By Grace Edwards.

A dancer’s shoes are their best friend; they minimise weaknesses, showcase strengths, anticipate stresses and adapt to the dancer’s whims. When it’s time to move on to another pair, they remain as a testament to a unique onstage partnership, every move literally etched into their soles.

International dance shoe label Capezio understands first-hand why dancers tend to be staunchly loyal to their chosen brands and styles of shoes. The celebrities and dance legends who have championed Capezio over the years make for a veritable roll call of dance royalty: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr., Charles “Honi” Coles, Alicia Alonso, Bob Fosse, Mick Jagger, Liza Minelli, Gregory Hines, Tommy Tune, Ann Reinking, Debbie Allen, Ben Vereen, Charo, Merrill Ashley, Rob Marshall, Ashley Tuttle, Fatima, Savion Glover, Brian Friedman, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

The Fizzion, a shoe that gives dancers that intimate connection when they interact with the floor, without sacrificing any of the protection, hygiene or functionality.

Among the brand’s most well-known patrons was prima ballerina Anna Pavlova. Her high, weak arches were a source of angst and inspiration at a time when the increasingly strenuous demands of pointe work put great strain on the prevailing styles of pre-modern pointe shoes. Pavlova became so enamoured with Capezio shoes — made in New York by Italian-born founder Salvatore Capezio — she bought Capezio shoes for herself and the entire cast on her first tour to the United States in 1910.

Graeme Taylor, President of Capezio Australia and New Zealand, considers Capezio’s connection to the “greats” one of the most alluring aspects of wearing Capezio shoes. “Dancers, particularly young dancers, who are still discovering who they are as artists, spend as much time practicing in the studio as they do studying other dancers, dance in film and the lives of dancers. It is not just about learning the techniques of dance, but also about defining who you are as a dancer,” he says.

“Choosing a Capezio product literally links them to the history of dance. It makes them a part of the tradition, and the exclusive family of dancers who have worn Capezio over the years. It connects them to the famous dancers they have studied and idolized. The energy of that cannot be replaced by anything.”

Today, third and fourth generation family members continue Salvatore Capezio’s legacy of craft, innovation and commitment, striving to sustain the values which have made Capezio one of the world’s leading dance shoe brands. The most important of these is maintaining a direct connection with dancers.

All That Glitters, Capezio Kids Showing off their new range.

“When the needs of dancers change, we have to listen and respond,” says Taylor. “We do a lot of research to see what the trends are, and what dancers are doing now. For example, there has been an ongoing movement of barefoot dancing. Dancers want that unrestricted connection when they interact with the floor. This was a motivating trend behind FIZZION, a shoe that allows for that intimate connection without sacrificing any of the protection, hygiene or functionality.”

Innovation, it seems, can also come from less obvious sources. The Love Ballet shoe was inspired in part by demand for a shoe that could grow with a young dancer’s foot and fit all the way throughout the dance season. “This was the demand of many dance mums,” Taylor informs me. “Those demands are just as important to us.  That shoe also addresses the demands of dance teachers — no more elastic ties to have to stop and tie in the middle of class, and better foot shaping for more accurate corrections at the foundational level.”

So, what then are the qualities of the “perfect shoe”? According to Taylor, “It is the one that acts as an extension of the dancer’s body. It is the shoe that best allows for that dancer’s individual, personal movement.”

Professional Dancer, Jared Grimes taps out in his Capezio shoes.

“It should help the dancer carry the energy of that movement first to the dance floor and then to the audience. It should always enhance, and never detract, from the dancer’s ability to showcase emotion and technique.”

Until a few years ago, Capezio shoes were not easy to access for Australians and New Zealanders, and had to be ordered from the USA. They also proved quite expensive compared to other brands in the market. In 2007, however, Capezio decided to establish a new warehouse in Australia and reviewed its prices. Demand for Capezio shoes has been growing exponentially ever since. “As Capezio in Australia and New Zealand grew, we then had to build a brand new state of the art warehouse, offices and retail store about two years ago. This new warehouse is currently being extended already,” says Taylor.

As Capezio shoes become more and more visible in shop windows across Australasia, they bring with them their international dance heritage, the lessons learned from over a 100 years helping dancers realise their potential, and the values which originally inspired the creation of the shoe brand.

“Salvatore Capezio’s dedication to providing dancers with technologically advanced, quality tools for their art continues to inspire our innovations,” says Taylor. “Just like in the days of old, the company still remains a fixture in the dance community, relying on dancers’ feedback to continue to bring the best dance products to market.”  

