Theatre Royal, Jan 09
By Dolce Fisher
Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company’s visit to Australia for the Sydney Festival was highly anticipated, with Wheeldon recently receiving critical acclaim for his work.
Morphoses is a new, dynamic, ground-breaking ballet company founded in 2007 by Christopher Wheeldon and Lourdes Lopez. Based in both New York and London, two of the world’s great dance hubs, Morphoses is founded on amazing talent and vision.
For the Sydney Festival Wheeldon assembled an outstanding international troupe of 15 dancers from around the world, including Silja Schandorff, a principal of the Royal Danish Ballet, Australian born Damian Smith, San Francisco Ballet principal, and The Australian Ballet principals Lucinda Dunn and Robert Curran.
The performance began with an impromptu introduction by Christopher, outlining the evening’s program; it was unexpected but a pleasant surprise. We rarely get to hear from the creators or company directors, so it was enjoyable to hear from Wheeldon himself!
The evening began with one of Wheeldon’s works Commedia. The dancers looked like they were a mix of the characters Harlequin, Columbine and the Pierrot clown all in one. It was a lighthearted work, with the choreography using a blend of classic balletic and more contemporary lines of the body. I was a little disappointed by the execution of the grand allegro steps throughout the work. It felt like the dancers were just not getting off the floor like they should be. However, the pas de deux work was interesting to watch with shapes that made the bodies seem to duck and dive through one another. 15 year old (YES just 15!) Beatriz Stix-Brunell kept stealing my attention as for her age she performed with such maturity and technical ability. She has definitely earned her position in the company.
Slingerland Pas de Deux choreographed by William Forsythe was the next installment. As a fan of Forsythe’s work, I enjoyed watching this piece, with the female dancer dressed in what I would call the Forsythe tutu, as flat as a pancake but still with shape! The combination of the dancers movements with the music of Gavin Bryars was mesmerizing. The extension of the dancers bodies seemed to have no end and it was like the sound of the violin was directing the dancers bodies. I particularly enjoyed watching Aesha Ash perform, partnered well with Australian born Damian Smith. She just looked like there was no end in every line that she executed.
Next came Distant Cries, a work by one of the company’s dancer Edwaard Liang. He has worked for many companies such as New York City Ballet and Nederland’s Dance Theater 1, and has even danced in the Broadway production of Fosse. Distant Cries premiered in New York and after receiving rave reviews, Liang has gone on to choreograph for many dance companies around the world. We were treated to a performance by Australian guest dancers Lucinda Dunn and Matthew Trent. It was a beautiful work with gentle but intense emotion.
Wheeldon’s Fool’s Paradise was the finale in this dance feast. The music was beautiful. It almost had the feel of an orchestral soundtrack. Wheeldon’s choreography had a nice blend of repetition and canon that wasn’t over the top, keeping your eye entertained. The work began and ended in the same way. I can see the appeal of Wheeldon’s choreography and how his reputation has preceded him.
I am not sure if I am just biased, but our Australian dancers
seemed to stand out and do us proud! It may come down to my familiarity with seeing the Aussies perform regularly, but a few of the Wheeldon Company dancers seemed to get a bit lost on stage, or they just blended in too well.
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