In homage
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky is the star of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Stravinsky Selection. He’s one of the 20th century’s most profound artistic voice and his remarkable music has inspired compelling choreography.
Javier de Frutos’s Milagros is set to the earthy and raw score of The Rite of Spring, which portrayed a pagan sacrifice. Dancers link in a strange circle dance; they limp, flinch in spasms, parade proudly their full white shirts hoisted to the thigh. Soft contact mutates into brute force. One (Abigail Boyle) is chosen and she is flung repeatedly into the air, flailing for traction.
Cameron McMillan’s Satisfied with Great Success pays homage to the composer in brief film footage. McMillan makes full use of the eclectic score of Scènes de Ballet with fast-moving scenes where legs arc, arms whip, and bodies curve and shift in and out of lightning-quick off-angle poses. Karen Walker‘s costumes – to-the-neck leotards, perky tutus and preppy shorts – add to the modernistic take.
Boyle is outstanding in these works, with her passionate interpretation and swift, assured moves. Lucy Balfour also delivers intense, vibrant dancing.
Petrouchka is a mini masterpiece of human desire and desperation. This version holds wonderfully true to the early 20th-century original. Russell Kerr’s Michel Fokine-derived choreography and Raymond Boyce’s Alexandre Benois-inspired design create the rich spectacle of a Russian carnival set against dark undertones of imprisonment and yearning. Three puppets are brought to life by their master, Charlatan (Sir Jon Trimmer): the opulent, athletic Moor (Qi Huan); the tiny Ballerina with curving arms and pizzicato feet (Tonia Looker); and the ungainly, dysfunctional Petrouchka, danced with great pathos by Medhi Angot.
STRAVINSKY SELECTION, Royal New Zealand Ballet, touring, until June 9.
Visit www.listener.co.nz for an interview with Cameron McMillan.