“The team at Capezio believes that dance is about emotion, passion, movement, beauty, hard work, personal interpretation and sacrifice, and the brand is dedicated to serving all genres of dance now more than ever.” 

To view Capezio’s range and find out more about the products visit Capeziodanceanz.com

Photo (top): Capezio Founder, Salvatore Capezio.

Audiences across Queensland will have the chance to experience the grandeur of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet via live simulcast from the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) on Tuesday 4 June 2013.

The Bolshoi Ballet will present two productions, Le Corsaire and Dmitri Shostakovich’s The Bright Stream, which have never before been performed in Australia, both accompanied by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

The Bolshoi Ballet has not visited Australia in almost two decades and they are performing exclusively at QPAC from May 30- June 9 as part of the QPAC International Series, a partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland to bring the best companies in the world to Queensland.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said this simulcast will be the first ballet to be simulcast by QPAC and will go to eight regional centres around Queensland. It follows on from previous successful simulcasts of performances by Opera Australia, Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra with the Hamburg State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Kotzas said that “the Bolshoi Ballet is one of the biggest and most well-known performing arts companies in the world. Many people will no doubt be excited to see them perform.”

“Our research has shown that audiences feel a strong sense of being connected to the live performance even though they may be halfway across the state. QPAC’s live simulcast program is an important part of how we engage with regional audiences and how we can ensure that exclusive performances such as this one by the Bolshoi Ballet are seen by as many people in Queensland as possible.”

“There are many people on stage and off who make these simulcasts memorable for our audiences. Aside from the dancers and orchestra members you see, there an expert team of directors and crew that craft the experience for the audience.”

“In many ways audiences get a more intimate look at the production than they would if they were in the theatre. And with a production like Le Corsaire which is a huge ballet with massive and intricate sets, regional audiences will be able to see those sets and dancers up close and in detail,” said Mr, Kotzas.

QPAC works with regional performing arts centres across the state installing equipment and providing technical expertise enabling venues to receive performances live from QPAC.

In previous years live simulcasts as much as doubled the number of people able to experience the performance.

Queensland venues participating in the live simulcast of the Bolshoi Ballet are: Burdekin Theatre (Ayr), Moncrieff Theatre (Bundaberg), Cairns Civic Theatre (Cairns), Marquee Gladstone Marina (Gladstone) presented by Gladstone Entertainment Centre, Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (Mackay), Seafront Oval (Hervey Bay) presented by Brolga Theatre and Convention Centre and Fraser Coast Regional Council, Pilbeam Theatre (Rockhampton) and Empire Theatre (Toowoomba).

This free event is a treat for regional audiences. Make sure not to miss it!

The Bolshoi Ballet - Le Corsaire via Live Simulcast
Tuesday 4 June 2013
Live coverage from 7 pm, performance from 7:30 pm.
Tickets are free.  Bookings may be required.

Regional Venues:

• Burdekin Theatre – Ayr – Book at www.burdekintheatre.com.au or by calling 07 4783 9880.
• Moncrieff Theatre – Bundaberg – Book in-person at box office only. For information, visit www.moncrieff-bundaberg.com.au or call 07 4130 4100.
• Cairns Civic Theatre – Cairns – Book in-person at ticket office or phone 1300 855 835.  For information, visit www.cairnscivictheatre.com.au.
• Marquee Gladstone Marina – Gladstone – (Presented by Gladstone Entertainment Centre). Book in-person at box office or phone 07 4972 2822. For information, visit www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/gec.
• Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre–Mackay- Book at www.mackaytix.com.au or by calling 07 4961 9777.
• Seafront Oval – Hervey Bay- (presented by Brolga Theatre and Convention Centre and Fraser Coast Regional Council) – No bookings required. For information, visit www.brolgatheatre.org or  call 07 4122 6060.
• Pilbeam Theatre – Rockhampton- Book in-person at box office only. For information, visit www.seeitlive.com.au or call 07-4927-4111.
• Empire Theatre –Toowoomba- Book at www.empiretheatre.com.au or by calling 1300 655 299.

Photo: The Bolshoi Ballet in Le Corsaire. Photo courtesy of QPAC

By Rain Francis.

Melbourne’s pretty factor goes up about 200 percent in autumn. The sun is (mostly) shining but it’s not ridiculously hot anymore and a rainbow of leaves is descending… time to rug up and enjoy our fair city. Here are five things for dance lovers to do and see over the coming months.

