Dark Emu. Bangarra Dance Theatre
…and convey an emotional message. But it was somewhat frustrating trying to understand where the work was going. But putting that aspect of the show aside, there was some excellent dancing and every dancer deserves praise for the poise and commitment they demonstrated throughout the work. I enjoyed the rhythmic movement patterning of sections such as Kangaroo Grass. I also especially liked a trio, Grain Dust, performed by Kaine Sultan-Babij, Beau D…
Dance diary. February 2022
…thing else, BOLD 22 will be a series of events that are both in person and online. It will feature participants from across Australia and around the world. It continues to have as patron the irrepressible Elizabeth Cameron Dalman. I will be giving a keynote talk entitled And the dance goes on … which will begin with a discussion of Melbourne Theatre Company’s 1975 production The Revenger’s Tragedy and continue with the surprising dance outcome tha…
Tatiana Leskova: a ballerina at large. Suzana Braga
…that she was unhappy in Australia, for a number of reasons. So I would welcome comments on that staging from those who saw it. Leskova is a larger than life personality and this book reveals the woman behind that personality. I wish, however, that the book had a stronger authorial voice. Suzana Braga, Tatiana Leskova: a ballerina at large, trans. Donald E Scrimgeour (London: Quartet Books Ltd, 2012) Paperback, 312 pp. ISBN 978 0 7043 7276 4 RRP £…
Dance diary. June 2017
…his department is supporting. We are grown-up, seasoned dance-watchers in Canberra. Please support work that treats audiences as such. Press for June 2017 ‘Pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance.’ Review of Sydney Dance Company’s Orb. The Canberra Times, 2 June 2017, p. 20. Online version Michelle Potter, 30 June 2017 Featured image: Scene from Jack Ziesing’s work for This Poisoned Sea. Photo: © Maylei Hunt from the Melbourne production, 201…
Harlequinade. The Australian Ballet
…evive the original work is fine and his choice, but quite honestly I can’t understand why the Australian Ballet needed to present it to us in 2022. For me the pantomime element made it hard to watch. Some characters were totally over-the-top, especially the rich old man Léandre. Dance, including ballet, has moved on since 1900 and the ballets that have survived from around that time (Swan Lake for example) have been constantly updated in so many w…
Program articles
…tale and fun: in tribute to the Ballets Russes,’ Article for a media kit accompanying the Dancers Company’s Ballets Russes season, 2006 ‘Growing up in Beauty,’ Article for the Australian Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty season, 2005 ‘Jiri Kylian: gift giver,’ Article for the Australian Ballet’s Jiri season, 2005 ‘White, women and the world of ballet.’ Article for the Australian Ballet’s White season, 2005 ‘Intoxicating visions.’ Article for the Australian…
Giselle in the news
…r a man as for loss of love. Naturally the texts by Théophile Gautier and Heinrich Heine clearly laid down the basic intentions. Over the years, these intentions have been buried beneath set choreographic habits, mainly with regard to gesture, thereby becoming a sort of incoherent language expected to “speak” the story … I wanted to rediscover Giselle and make the blood flow again in the veins of the various protagonists’.* And elsewhere she is qu…
Onegin. The Australian Ballet
…le. It does, however, seem to be required in ballet, although I’m not sure why. This revival of a twentieth-century classic, with its refurbished costumes and its sets borrowed from Sweden and Denmark (design by Jurgen Rose) is a welcome addition to the Australian Ballet’s 50th anniversary program. Michelle Potter, 14 May 2012…
Coppélia. The Australian Ballet. Digital Season 2020
…n, which is the one we see in this online screening. Of course it can’t be denied that the visual beauty of the production, with sets and costumes by Kristian Fredrikson, added to its success. Fredrikson, who was born in Wellington, New Zealand, admitted that he designed Coppélia as a tribute to van Praagh who, back in the 1960s, gave him the opportunity to work in Australia. He regarded van Praagh as the person who nurtured his early career. It w…
Mats Ek + Ana Laguna. Baryshnikov Arts Centre Digital Program
…he growing number of groups of older dancers we now have the pleasure of seeing quite often, the discussion of dancing with an ageing body was also illuminating with talk about ‘accepting the limits of an ageing body’ and ‘choosing what is possible’. What an amazing pair of artists they are. Mats Ek + Ana Laguna is available to watch online until 14 October 2021 via the Baryshnikov Arts Centre website. It is so well worth watching (Please note: Im…