19 April 2018 (matinee), Royal Opera House, London The first thing that struck me as the curtain went up on the Royal Ballet’s Manon, and as the action began, was how full of life the crowd scenes were. No matter which character one watched there was always strong acting. And having been brought up, as it were, on the Australian
20 April 2018. The Pit, Barbican Centre, London Viviana Durante has just directed a short program of early works by Kenneth MacMillan, namely excerpts from House of Birds and Danses concertantes and the full Laiderette. Her dancers on this occasion came from several companies including the Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet and Ballet Black. I wanted more than anything to see Laiderette. Apart
18 April, 2018, Royal Opera House, London It would be hard to think of a more diverse triple bill than the most recent from the Royal Ballet: Wayne McGregor’s intellectually clinical Obsidian Tear, Frederick Ashton’s emotionally captivating Marguerite and Armand, and Kenneth MacMillan’s joyously entertaining Elite Syncopations. There is, as ever, little to fault technically with the dancing by this incredible company so
14 April 2018 (matinee), Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House I had the pleasure of seeing Murphy for a second time, this time in Sydney at a mid-season matinee and in a top-notch seat (as a result of many years of subscribing and slowly moving forward into a great position). Much, if not all, that I wrote after the Melbourne opening
…afterthoughts to Festivals in Wellington, and Auckland…and RNZB The Piano:the ballet by Jennifer Shennan Recent worldwide weather events have seen unprecedented extremes in both directions. As we cool down into autumn in New Zealand, we could be mindful of the northern hemisphere’s rite of spring (loads of daffodils apparently, but still cold and wet). We might all be wondering about
31 March 2018 (matinee), Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane Queensland Ballet’s La Bayadère is not the Bayadère you may have seen before. Choreographer Greg Horsman has reimagined the old story and created a new narrative set in India at the time of the British raj. The change is clear immediately one enters the theatre where a striking front cloth from designer Gary
La Scala Ballet Queensland has scored another coup in its QPAC International Series with La Scala Ballet from Milan to perform in Brisbane in November 2018. The company will perform two works, Don Quixote (Nureyev production) and Giselle. Further details at this link. In the footsteps of Ruth St Denis Liz Lea’s film that follows the trail of Ruth St Denis
30 March 2018, Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre Many words come to mind when thinking about Alone, a work by Jack Riley made on four dancers: confronting, demanding, mesmerising, mysterious, thought-provoking, physical, dangerous, even a little spooky at times. After a bit of silence while we contemplate a shape under a grey blanket, Alone begins with a bang! Riley enters
St James Theatre Wellington, 14 March 2018Choreography: Michael Keegan-Dolan. Music: Slow Moving Clouds Reviewed by Jennifer Shennan It is revealing to read an interview with Michael Keegan-Dolan in the local press in which he admits that he thinks this latest production, Swan Lake—Loch na hEala, is his best work to date. Many an artist would say the latest work is the best
16 March 2018. State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne This program was a retrospective of works by Graeme Murphy and was in celebration of his long association with the Australian Ballet. The evening began with a brief film clip of Murphy talking about those moments for a choreographer, and by extension for a dancer and for the audience, when a