1. May 25 is International Tap Dance Day, a day which commemorates the “grandfather of tap” Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson. Tap groups all over the city will be out in force, performing famous routines, encouraging tappers to get in for a jam and generally making a racket! Look out for Winston Morrison’s Melbourne Tap Dance and Glamour Puss Studios, amongst others. Stay tuned to their websites to find out where they’ll be performing: www.tapdancingmelbourne.com.au and www.glamourpussstudios.com.au.

2. From May 3-11, ground-breaking indigenous contemporary dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre brings its work Blak to Arts Centre Melbourne. Artistic Director Stephen Page and dancer/choreographer Daniel Riley McKinley have created a work exploring the collision of two worlds. The soundscape of award-winning composer David Page has been fused with the music of cutting edge electronic artist Paul Mac and sets are by the acclaimed Jacob Nash. Bangarra’s works are always engaging and exciting, so book your tickets for this one! Book here: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=3444.

3. Get your dancing shoes down to Queensbridge Square (Southbank Concourse) on the first Friday of every month, for the famous First Friday Dance Club. Presented by the City of Melbourne and supported by Ausdance Victoria, the Club is a unique opportunity for anyone to get involved, pick up some moves and most importantly have fun. Led by community and professional dance groups, each Club night will feature a different dance style. It’s free and open to all ages, regardless of ability. Click here for more info: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/ArtsandEvents/ArtsParticipation/Pages/1stFridayDanceClub.aspx.

4. The Australian Ballet has two fantastic productions coming up in Melbourne. From June 6-17, they will be presenting Vanguard, a triple bill of key works from choreographic giants, Jiří Kylián (Bella Figura), George Balanchine (The Four Temperaments) and Wayne McGregor (Dyad). Then, from June 21-July 1, the company brings back Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake, a fresh take on the well-known story ballet from one of Australia’s most loved choreographers. Find out more and book tickets at www.australianballet.com.au/whats_on/main_company.

5. Ballet Revolución returns to Australia after blowing audiences away in 2011. Since their Australian visit, the Cuban company has been performing sold out seasons in London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt and Vienna. So get yourself down to Arts Centre Melbourne in July! With 20 of the world’s best dancers and eight of the hottest young musicians, the company mixes ferocious ballet with street dance in what The Australian called “an irresistible Cuban cocktail of ferocious sensuality”. From July 17-20 at Arts Centre Melbourne for five performances only. Book here: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=3445

Photo (top): Australian Ballet’s Adam Bull and Ty King-Wall in Vanguard. Photo by Georges Antoni

Following their sold out Paris season, the internationally acclaimed St Petersburg Ballet Theatre returns to Perth in July and August to present their full-length classic production of the world’s most famous ballet – Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.

It has been almost 10 years since Australian balletomanes last enjoyed performances by the 55-member company of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre who last toured in 2004, collecting rave reviews and hanging out the “Sold Out” sign at almost every performance.

Now the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is coming for a limited season at His Majesty’s Theatre. The seven performance season premieres on Wednesday 31 July 2013, with tickets now on sale.

With the famous Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov version of Swan Lake first performed in St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre in 1895, Swan Lake, has a rich history in St Petersburg; so it’s only fitting for the company of the city’s namesake to bring the ballet to Australia.

The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is renowned globally not just for beautiful dancers but also for stunning and grand full-length productions.

Founded by Konstantin Tachkin in 1994, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is one of the leading Russian ballet companies. It is based right in the heart of St Petersburg and gives on average 200-250 performances per year.  It claims to be the only classical ballet company in the world that is completely independent of government financial aid or sponsor’s funding.

Tour Producer Andrew Guild said, “Not only does the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre bring their troupe of Vaganova trained dancers, they also bring their magnificent scenery – scenery that has audiences applauding even as the curtain rises – along with sumptuous costumes, dozens of dazzling white tutus and hundreds of pink pointe shoes. The St Petersburg Ballet is truly traditional Russian classical ballet at its very best.”

International media have called the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre “a company with style, restraint and elegance” (Sunday Telegraph, London) that has “left a considerable mark on the history of world ballet” (Danse Magazine, Paris).

“This is the real thing, a grand-scale Russian Ballet – a complete classical full-length work. This is not a concert program. This is not a small group of dancers performing unrelated pas de deux and party pieces. This is Swan Lake, the world’s most-famous ballet and classical ballet performed the way it was intended by one of Russia’s leading classical companies. If you see only one ballet in your life, let it be this,” Guild said.

To book tickets, visit www.ticketek.com.au or call Ticketek on 132 849.

By Rain Francis.

