Overview
Artistic director Ethan Stiefel wanted to bring a taste of the Big Apple to New Zealand audiences for his programme debut at the Royal New Zealand Ballet and I'm so glad he did. The three ballets on offer are as diverse as they are engaging and show off the versatility and expertise of our country's finest ballet dancers.
First up is 28 Variations on a Theme by Paganini (2005) created by Benjamin Millepied, the choreographer of Black Swan. The set is sparse with only a single chandelier in the centre to suggest a ballroom. Ballerinas in pastel-coloured dresses are complemented by male dancers in similar colours who move in and out of formation, form couples and part. Like Black Swan, this ballet cleverly builds emotion but the dark overtones are counterbalanced superbly by moments of humour - the playful rejection of a kiss for instance, prompts laughter from the audience.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the stripped back subtlety of 28 Variations, it did nothing to prepare me for the "glamour grunge" of Final Dress. I would've loved to have seen the faces of the audience as the curtain rose for this piece as I'm sure I wasn't the only person whose jaw dropped. Created specifically for this show by New Yorker Larry Keigwin, the set of Final Dress has been transformed into a busy industrial looking studio with lighting stands, visible scaffolding in the background and dancers briskly moving clothing racks across the stage. We're confronted with scantily clad dancers who fuse ballet with hip hop. Some take centre stage while others stand by watching, waiting for their moment. It's like no other ballet I've ever seen and was so enthralling I would've happily watched it over again.
After the intensity of Final Dress comes a ballet which harks back to a more innocent time. The upbeat classic Who cares? choreographed by George Balanchine in 1970 sees ballerinas in pink sequined dresses accompanied by male dancers against a backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. They are followed by a variety of couples and solo dancers, the highlight being for me the solo performance of principal guest artist Gillian Murphy, who is also Stiefel's fiancee. The choreography and music suggests the optimism and carefree nature of the people who live in Manhattan, a fitting note on which to end.
Granted there were a couple of shaky moments but the dancers recovered quickly and overall their movements came across as totally effortless. If this is the standard of ballet we can come to expect from Ethan Stiefel and his extremely talented troupe, I can't wait to see their next production.
