Deepspace. James Batchelor & Collaborators
…hile others took to sitting cross-legged on the stage. Neither ideal for seeing the action. Nevertheless, as we have come to expect from Batchelor, who worked on this occasion with one of his long-term collaborators, Amber McCartney, there was much to ponder upon. The opening section reminded me of Merce Cunningham and his notion of ‘body time’. Morgan Hickinbotham’s soundscape seemed not related specifically to the movement, although I enjoyed t…
SHELTER. Reneff-Olson Productions
…ut it hasn’t diminished their resilience, even in the face of these unprecedented times. You might be surprised at the number of people who are involved in SHELTER who have strong connections with Australia and New Zealand. I was when it was suggested by a colleague from San Francisco that I take a look. First up is perhaps Danielle Rowe, former principal with the Australian Ballet. After leaving Australia, Rowe has had a varied career, first with…
Meryl Tankard: an original voice. Part seven—Independence
…words. Again the Library decided not to proceed, with the final decision being made on the grounds that the publication would not attract enough public interest for sales to cover costs. Eventually, in 2011, I found a publisher who thought publication was a viable proposition, but other circumstances relating to copyright and permissions meant that once again publication did not proceed. However, a huge amount of research went into the manuscript…
Lucie in the Sky. Australasian Dance Collective
…I was never sure which of the five drones was Lucie. I was unable to be accommodated on opening night (for reasons that I found extremely frustrating) so missed what was apparently a post performance discussion with some ADC personnel, which may have made things clearer. Who knows? From a dance point of view (human dance that is), the standout performer was Harrison Elliott whose technique, including some hugely athletic jumps, was breathtaking….
Coppélia. Queensland Ballet
…al artists who take on leading roles. In particular, I enjoyed immensely seeing company artist Edison Manuel dance Franz. He was engaging in his characterisation and displayed a nicely placed and developed technique. He is someone to watch over the coming years. There was so much to like in Horsman’s Coppélia. It was appealing in design with lighting by Jon Buswell, set design by Hugh Colman, and costumes by Noelene Hill. But what I especially lov…
Cockatoo Calling. Liz Lea
…y) was such a beautiful surprise that she couldn’t understand why I was shooing them away. Why was I? They were busy chewing on the wood of our deck and I had visions of it collapsing! I’ve now given up. They come all the time, it’s one of the joys of living in Canberra. And the deck is still standing. Enjoy the footage at the link below. https://vimeo.com/590866991 Michelle Potter, 26 August 2021…
Lana Jones
…Dancer Award, which she deservedly won that year. More recently, I recall being deeply moved as she acknowledged Graeme Murphy at the curtain calls for the 2018 production of Murphy by the Australian Ballet, not to mention her truly exceptional performance that night in Murphy’s Shéhérazade. Shéhérazade. The Australian Ballet, 2018. Brodie James, Lana Jones, Leanne Stojmenov, Jarryd Madden. Photo: © Jeff Busby But after she retired from the Austra…
Dance portraits by E. O. Hoppé
…aham with Ted Shawn in a tango-style pose taken in 1922 just as Graham was completing her study at the Denishawn school before joining the Greenwich Village Follies. And of course many of the Russian Ballet shots are on show. All are reproduced in the exhibition book, along with many non-dance portraits and a collection of remarkable documentary studies of day-to-day life in Britain between the wars. Michelle Potter, 4 April 2011 Hoppé portraits:…
Valrene Tweedie (1925–2008). The fire and the rose
…Tweedie danced with Colonel de Basil’s and Sergei Denham’s Ballets Russes companies and with an embryonic National Ballet of Cuba. She choreographed for stage and television in Australia, pioneered dance education programs and founded Ballet Australia in the 1960s to encourage Australian choreography. ‘The fire and the rose’ first appeared in Brolga. An Australian journal about dance in December 2008. Michelle Potter, 7 July 2009 Featured image:…
GRIMM. Sydney Choreographic Centre
…ast-paced and filled with astonishing lifts with arms and legs constantly being thrown in all directions. It was quite angular most of the time. I waited for some moments of stillness, and the occasional feeling of roundness and softening of the limbs, but the angularity continued throughout. The duet between Snow White and her partner came closest to having a sense of calm and smoothness, but only occasionally. All the performers were, however, o…