Douglas Wright returned recently from The Netherlands. His company performed the acclaimed work Rapt at Lucent Danstheatre in Holland’s dancing capital, Den Hague. The all-star cast included Kilda Northcott, Sarah-Jayne Howard, Craig Bary, Kelly Nash, Alex Leonhartsberger, Nancy Wijohn, Dan Cooper, Will Barling and Sarah Foster. Foster said of the two-show tour: “The response was amazing; we had fantastic feedback and standing ovations. It was great to be a part of this tour and for Douglas’ work to be seen by an international audience.” Rapt was originally co-produced by Creative New Zealand and The Auckland Festival in 2011.

An audition for World of Wearable Arts is being held on May 26 at the Wellington Opera House for male and female dancers between the ages of 18 and 35 years old with significant professional experience. The contract for WOW runs from September 1 to October 6, 2013 in Wellington. You can register your interest by emailing your details to cast@worldofwearableart.com.

Dancers Lauren Carr & Isabelle Nelson of Java Dance Company. Photo by Tom Hoyle.

The Alana Haines Australasian Awards took place over Easter at the St. James Theatre in Wellington. The event commemorates a promising 11-year-old Wellington dancer who was tragically killed on Christmas Eve 1989. It has grown to be the most prestigious in Australasia and is highly respected throughout the world.

Scholarships allocated to finalists for this year’s event included elite international companies and schools in Hong Kong, France, London and the USA. The Junior Winner was 13-year-old Harrison Lee from McDonald College in Sydney. The Supreme Winner of Group A was Bethany Cockburn, a 15-year-old student of Prudence Bowen in Queensland. The Supreme Winner of Group B was 18-year-old New Zealand School of Dance student Tynan Wood from New South Wales.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet has recently returned home from a successful tour of China where they performed their new production of Giselle. New Zealand audiences will be able to share some of the RNZB’s China experiences, onstage and behind the scenes, later this year. The production team from TV3’s The Secret Lives of Dancers were travelling with the company.

Students of New Zealand School of Dance. Photo by Stephen A’Court

The New Zealand School of Dance Choreographic Season titled And Then it Moved introduces 10 new choreographers who are bringing contemporary dance premieres to the stage. Created by contemporary dance students in their third year of full-time study at the NZSD, And Then it Moved is the result of four intensive months of preparation. In addition to workshopping new dance pieces, the group of young choreographers have collaborated with professional musicians and technical students from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School to make the show. And Then it Moved takes place in Wellington from May 20-25. For bookings, visit www.nzschoolofdance.ac.nz.

Java Dance Company recently performed a two-week season of Down Beneath Below for the Capital E National Arts Festival. Nearly 4,000 4 to 14-year-olds responded vigorously to the show, which stars two penguins, a sea lion and an albatross. Down Beneath Below was performed by a cast of half Australian (Lauren Carr and Sam Wang) and half Kiwi (Isabelle Nelson and Michael Gudgeon) dancers.

Photo (top): Douglas Wright’s Rapt. Photo by John Savage.

Nutcracker returns to Oz this month for another season of emperor mice, hand-made toys and little girl dreams.

By Paul Ransom.

NOTE: Please read the following with a heavy Russian accent. After all, it is ballet we’re talking about here.

Elik Melikov is still bubbling with energy, despite the fact he is on a late night shuttle bus somewhere in England returning to his hotel after another packed out performance. The company he founded in 1990, The Moscow Ballet of Classical Choreography (La Classique), are not only one of the flag bearers of Russia’s favourite artform but a phenomenally busy company, consistently racking up two hundred plus shows a year. Gruelling schedule notwithstanding, the first thing Melikov says is, “Yes, we are very much looking forward to Australia.”

The Moscow Ballet’s upcoming six-week tour of Nutcracker will feature an ensemble of 40 dancers, suitably lavish costumes and the grand staging of late-Romanov pomp. It’s all part of Melikov’s mission to keep classical ballet front and centre.

“The classical dance?” he begins. “For me every time is number one.” Not an unexpected declaration; but for Melikov and company the commitment is clearly everything. “We make other kinds of performances, we make neo-classical, modern things, but for me it’s like training, like another rehearsal for the dancer. Of course, it’s very interesting because it’s different but every time we are coming back to the classical ballet.”

Russia may well be in the news for Pussy Riot and fallen oligarchs but on the ground and in the dance schools the ballet is still supreme. Melikov contends that this is because ballet is anti-elitist. “Classical ballet is for all the people. You don’t have to have a special knowledge. Everyone can enjoy. This is why it must be saved.”

