Francesco Ventriglia. Royal New Zealand Ballet’s artistic director
…My interview with Francesco Ventriglia, which I conducted in Wellington earlier in August, is now available on DanceTabs at this link. Follow the tag link Royal New Zealand Ballet for more stories and reviews about the company, including posts from Wellington-based dance writer, Jennifer Shennan. Michelle Potter, 24 August 2016 Featured image: Francesco Ventriglia, artistic director, Royal New Zealand Ballet. Photo: © Stephen A’Court…
Rafael Bonachela and Interplay
In January I talked to Rafael Bonachela, largely about his new triple bill program, Interplay, which will open in Sydney in March and then travel to Canberra in April and onwards from there. Interplay features brand new works from Bonachela and Gideon Obarzanek and a return to Australia of Jacopo Godani’s Raw Models. Rafael Bonachela at Walsh Bay. Photo: Rafael Bonachela at Walsh Bay. Photo: © Peter Grieg It is hard to think of anyone who has suc…
Merry and bright (and dancerly)
…e who have logged on to my website, and especially those who have used the comments box to add their voice to a post, a merry and bright Christmas and holiday season, wherever you may find yourself. Up a gum tree? Or in snow and ice? And of course I wish you all a dancerly time! Thank you for your support. Michelle Potter, 25 December 2017 (And I should add that the lawsuit went in favour of the newspaper) Featured image: Clara’s Christmas sunglas…
Dance diary. October 2012
…Sicily, Regione Siciliana—Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana—Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana—Servizio Museo interdisciplinare Regionale “A. Pepoli” Trapani / © 2012. Photo Scala, Florence The show contains other dancing items including a serene dancing Shiva. Of course many of the bronzes have nothing to do at all with dance but they are astonishing as well and include some unexpected (to m…
Woman Life Freedom. Crows Feet Dance Collective
…over 35. There are no auditions’ reads the program note. It’s a courageous undertaking to put trained former dancers together with others who have never performed professionally—never mind mid-30s, some are in their 70s and 80s. In today’s dance culture, which typically favours technical virtuosity and the prowess of youth, it is refreshing to see this dignified and measured yet impassioned meditation on the roles and rights of women in several pa…
Night. Time. Quantum Leap
…t. Stir, which centred on the inability to sleep. Farrugia used her background in physical theatre and circus to push the boundaries of ‘youth movement’ with a range of demanding lifts, leaps and turns. She was rewarded (as was the audience) by some strong performances by dancers who clearly relished the challenges she set them. Following closely for the pick of the night for me was Night.Life, the section choreographed by Adam Wheeler. Like Farru…
Centenary of Canberra. Indigenous Program Launch
…n, builds on explorations into the habits of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo undertaken by Lea while choreographer-in-residence at the CSIRO Discovery Centre. Both Lea and Gissell have just recently returned from Bourke, New South Wales, where they engaged in ‘back to country’ activities. Their experiences will feed into the development of Magnificus, magnificus, which will have its full-scale production in October as part of the Centenary celebrati…
The Nutcracker. The Australian Ballet (2019)
…nd his acting made his performance a winning one. In fact all the young student extras, male and female, who danced as friends of Clara held their own throughout the opening party scene. Andrew Killian as Drosselmeyer made an important contribution to the success of the performance, and the soloists and corps de ballet danced well throughout. I especially enjoyed the dancing of the four men who danced as the Winds in the snow scene, and who return…
Terri Charlesworth. Lifetime Achievement Award
…ner of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016 is Perth dance identity, Terri Charlesworth. The award will be presented at a ceremony in Perth on 18 September when recipients of awards in other categories will also be announced. The citation that was attached to the award covers the main aspects of Charlesworth’s long and much-admired career in dance, although her qualities as a teacher are beautifully summed up by former Australian Ba…
American Ballet Theatre in Brisbane
…asterpieces again, especially Twyla Tharp’s Bach Partita, which, given its complexity, was difficult to take in on one viewing. In addition to what I wrote about Bach Partita in the DanceTabs post, I especially enjoyed a solo by Marcelo Gomes, who is seen below with Gillian Murphy. It is quite clear from this image that Gomes has a powerful presence and his solo was strong and controlled and lost nothing of that presence. Gillian Murphy and Marcel…