, to the program for the Canberra season of the tour, which consisted of three shows at the Canberra Theatre, 21–22 June 1976.

The Canberra program began with Petrouchka, which was the major work presented across venues in Australia and New Zealand.

Valery Panov as Petrouchka. Ballet Victoria, 1976. Papers of Laurel Martyn, MS 9711, Series 1, Item 222, National Library of Australia. Photo: © Robert McFarlane

Petrouchka was followed by Concerto Grosso, a work choreographed by Charles Czarny to music by Handel. It had designs by Joop Stokvis and was originally choreographed for Nederlands Dans Theater in 1971 and given its Australian premiere by that company on tour in 1972. Re-choreographed especially for Ballet Victoria by Czarny it was in seven sections: Warm-up, Boxing, Tightrope, Obliquatory [sic], Skating, Football, and Karate. The Canberra program also included Jonathan Taylor’s Stars End, which was created especially for Ballet Victoria to music by David Bedford. Program notes discuss the work briefly, noting that ‘[It] depicts people meeting people … parting … ultimately everyone is alone.’

The audience also saw two pas de deux choreographed by Panov and danced by him and his wife. One was Adagio célèbre to music by Tomaso Albinoni for which program notes state:

This is a prayer to the dream inside Man. Unfortunately, life cannot keep dreams forever and tension takes the beauty of it away. Man prays to keep this dream forever but remains only with the prayer of his dreams.

The other pas de deux seen in Canberra was Harlequinade to music by Riccardo Drigo with choreography by Valery Panov ‘after Fokine’ and with input from Alexander Gorsky who choreographed Galina Panov’s variation. Program notes read that it concerns, ‘The classic involvement of the two prime characters of the commedia dell’arte, Harlequin and Columbine [in which] Harlequin pays court to the demure soubrette, Columbine.’

Programs for other cities included Les Sylphides and various other pas de deux.

News from James Batchelor

James Batchelor has received funding from artsACT to present his new work Resonance in Canberra. Resonance, which is a response to material Batchelor has been investigating in relation to Tanja Liedtke, will open in Sydney in September before travelling to Melbourne and then to Canberra where it will play on 10-11 October.

Michelle Potter, 31 July 2025

Featured image: Dancers of Sydney Dance Company taking a curtain call following a performance in Greece, July 2025. Photo: Alison Duncan

Illume. Bangarra Dance Theatre—a second look

25 July 2025. Canberra Theatre Centre

it is an interesting experience watching Illumine for a second time in a different venue and from a different location in the theatre. In Sydney in June my view of the production was from the mid section of the stalls of the Joan Sutherland Theatre. My review of that show is at this link. In Canberra I was in the second row of the stalls. I was practically onstage!

Probably the most intriguing aspect of being so close to the action was not the action itself but the power of the visual aspects of the production. In particular Elizabeth Gadsby’s costumes were quite stunning, especially the white-ish outfits worn towards the end of the production. It was not easy to see Gadsby’s intricacies of patterning from a distance but from my seat in Canberra the costumes were just beautiful to look at. I was also taken in Canberra by the extent of body make-up worn by the dancers, which changed constantly in colour and pattern, and also in the parts of the body on which the make-up was worn. The lighting and various stage effects were also engrossing from close up.

It was also good to see close up the facial expressions of the dancers, which again were not so obvious from the middle to back of the stalls. It gave me a clue to the meaning behind the section with the red boxes that I really didn’t understand all that clearly previously. Given the anxiety on the faces of the dancers I assume now that the section, in which those red boxes were moved back and forth and assembled in different combinations, represented the often-destructive nature of colonisation for First Nations peoples.

In terms of choreography, however, it was easier and more fulfilling to watch from a little further back. Dance is a collaborative art form and the collaborative elements in Illume were very powerful. But in the end, at least in my opinion, the choreography should not be overtaken by aspects of collaboration, which seemed to be happening in this production. And it really shouldn’t matter where one is seated. The choreography matters and is the most significant aspect of a dance production.

Following the Canberra season, as I continued to think about the various aspects of the production, I searched for the meaning of the word ‘Illume’ even though its meaning seemed obvious on one level. But I was not surprised to learn that the word is not in common usage today. The OED says it is used just 0.03 times ‘per million words in modern written English.’ Why title the work with such an obsolete word? Its antonym, or one of them, is put forward as ‘confuse’!

Illume is not an easy production to watch, or understand, or both. It covers several diverse aspects of the life history of the First Nations people of the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia, but it is just not clear cut as a dance production. The concepts being put before the audience are discussed in the printed program and in Canberra those concepts were also presented in the foyer in a visually powerful and clearly understandable display (the presence of which I didn’t notice in Sydney). But despite displays and written program notes, a dance production should not have to rely strongly on written explanations to give the viewer a clear idea of what a production entails. Such things should be just an addition.