Melikov would doubtless suggest Nutcracker as a prime example of universal appeal and abiding simplicity. First performed at Moscow’s Mariinsky Theatre in 1892, it has become one of the definitive ballets. Driven by Tchaikovsky’s dramatic score it is ostensibly a G-rated Christmas fairy tale. Featuring the famous Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and The Waltz of the Flowers, it is almost defiantly old world, recalling a time of empire and gaslight.

How this all fits into the touchscreen universe of 2013 doesn’t overly worry the Moscow Ballet. “Nutcracker is a performance for all time,” Melikov states with undiminished pride. “Some people tell me, ‘Sorry, but it’s only for Christmas time,’ but no. Tchaikovsky didn’t just write music for Christmas, he wrote music for all the time, for all the people. For young people, for children, for even the grandmothers.”

As far as Melikov is concerned, tradition is strength not anachronism. “This is a classical performance and the history is important. History is necessary for us,” he argues. “Now we have many shows – modern, neo-classical, everything – and we have many companies coming to Russia and to Australia and we have many, many beautiful shows; but I think it is completely necessary that the old shows keep going. The classical dance is forever, not just for this year.”

However, there is another strain to the narrative, one that might raise eyebrows in some quarters. Melikov openly declares La Classique’s wholly Russian philosophy. “Now in Russia there are many companies with great names like National Ballet and Admiral Ballet but these companies maybe last for one day only,” he scoffs. “Or they are from other countries; not even Russian.”

The Russian-ness of the company and the artform are very much part of Melikov’s modus operandi. “Other countries do classical ballet performance, and they are very good sometimes,” he concedes, before concluding that, “Russia is the mother of classical dance, is the home of the ballet.”

And it couldn’t get much more Russian than Nutcracker (even if the characters have German sounding names).

Photos: Moscow Ballet La Classique performing Nutcracker. Photos by Nadya Pyastolova. Photos courtesy of Lionel Midford Publicity.

By Rebecca Martin.

Russia is arguably the home of ballet. Some of the world’s greatest stars, past and present have trained there and they are renowned for their gymnastic flexibility and dynamic technique. Russian ballet schools and companies are infamously difficult to get into and are incredibly demanding on the body and psyche. Add into that the volatile state of the arts and politics in Russia and you’ve got dancers who are willing to do anything to get to the top and stay there.

When news of an acid attack against The Bolshoi Ballet’s Artistic Director spread on January 17 this year, the dance world was stunned. Most shocking of all was that it wasn’t a random act of violence, but a calculated attack by a disgruntled theatre employee who was unhappy with the state of play at The Bolshoi Ballet.

Ballet has previously only ever dipped its toes into political matters, mainly when a dancer wished to defect from a country, as Li Cunxin famously did from China, but now the art form is knee deep in the political battles of a theatre in crisis.

Prior to the incident on January 17, The Bolshoi’s Artistic Director, Sergei Filin had been feeling under threat for some time, noting that his phones had been blocked, his car tyres slashed and his internet hacked, all of which he believed was a warning.

Bolshoi Ballet Artistic Director Sergei Filin. Photo courtesy of the Bolshoi Ballet. www.bolshoi.ru

Bolshoi Ballet soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko is the alleged mastermind of the attack, although he has said that he didn’t order anyone to throw acid at Filin’s face. Dmitrichenko complained about Filin to an acquaintance, Yuri Zurutsky, who then offered to beat up Filin. Zurutsky was paid 50,000 rubles (about $1,600) by Dmitrichenko to inflict harm on Filin because he was unhappy about the way money was distributed within the ballet company. “I told Yuri Zarutsky about the policies of the Bolshoi Theater, about the bad things going on, the corruption. When he said: ‘OK, let me beat him up, hit him upside the head,’ I agreed, but that is all that I admit to doing,” Dmitrichenko said in court.¹

It has been suggested that Dmitrichenko was upset over Filin’s refusal to cast his girlfriend in a lead role. However, Filin’s lawyer has said that the group of people involved in the attack is much larger than the two men charged by police.  Accusations and theories abound, with The Bolshoi’s general director, Anatoly Iksanov, accusing principal dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze of inspiring the attack. Filin’s appointment as Artistic Director has exposed the infighting at The Bolshoi Ballet, with many dancers resisting his attempts to bring more modern repertoire to the company.  He held an enormous amount of power, deciding matters of scheduling, casting, promotion and salary.

In Russian theatres today, defection and international travel are no longer the sources of drama. Instead, money is the main intruder aside from politics and professional rivalry. A dancer’s meagre salary is only boosted by Filin’s selection to perform leading roles. In Russia, lawlessness and corruption is the norm and what happens in the theatre is a reflection of what happens in the streets.“I feel like I’m on the front line of a war,” Filin said.²

In addition to the acid attack against Filin, The Bolshoi’s reputation has further been harmed by the recent revelations of former company dancer Anastasia Volochkova who claimed that it was a “giant brothel” with dancers forced to sleep with oligarchs and other influential members of society.

