Pleasure to see ballet performed once again
THIS year has been like no other for everyone, but the arts have suffered immeasurably, so to have the pleasure of sitting in the audience in front of a talented company was a long overdue treat.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of the 2020 season was a heartwarming and comforting The Sleeping Beauty.
This fairytale classic, a fulllength ballet in all its glory, is ultimately a story of innocence and love, wrapped up within an enchanted kingdom. Princess Aurora is a princess who has to overcome odds (or curses), but with a bit of magic thrown in, love conquers all.
At her christening, Princess Aurora is bestowed with the gifts of generosity, honesty, serenity, joy, curiosity and clarity, all superbly performed by their fairy personalities, Madeleine Graham in particular.
On Aurora’s 16th birthday the maligned Carabosse wreaks havoc. Caroline Wiley delivered the necessary drama for this role, as did her sidekick Morfran (Allister Madlin). Ana Gallardo Lobaina brought a lightness to her role as the Lilac fairy that was needed to work her magic until Aurora’s prince arrived and she would awaken and life return to normal.
Act three is the centrepiece of this ballet. Sara Garbowski as Aurora was delicate, her technique impeccable, as was Joseph Skelton as Aurora’s prince. He was handsome, charming and a perfect partner, but there did seem to be a lack of chemistry between the two.
The Wedding, is the trio of character pas de deux, in particular the Bluebirds. Katherine Skelton and Kihiro Kusukami were the standouts of the performance. The other shout out that must be made is to the 22 young performers from around the Otago region who joined the cast for the Dunedin performance. They added such energy and joy to the evening.
Costuming by Donna Jefferies was both colourful and luxurious. I loved the softness in the tutus for Aurora and the Fairies along with the little nods to designers of times past.
Given that this company, like many others, has barely performed in front of a live audience this entire year, it is heartening to see and to know that they still have it. They had previously planned tours of ‘‘Dangerous Liaisons’’ and ‘‘Venus Rising’’ but were derailed by Covid. The hope is that these are in the future for the company.