Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Reviewed May 3
The Australian Ballet’s double-bill of Harald Lander’s Etudes and Stephanie Lake’s Circle Electric goes from one extreme to another in terms of technique and style. While Etudes challenges their mastery of classical technique, presenting it with a simplicity and clarity of design that ruthlessly exposes anything less than the very best; Circle Electric is a test of the dancers’ ability to let go of their classical form and explore the weird and wonderful shapes that choreographer Stephanie Lake has created with and for them.
The world premiere of a new work like Circle Electric (created by an all-Australian team) is a rarity given the AB’s busy schedule. Together, Etudes and Circle Electric combine to make a program that appears to stretch and challenge the company as a collective more than any other program I have seen them in recently. While it was certainly worth watching, based on their opening night performance there is room for improvement in this program.
The Australian Ballet in Circle Electric's opening scene. Credit Daniel Boud
Stephanie Lake’s Circle Electric has a stunning mimimalist set design by Charles Davis with lighting design by Bosco Shaw. The stage is dominated by a large neon circle which begins hovering just above floor level but is lifted higher as the work progresses to frame different sections of the work in a variety of ways. This work utilizes a large cast of approximately fifty dancers which is perhaps why the casting information lists them only as ‘Principal Artists, Senior Artists, Soloists, Coryphées and Corps de Ballet of The Australian Ballet.’ Personally, while I appreciate the desire to focus on the collective which is a key theme of Circle Electric, I find this lack of information disappointing because there are quite a few duets and at least one brief stunningly eye-catching solo for which no individual dancers are being credited. Are interested audience members expected to recognise every company member on sight or diligently search through dancer biography headshots online/in the printed program in order to work out who has done a particularly outstanding job?
Perhaps I am missing the point, and I should be taking the opportunity to focus on the AB’s collective performance of the work – but if that is the case then I have to say that the opening night cast’s performance of this work was uneven. While everyone could technically ‘do the steps’, only a small number of the cast performed with enough freedom, attitude and authority to make the choreography sing. Among these were Samara Merrick, Adam Elmes, Maxim Zenin and Katherine Sonnekus.
The Australian Ballet in Circle Electric. Credit Daniel Boud
Circle Electric is well over an hour long – perhaps 70-75 minutes in duration – and could do with some editing and/or rearranging of sections to give it a tighter structure. There was, for example, a rather striking lyrical section in the middle (the ensemble in a triangular shape, led at its apex by Benedicte Bemet) which felt much like a natural ending to the work. While most of the group sections didn’t leave a strong impression, their overall visual effect may have suffered due to a lack of space on the SOH’s small stage. Robin Fox’s composition has a strong rhythmic component with drummers performing live on stage in one section. It also combines recorded sounds like birdsong and what sounded like a buzz saw at one point. Paula Levis’ costume designs varied from the spotted shifts that the dancers in the first section wore, to a range of lightweight shapes and designs in neutral shades of cream, beige and brown.
Cameron Holmes & Maxim Zenin in Circle Electric. Credit Daniel Boud
The second work of the program - Harald Lander’s Etudes, is another ensemble work with a minimalist design. Etudes dates to 1948, and it’s quite straightforward and easy to like, showing the progression of classical ballet technique from basic exercises at the barre, developing into more complex enchaînements that culminate in a whirlwind of virtuosity. As the sole female lead, Ako Kondo danced with authority and charm, differentiating clearly between the classical and romantic styles of ballet. Kondo’s hops en pointe in attitude derriere looked a little uncertain but she radiated strength, clarity and joy in every other technical challenge this role presents and was ably partnered on opening night by Chengwu Guo, Joseph Caley and Jarryd Madden.
Overall, the ensemble performed well, with only a few minor wobbles here and there. Some cast members’ fear of making a mistake showed in the tension of their faces – especially in those double pirouettes en pointe and fast paced grand-jetes en avant for the ladies! Meanwhile, dancers including Mia Heathcote, Cameron Holmes and Drew Hedditch drew your attention for their joyful demeanour – a reflection of the relish taken in every technical challenge (and there were many) that this ballet presents.
Classical technique and training on show in Etudes. Credit Daniel Boud
The lighting design (originally by choreographer Harald Lander, reproduced in 2024 by Francis Croese) was mostly effective – the highlight being that moody blue background as a gorgeous frame for the dancers’ dark silhouettes. However, the way the female dancers’ pointe- shod feet are so brightly highlighted in Etudes opening scenes doesn’t sit as well today as it (presumably) did in previous stagings. Now this lighting technique seems to objectify and focus on the female dancers’ feet and lower legs to the exclusion of the rest of their bodies, most importantly, their faces – in a way that feels a bit uncomfortable. While yes, the line of a beautifully arched foot in a pointe shoe can be aesthetically pleasing, dancers are best viewed as whole people and whole bodies - not in a spotlit collection of specific body parts.
-GERALDINE HIGGINSON