In a further twist to the tale, hundreds of dancers have sent a signed letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding an investigation into Dmitrichenko’s confession.  Filin himself believes that Dmitrichenko was party to something much greater than what has so far been uncovered and that the true mastermind is yet to be caught.  Clearly he is not alone in his assertions.

Where does all of this leave ballet in Russia? Does this spell the end of the Bolshoi?

Ballet in Russia is part of the cultural landscape and a benchmark for dancers around the world. But the Bolshoi as a whole is devoid of a cohesive corps de ballet and is populated by gymnastic lead dancers who lack any great artistry on stage. Many of the best dancers are leaving Russia to dance in the United States and Europe and the company’s stars such as Svetlana Zakharova have been poached from The Mariinsky Theatre. The current scandals within The Bolshoi may affect the way the rest of the world perceives the company. Yet while the acid attack was shocking and the allegations of forced sexual activities are appalling, these things are apparently the norm in Russia and the locals are accustomed to such events.

The Bolshoi has fallen a long way since its golden age in the 1960s but it continues to create some of the world’s best dancers, firstly through the ballet school and then the company. Despite this, The Bolshoi itself isn’t guaranteed to last the test of time. The infighting that not only lead to the acid attack but the ensuing conflict amongst dancers and administrative staff, in addition to the current lack of direction for the company, doesn’t suggest much hope remains for a once great company.

“There is no happiness in our past,” the Soviet Bolshoi Ballet star Vladimir Vasiliev once said. ”And there will be none in our future.”³

Sources
1. USA Today www.usatoday.com
2. The New Yorker www.newyorker.com
3. The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com

Photo (top): Photo: The Bolshoi Ballet performing The Bright Stream. Photo courtesy of Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and The Bolshoi Ballet.

By Rain Francis.

Two students from the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) will represent New Zealand at the Assemblée Internationale 2013 (AI13) in Toronto in April. Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) is hosting eighteen professional ballet schools for the seven-day festival of classes, performances, forums and professional development. Second year NZSD students Jarrah McArthur and Tynan Wood will perform Jeffrey Tan’s Façade at the international gala. The work, created for Singapore Dance Theatre and first performed by the NZSD in 2004, was chosen because it locates the School within the Asia Pacific region.

The schools invited to the AI13 are those with whom NBS has a long-standing history of cooperation over the past 20 years, including the New Zealand School of Dance.

Following an exceptional launch season in 2012, The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) is thrilled to announce their six centre North Island tour of Language of Living this May and June. The company makes a one-night-only return to Auckland’s Aotea Centre before hitting the road to premiere the show in Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Whangarei, Orewa and Warkworth.

One of the most inspirational dance productions of last year, Language of Living is a diverse programme of exquisite works. Earthy, witty and beautiful, the 2013 programme features a selection of choreography by New Zealanders Michael Parmenter, Shona McCullagh, Sarah Foster-Sproull, Justin Haiu and Ashleigh Coward, and international artist Anne Teresa De Keesmaeker. For venue and ticketing information visit www.nzdc.org.nz

New Zealand School of Dance students Jarrah McArthur and Tynan Wood rehearsing Jeffrey Tan’s ‘Facade’ to be presented in Toronto at the Assemblée Internationale 2013

Dance was very much part of the launch for Boosted, the Arts Foundation’s brand new crowd-funding platform, on March 21. The New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) and Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) have created the very first dance projects asking for public support on Boosted; the NZSD for support to put its Choreographic Season on stage in May and DANZ to produce a 20th anniversary-edition of DANZ Quarterly this year.

The Arts Foundation has established Boosted to build a new generation of arts donors. It is the only genuinely philanthropic crowd-funding website for arts projects in New Zealand. Boosted enables donors to select projects they would like to support with donations of $5 or more. Visit www.boosted.org.nz to watch the videos for these two projects, to donate or to share them with your networks.

Sharni Spencer is one of six dancers to have been nominated for the Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards 2013. Sharni, who dances with The Australian Ballet, trained in Wellington at the New Zealand School of Dance. While in New Zealand she received the SODA scholarship as well as picking up the Solo Seal and Isobel Anderson Award. Sharni joined The Australian Ballet in 2008 after graduating with a New Zealand School of Dance Certificate in Dance Performance.

