There is a great deal of joy in Liam Scarlett’s deliciously funny, sensual A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And – always – a great deal of sadness that his life was so short. Yesterday, April 16, was the third anniversary of his death. He was just 35 and the maker of many one-act works for major companies…
Category: Dance
Carmen. The Australian Ballet, Sydney Opera House, April 10, 2024
Johan Inger sees Carmen as a nightmare, which it is. In his darker-than-dark version of a story that just won’t go away, the Swedish choreographer gets inside the head of the woman’s murderer, Don Jose, and chillingly finds nothing there. Well, there’s a writhing, stuttering collection of destructive impulses but otherwise Inger’s Don Jose is…
La Bayadère. West Australian Ballet, His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. April 12, 2024
In 2018 Greg Horsman choreographed a version of La Bayadère for a trio of commissioners, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. His setting was mid-19th century India at the time of the British East India Company, set up as a trading entity but in effect a coloniser. The idea had merit. Petipa’s oriental fantasy…
THREE, Australasian Dance Collective. Brisbane Powerhouse, March 20, 2024
Amber McCartney’s solo dance work Tiny Infinite Deaths was a big success when it premiered in 2022 in an artist development program called Pieces, presented by Melbourne’s Lucy Guerin Inc and The Substation. It was the kind of leg-up independent artists need if they are to be seen and Tiny Infinite Deaths was indeed seen by many influential…
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The Australian Ballet, Sydney, February 20, 2024
Christopher Wheeldon is a ballet choreographer who doesn’t stay in his lane. Neither did George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille or Jerome Robbins. Ditto Twyla Tharp, still making new work at the age of 82. In the younger generation, New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck has been tapped to make dance for Broadway and film (Carousel,…
Jungle Book Reimagined. Akram Khan Company, Perth Festival, February 10, 2024
In Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894) the law of the jungle is the furthest thing from anarchy. Social structures built by the animals are adhered to without fail. They give an often violent world some kind of order. Akram Khan’s reimagining and updating is rooted in chaos. We are in a future – 2029…
Metamorphosis: Ballet at the Quarry. West Australian Ballet, February 9, 2024
By start time of 8pm Perth’s temperature had dropped a little from its high of 41°C to something, well, not much below that. But the sky was clear and humidity low – a perfect night, then, for West Australian Ballet’s annual open-air season at Quarry Amphitheatre. The program was mostly chosen by former WAB artistic…
Wayfinder, Dancenorth; Mutiara, Marrugeku. Sydney Festival, January 19 and 20, 2024
Most of Australia’s well-established contemporary dance companies are based in the country’s capital cities for obvious reasons. That’s where audiences and resources are closest to hand. Adelaide is home to Australian Dance Theatre and Restless Dance Theatre, Brisbane is where you find Australasian Dance Collective, Co3 caters to the Perth audience and so on. Dancenorth…
The Australian Ballet ends 2023 with Swan Lake and 16 promotions
The Australian Ballet’s 60th anniversary celebrations came to a close in Sydney with Swan Lake and with promotions for 16 dancers – about 20 per cent of the company. TAB ended 2023 with 67 dancers although that number will increase to 77 when three new soloists and seven new corps de ballet members join next year. Swan Lake was…
Leanne Benjamin named Queensland Ballet’s new artistic director
Leanne Benjamin has been named Li Cunxin’s successor as artistic director of Brisbane-based Queensland Ballet. She is the sixth AD in the company’s 63-year history and the first woman to be appointed to the position. She will start at QB mid next month. It’s a home-coming for Rockhampton-born Benjamin, who spent most of her career…
deborah jones: FollowSpot 