WA Ballet comes alive in 2019
After a highly acclaimed 2018 featuring multiple sell-out productions, the West Australian Ballet’s Season 2019 will be an exploration of the theme “live and alive”.
As a live artform, ballet defies nature. It transcends the limitations of a human body. Each movement is a unique moment created for the audience, a moment that is the compilation of years of hard work and commitment, a moment than cannot be missed.
Now in his 7th season as Artistic Director, Aurélien Scannella has created a program that will celebrate the aspects of live dance.
“Each performance of live dance is unique, it’s art that comes alive onstage,” he says.
As the company has done for the past 26 years, it will start the year at the Quarry Amphitheatre with Ballet at the Quarry as part of the Perth Festival, with this year's program titled "In Synch" (February 8 – March 2).
The triple bill comprises a unique collaboration Co3, WA's contemporary dance company and prolific Australian choreographer Garry Stewart. The work, called Reincarnation, will honour the authentic heritages of both classical ballet and contemporary dance and explore the notion of death and transformation stemming from classical ballet narratives such as Giselle or Swan Lake. This world premiere will feature costumes from Jonathan Hindmarsh and music from the composition of Brendan Woithe.
This will share the bill with the premiere of In Synch, a conceptual work created by Scannella and WAB Principal Ballet Mistress and Artistic Associate, Sandy Delasalle, and featuring world-renowned French vocal loop artist, beat boxer and finalist on The Voice France, MB14. The dancers will improvise to the sounds he creates live at each unique performance. Former company soloist and Sydney Dance Company David Mack will create frames of movement featured in this spectacularly divergent piece.
The final piece will be the Australian premiere of Finnish choreographer Johanna Nuutinen’s X-It. The physically challenging work takes a look into life that is always under surveillance, and the stirring emotional effect that it has on human relationships. With dancers synchronised between the stage and worlds borne, X-It will be an enigmatic visual feast.
From May 9 to 25, WAB will present the 19th century ballet La Bayadére, reimagined by Australian choreographer Greg Horsman. Horsman will return to WAB for the first time since his highly successful season of Coppélia in 2015. La Bayadere is co-production between WAB, Queensland Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
The annual choreographic showcase "Genesis" returns in an extended run of nine performance, from June 27 to July 6 at the WAB Centre.
From September 13 to 28, the company will restage its 2014 production of Giselle, choreographed by Scannella and Sandy Delasalle.
The final production for the year will be Septime Webre’s acclaimed ALICE (in wonderland), a co-production with the Hong Kong Ballet. This giddy, over-the-top reimagining of the Lewis Carroll classic will be a showcase of energetic and fast flowing dance complemented by James Kronzer’s beautiful sets. (His Majesty's Theatre, November 21 to December 15). ALICE is a co-production between WAB and Hong Kong Ballet.
WAB will also undertake a regional tour in March, taking excerpts from many of the Company’s most popular works to Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland, Karratha and Mandurah.