Following a sold-out tour in Germany, Black Grace now brings its masterpiece Vaka to Wanaka and Queenstown. Exploring the idea of a raft as a metaphor for hope, Vaka was met with a standing ovation and rapturous applause upon its performance in Europe. Its initial 25-minute showing has now evolved into a stunning 60-minute masterpiece since its return to New Zealand.

Black Grace will be joined on stage by a select group of Southland’s young people, following an intensive week of workshopping with the company.

New Zealand Dance Company presents ‘Language of Living’. Photo by John McDermott

The Royal New Zealand Ballet‘s Made to Move tour has been met with positive feedback from critics and audience members alike. The triple bill consisted of Javier De Frutos’ The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud, Andrew Simmons’ Of Days and Ethan Stiefel’s Bier Halle. In The Listener, Francesca Horsley wrote that “the Made to Move programme epitomises all that makes the company remarkable – daring, talent, passion.” The company is now en route to China, where they will share Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s beautiful production of Giselle with audiences in Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Guangzhou.

The Wellington Fringe Festival Awards were held recently, with the Best Dance Award going to How to Make Friends and Still Appear Normal by Natalie Maria Clark and Black Sheep Productions. Natalie also won Best Newcomer. Also nominated for the dance award were Feet of Clay by Livia MacPhedran and Clay Feet Dancers and Gizza Hoon by Pinwheel Dance Theatre.

At the Auckland Fringe, Ross McCormack won Best Performance in Dance for his appearance in Amanimal (Rifleman Productions), which also won Best Production in Dance.

Short+Sweet is back and taking registrations now. Check out www.shortandsweet.org.nz. It’s the festival’s 4th year in Auckland and this season will be the inaugural year of a musical theatre addition, to be called Short+Sweet Song. The festival is held at The Herald Theatre in Aotea Centre, Auckland, from May 28 –June 30.

Photo (top): New Zealand Dance Company presents Language of Living. Photo by John McDermott.

With its pop objects, x-ray screens and technical precision, Larissa McGowan’s full-length debut Skeleton stands poised to flesh out a very promising career.

By Paul Ransom.

Take 206 bones and make them dance. This is the challenge currently consuming one of Australia’s brightest young choreographers, Larissa McGowan, as she puts the finishing touches on her first full-length work, Skeleton.

Brisbane-born McGowan has been on an upward trajectory ever since she graduated from the VCA as the “Most Outstanding Talent” and moved to Adelaide to join the internationally renowned Australian Dance Theatre. Green Room gongs, Helpmann Awards and SYTYCD guest spots ensured her star kept rising. When Garry Stewart made her Assistant Choreographer at ADT in 2008, McGowan’s elevation was all but sealed.

Choreographer Larissa McGowan. Photo courtesy of Malthouse Theatre

Five years down the line and Skeleton is set for twin seasons at both the Adelaide Festival and Melbourne’s Dance Massive event. It’s a key moment in her career. “Yeah, I’ve been trying not to think about that too much,” she admits. “But I guess I’ve always been someone who has put herself out on a limb, both in my dancing and the work I’ve made; and this definitely is.”

Although Skeleton is not her first foray into choreography, Larissa McGowan is fully aware of its significance. “This is my first full-length work, but in saying that, I’m wondering what full-length actually means. I know I get impatient after about an hour.”

As the title suggests, the work seeks to peel away the skin and get down to the bones. “I think with all of my work I’ve been interested in one body system or another,” McGowan explains. “I like how that informs the kind of movement you can make; but also not make … As part of our research we looked into what happens when certain bones break or age. What happens to the body and our capacity for movement? How would this then influence a dance piece?”

While admitting that this might sound “a bit morbid” McGowan insists that the work is actually a high velocity piece with incredibly intricate staging involving the use of “x-ray screens.” To help her keep such a technically precise work coherent she engaged theatre director Sam Haren. “There’s no narrative with this, it’s just reflections, memories and ideas, so it’s been really great to work with him because he’s been able to help us with flow, with how things lock together.”

‘Skeleton’. Photos by Chris Herzfeld.

In addition to staging and choreographic challenges, McGowan is also one of the five dancers in Skeleton. “When I’m on stage I just have to think about myself and be focused,” she says. “I really don’t have a choice in that. In the studio it’s been really interesting. That’s where it’s been really good having Sam on board, because it’s really hard to step outside yourself and see yourself on stage.”

However, amidst the precision and the bones McGowan still manages to insert her love of pop culture. By utilising objects like BMX bikes, skateboards and high heels she juxtaposes the transitory and disposable nature of pop with the near permanence of the skeleton. “That’s just it,” she enthuses. “These objects, they were just things I grew up with. They’re part of memory really. It’s really interesting how kind of skeletal memory is too, and how it gets sketchier as you get older.”