Illume would make a terrific exhibition but as an onstage production it is not Bangarra’s strongest or most illuminating show.

Michelle Potter, 29 July 2025.

Ondine (2009). The Royal Ballet

via the ROH streaming platform

While I was quite aware that Frederick Ashton had created Ondine back in 1958 specifically to feature Margot Fonteyn, before watching the recently released stream of a 2008/2009 production of that work I went to David Vaughan’s book, Frederick Ashton and his ballets, to see what Vaughan had written about it. Vaughan, in his usual informative and very readable manner, gives an explanation of how the work evolved and, in particular, the role of composer Hans Werne Henze. But despite the discussion by Vaughan, along with various other writings about the work, I found it very hard to watch to the end of what is a three act ballet of (to my mind) dubious quality.

Ashton chose to base his work on the novel Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, with a few changes including to the names of the leading characters: Undine the water sprite became Ondine; Hullbrand the gentleman who falls in love with Ondine became Palemon; Bertalda the woman whom Palemon eventually married (despite earlier being married by a hermit to Ondine) became Berta; and the Lord of the Mediterranean Sea was changed from Uncle Kuhleborn to Tirrenio. Basically the ballet tells of the fate, death to be specific, that awaits Palemon when he declares that his true love is for Ondine rather than Berta.1

In the streamed production Miyako Yoshida danced the role of Ondine and seemed smilingly dispassionate, perhaps rather unsubtle; Genesia Rosato was a somewhat haughty Berta; Tirrenio was danced with conviction by Ricardo Cervera; and the Hermit who presided over the marriage of Palemon and Ondine, was strongly and memorably performed by Gary Avis, even though it was quite a small role.

But the standout performance came from Edward Watson as Palemon. Especially remarkable was his solo in Act III when he sees a vision of Ondine prior to being involved in the fateful kiss that brings his life to an end. Watson’s acting and dancing was exceptional throughout but the last solo was absolutely engrossing. What was thrilling to watch was not simply the steps, which were beautifully formed and placed, but the way in which Watson’s entire body was involved at every moment. It was a perfect physical engagement.

But the narrative was far from perfect. Who exactly was Palemon? Why did he live in a castle? And similarly who was Berta, who also apparently lived in a castle? Perhaps I needed to have read the book first? Then as we moved to Act II, why did Ondine and Palemon board a ship. Where were they going? Then as Act III began there were similarities with certain acts of well-known ballets, Sleeping Beauty for example, as Berta and Palemon sat to watch divertissements in celebration of their marriage. But somehow Hans Werner Henze’s score seemed too ‘modernist’ for this kind of activity.

I guess I was disappointed with so much of the production including, in addition to my remarks above, some of the choreography such as that line of dancers (sailors on board that ship going somewhere) swaying back and forth to represent the waves. It was just too superficial. Such a disappointment from Ashton really.

Michelle Potter, 25 July 2025

1. David Vaughan gives a useful outline of the story in Frederick Ashton and his ballets, pp. 444-445

Featured image: Detail (full image below) of Miyako Yoshida in a moment from Act I of Ondine. (Image from the ROH website—a still from the film?)

Spoken Memory/Oral History

Not so long ago I was looking at the Ausdance National website when I discovered a section called ‘Spoken Memory. Oral History Interviews at the National Library of Australia’. The title ‘Spoken Memory’ is an excellent one and I have taken the liberty of using it for this post, with thanks to Ausdance.

There were several lists on the Ausdance site. They had been assembled under the names (including mine) of various interviewers, and the lists were made up of those interviews that are available online. Not all interviews make it to the online collection—it depends mostly on what the interviewees have agreed to when completing the Rights Agreement at the end of their interview.

The Ausdance lists, which included links to the online version of each interview, stopped (in relation to me) at 2012 and, again in my case, didn’t include all the interviews I had done with people associated with dance in some way. Photographer Max Dupain, for example, who was interviewed specifically for his thoughts on the Ballet Russes dancers he photographed in the 1930s and 1940s, was not included; and musician Eric Clapham, whose background included working as a pianist and adviser for various ballet companies, was not mentioned either; and there are more examples. But the Ausdance lists were a great way of bringing online dance interviews to the attention of people who may not use the National Library catalogue to any great extent.

With the above in mind, I have posted below a list of the interviews I have done with people associated with dance in some way, and which are available online. This list is about one third of the interviews I have recorded to date. My complete list of interviews, which includes people working in areas of the arts other than dance, is included as a link at the bottom of this post.

