West Australian Ballet: "Neon Lights" -
Sydney Theatre, 17 October -
Presumably the vast distance between the east and west coast of Australia makes touring between them a challenge, so it was a treat to have West Australian Ballet in Sydney for a short season in their 60th anniversary year. With “Neon Lights” the company presented four short works, showcasing a variety of choreography for fans of contemporary ballet. It was primarily a curatorial program with three out of four works brought into West Australian Ballet’s repertoire after being created elsewhere, but, with the exception of the opening piece Un Ballo, choreographed by Jiri Kylian, these were not vintage, established works.
Czech choreographer Kylian’s work is popular all around the world and a favourite of dancers. It was easy to see why on this viewing of Un Ballo as it revealed itself to be a choreographic gem whose structural integrity and striking, pared back movement were unmatched by the works that followed. Made in 1991 for Netherlands Dance Theatre II, Kylian’s programme notes describe the work as “an exercise in musicality and sensitivity between male and female partners” and it is deeply absorbing to watch. Seven men and seven women are grouped into couples for the duration of the work with each couple physically linked to each other by choreography that emphasises their interdependence on each other. Accompanied by music from Ravel, seamless phrases of movement are punctuated by unique lifts that visually morph two bodies into one abstract shape and my one criticism is that time flew by and it was over all too soon.
Un Ballo was followed by Strings 32, choreographed on the company this year by outgoing director Ivan Cavallari. It is good in parts and there are some very effective visual elements but a surfeit of design ideas makes it look like a series of disparate sections rather than a cohesive work. The ‘strings’ of the title are seen in three ways, firstly in the instrument of guest violinist Madeleine Antoine, who joined the dancers onstage as she played music by Kreisler (Pugnani), Paganini and Handel. Secondly, strings appear as lengths of thin elastic are anchored in the wings or the rigging above that the dancers pull across the stage and incorporate into their movement and thirdly, in the final scene of dancers holding balloons on strings of varying lengths. 32 Strings is an admirably adventurous work and the inclusion of elastic that takes on a constrictive and simultaneously expressive role appears to be a development of choreographer Alwin Nikolais’s ideas, in particular his signature piece Tensile Involvement.
Following an interval break the second half of the programme was notable for the strongest and weakest performances of the night. The playful humour of Alejandro Cerrudo’s Lickety Split suited its small cast down to the ground and it was in this work that the dancers of the West Australian Ballet shone brightest. They were fluid, articulate and genuine, displaying a freedom of movement that was unmarred by nervous strain or unnecessary tension. Lickety Split would have provided a positive note on which to end the evening but it was followed by The Centre and Its Opposite and the relentless churning energy of Huey Benjamin’s score was not matched by most of the cast.
Garry Stewart’s choreography, although much more classically based than his work with ADT, is extremely demanding and exposed anything less than perfection in terms of classical technique, line and execution as did Georg Meyer-Wiel’s costume designs – greyish white leotards and short unitards with matching soft ballet or pointe shoes, and bare legs. There was too much upper body tension, not enough speed and a lack of clarity in positions with some notable exceptions. One leading woman in particular had grasped Stewart’s movement style extremely well, projecting the cold, ruthless attitude that was required with ease. Regrettably the programme listed the West Australian Ballet dancers only as a group so I am unable to identify her (and other standout performers) by name. Despite not always showing the dancers to best advantage it was an exciting introduction to West Australian Ballet and it is to be hoped that they come back to Sydney before long.
- GERALDINE HIGGINSON