Perhaps paralleling her penchant for pop culture is McGowan’s commitment to the ‘e’ word – entertainment. “I’ve always wanted to make work that was fun,” she declares. “I’ve never really been into what you might call self-indulgence. It’s good if an audience can feel that they get something. I think they get more involved that way rather than just staring at beautiful movement all night.”

Entertainment notwithstanding, Skeleton will not be heavy with puppet on a string, dancing bones-style choreography. But it will be fast and exacting. As McGowan states, “It’s very much pushing the dancers to the limits of what their bodies can do. This is different for each dancer and that’s exciting. Each body has its peculiar traits, its own history and moulding them into something coherent is one of the real challenges of making a work like this.”

Featured alongside McGowan onstage will be her friend Lisa Griffiths and three young male dancers from Adelaide. Describing the boys as “really good movers,” she can’t help but allow herself a joke at their expense. “Yes, it’s three young boys working with two experienced women; and we’ve definitely been moulding them.”

Luckily for the lads they are in very good hands.

Larissa McGowan’s Skeleton
February 28 – March 9
AC Arts Main Theatre, Adelaide
March 14-23
Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne

SDC leaps into 2013 with a stunning mixed bill performance in Sydney, before hitting the road to showcase the best in contemporary dance to audiences around Australia and internationally.

Sydney Dance Company’s 2013 season begins this month with the aptly named De Novo, from the Latin term ‘of the new’. Promising to be one of the most exciting dance offerings of the year, De Novo features the Australian premiere of Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, coupled with the world premiere of Emergence, a new work by Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. For Emergence, Bonachela joins forces with composer Nick Wales, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko and fashion designer Dion Lee.

Bonachela is thrilled to bring one of Europe’s most highly sought after choreographers to work with the company’s dancers for Cacti. “I’m really excited to introduce Alexander Ekman to Australian audiences,” says Bonachela. “At the age of 28 he has already created 35 works for some of the best contemporary dance companies internationally, including Nederlands Dans Theater, Cullberg Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. In 2010, he was made associate choreographer for Nederlands Dance Theater 2.”

“Ekman’s Cacti is a totally fresh and engaging dance piece about how we observe art and how we often feel the need to analyse and understand it. Performed with a live string quartet on stage, it is joyful, intelligent and irreverent, and has been hailed by critics for all of these qualities.”

Dancers Natalie Allen and Andrew Crawford in Sydney Dance Company’s ’2 One Another’. Photo by Ken Butti.

Bonachela continues, “I am also thrilled to be working with Nick Wales and Sarah Blasko on Emergence. I previously collaborated with Nick on 2 One Another in 2012, and have been an admirer of Sarah for a long time, as a great artist, singer and poet. The fact that Nick and Sarah are friends and have frequently collaborated themselves, made a perfect opportunity to suggest that they work together with me on the music for a new production.”

Emergence will feature costumes by one of Australia’s most innovative young designers, Dion Lee, who Bonachela is also a huge fan of. “I have followed Dion’s work for a few years and he has also come to our shows, so we have been circling one another,” Bonachela jokes. “I can’t wait to see how he visually interprets Nick and Sarah’s music and my choreography, and translates this feeling to dressing the company’s dancers.”

Following De Novo, the company will take their acclaimed production 2 One Another to Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin in May, and then reconnect with the Australian Chamber Orchestra to present Project Rameau in Brisbane and Canberra in July and September.

“Sydney Dance Company is proud to present the same works in regional centres as we do in the major cities,” says Bonachela. “Audiences everywhere love great dance! It is with great anticipation that we look forward to travelling around the country and engaging with people who may not have had the opportunity to enjoy one of our performances before.”

This year the Company will also take an extensive international tour, returning to North and South America, and present a season as part of Sydney Opera House’s Spring Dance 2013.

Recognised as one of the world’s foremost contemporary choreographers, Rafael Bonachela has provided artistic direction and leadership to Sydney Dance Company for the past four years, and in 2012, also curated a highly successful Spring Dance program for Sydney Opera House.

De Novo, featuring Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and Bonachela’s Emergence, is now running at Sydney Theatre for three weeks from March 1 – 23. For tickets and further information about Sydney Dance Company’s 2013 season, visit www.sydneydancecompany.com.

Top photo: Sydney Dance Company’s De Novo. Dancers Jessica Thompson & Chen Wen. Photo by Ellis Parrinder