To hear the audio you need simply to accept the end user licence agreement, which appears when the link is opened. Happy listening!

Alison Plevey. December 2024.   Matthew Lawrence. January 2024
James Batchelor. December 2023.   Alice Topp. November 2023.
Barbara Engel Cuckson. October 2022. Ruth Osborne. February 2021.
Douglas Gautier. February 2020. Susan Street. January 2020.
Chrissa Keramidas. January 2020. Ariette Taylor. October 2018.
Jonathan Taylor. September 2018. Shaun Parker. August 2017.
Victoria Rowell. March 2017. Greg Horsman. April 2016.
Tanya Pearson, August 2015. David de Verelle-Hill. May 2015.
Lisa Pavane. January 2015 Edna Busse. August 2014.
Gailene Stock. April 2012. Hugh Colman. March 2012.
Jennifer Irwin. August 2011. Paul de Masson. July 2011.
Cecil Bates. June 2005. Valrene Tweedie.December 2004.
Eileen Kramer. February 2003. Bill Akers. February 2002.
Anita Ardell. April 2001. Paul Saliba . April 2000.
Reg Bartram. November 1999. Lucette Aldous. February 1999.
Alan Alder. February 1999. Paige Gordon. May 1998.
Patrick Harding-Irmer. May 1998.             Shona Dunlop MacTavish. April
1998.
Marina Berezowsky. March 1998. Coralie Hinkley. March 1998 and
November 1997.
Martin Rubinstein. August 1995. Peggy Sager. November 1994.
Viola Tait. November 1994. Hanny Exiner. November 1994.
Charles Boyd. October 1994. Moyà Beaver. October 1994.
Irina Baronova. August 1994.                   Tamara Tchinarova August 1994
Robert Southey. March 1994.                   Walter Stringer. January 1994.
Margaret Scott. April 1993. Kristian Fredrikson. January 1993.
Eric Clapham. May 1992.                            Kelvin Coe. May 1992.
Noël Pelly. March 1992.                            Max Dupain. September 1990.
KIra Bousloff. August 1990.                      Kenneth Rowell. June 1989.
Geoffrey Ingram. December 1988. Valrene Tweedie. November 1988.

Michelle Potter, 11 July 2025

Oral history list as at June 2025:
The link above includes the interviews that are not available online, information about the special projects for which some oral histories were recorded, and oral histories I have recorded for institutions other than the National Library of Australia.

Featured image: Geoffrey Ingram being interviewed by Michelle Potter in the oral history recording studio of the National Library of Australia, 1988. Photo: © National Library of Australia

The Weathering. The Royal Ballet

Via the ROH streaming platform

My attention was first drawn to Kyle Abraham, choreographer of The Weathering (a Royal Ballet commission from 2022), while working in New York from 2006 to 2008, although I didn’t ever manage to see any of his choreography then. Almost two decades later, The Weathering, made on eleven dancers (two female and nine male of various ethnicities) is the first of his works that I have seen.

Media notes tell us that The Weathering ‘explores notions of love, loss and acceptance’ although it is not always easy to see that exploration appear in the choreography. I thought Abraham’s movement was quite repetitious—lots of pirouettes and other turning steps and a particular emphasis on waving arms. There was the occasional czardas-type movement and a few other interesting steps but nothing took away from the feeling I had that the choreography was somewhat repetitious.

The most watchable sections for me were those that featured Fumi Kaneko whether in her solo sections or in pas de deux with William Bracewell. Kaneko’s beautifully flexible body, and the fluidity with which she uses that aspect of her dancing, along with her ability to inject emotion into her performance made watching her a real pleasure.

Fumi Kaneko in *The Weathering*. The Royal Ballet, 2022. Photo: © ROH/Andrej Uspenski

A pas de deux between Calvin Richardson and Joseph Sissens also was satisfying to watch. It was a moment when the attraction between two people was strong.

Calvin Richardson and Joseph Sissens in *The Weathering*. The Royal Ballet, 2022. Photo: © ROH/Andrej Uspenski

The lighting design by Dan Scully consisted of lights enclosed in small rectangular-shaped containers. They were movable items that appeared at times on the floor and at others in various positions across the upper space of the performing area. Their placing and movements were something to watch, although it wasn’t clear if there was, or was not a relationship between them and the expressed themes of love, loss and acceptance.

In the end this review became a very short comment largely because I just kept wondering whether Abraham was simply making an effort to create a work that could be seen as politically or culturally correct given the diversity of the cast he chose and the way that cast members interacted in terms of gender and ethnicity. I am looking forward to seeing some more of Abraham’s work. It might clarify his approach (for me at least).

Michelle Potter, 5 July 2025