St James Theatre, Wellington, July 30
Jennifer Shennan for The Dominion Post
This night at the ballet is spirited, poignant, and beautiful, for a host of reasons and all of them the right ones.
First, the season of Bournonville vintage choreography from old Denmark is dedicated to the memory of Poul Gnatt, who brought that heritage to New Zealand and grafted it on to new growth here, back in 1953. He and his family should be very proud of that enduring achievement.
But don’t for one moment think this is an evening for the oldies who only want to live in the past. The whole production is lively and sparkles with some brilliant dancing.
The opening suite from Napoli, with Flower Festival pas de deux interpolated, is a cameo of vivacious dancing of Bournonville that made Danish ballet famous.
Here staged by Gary Harris, the dancers give a brave and bright showing, and the males in particular deliver a wonderful command of the deliciously contained technique. (The tambourines are a shade tentative though. Gnatt smashed his and sometimes even broke it in exuberance.)
But it is the classic work, La Sylphide, that transports the night. In a vibrant and accessible production by Matz Skoog, a former artistic director of this company, we see something very fine indeed.
In a memorable interpretation, Antonia Hewitt dances the sexiest sylph in the business. No fragile spirit from another realm, she is here, she is now and she is a sparkler.
Radiant, mischievous, exquisite – but then dead. Oh dear. James is the dreamer who follows her seduction and loses everything. That theme is echoed in Shakespeare, Schubert and Stravinsky (One happy thing is every happy thing. Two is as if they have never been) and this ballet’s story helps us to think about that.
James is brilliantly danced by Michael Braun in fine fettle, and a worthy inheritor of the line of outstanding male dancers for which this company has earned fame.
Jon Trimmer has performed in every production of La Sylphide wince the first in the fifties. Here he plays Madge, the evil crone who holds a power in her foul cauldron that disturbs all hope of peace.
Charles Mudry, the internationally renowned ballet teacher, has been working with the company during this rehearsal period and the pedigree shows.
Oh what a fine evening – for those who have found the winter long and cold, who have cares that are beyond easy cure, who are deeply moved to see history honoured yet kept fresh, who ever made a mistake, or knew regret, or who simply love truly beautiful dancing and highly spirited music (the orchestra delivers the goods at top speed). The rest of you needn’t bother.
Highly Enjoyable and Satisfying
St James Theatre, Wellington
Reviewed by Lyne Pringle, 1 August 2009
La Sylphide is one of the great romantic ballets and this was a fabulous rendering of it. The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s founding father Poul Gnatt mounted the work in the Bournonville style for the company in 1958 not long after it’s inception.
The Bournonville style, essentially, the unfiltered nineteenth century technique of the French school of classical dance, is light and airy with lightning fast and assured petite batterie for the feet and a soft rounded use of arms. It is a pleasing form and in this production, the company, dancing finely, steps up to evoke a world of mystery and beauty.
There is a realness about he performers that is impressive: they exude a sureness that pays credit to former RNZB director Matz Skoog’s role as Producer. I had the sense that the dancers have a well-integrated sense of the style and the Romantic ballet idiom.
Equally impressive is their acting; the characters are well delivered and we are drawn into the world of the ballet right from the first moments when Antonia Hewitt as The Sylph evokes the spirit of the famous Marie Taglioni from the first production of the work by her father Filippo Taglioni in 1932: that the Bournonville lineage has remained unbroken to the present day – kept alive by the Royal Danish Ballet and passed down through generations of dancers and choreographers – is cause for celebration.
The acting allows us to ride the dramatic trajectory of the dance and to be engrossed in the enchantment taking place. The mimetic gestures are deeply inhabited and have a sense to them that I often find lacking in ballet.
The production is greatly aided by the incredible costumes and stunning sets by the late Anne Fraser on loan from The Australian Ballet. Under the baton of Marc Taddei the Vector Wellington Orchestra delivered fine renderings of Herman Lovenskjold’s score for La Sylphide and Holger Paulli/Eduard Helsted score from Dances from Napoli.
It is intriguing that La Sylphide is set in Scotland – I wonder if there was some influence from Shakespeare here or a nod to the close histories of Nordic climes and the Scottish highlands.
A romance develops between a Sylph or forest sprite and a gentleman farmer James (Michael Braun) that causes James to run off with the Sylph into the forest jilting his betrothed Effie (Adriana Harper), who very quickly takes up with the best man Gurn (Rory Fairweather-Neylan).
However an old crone/witch Madge – brilliantly portrayed as always by Jon Trimmer with his immaculate comic timing – who has a less than cordial relationship with James conjures up some mischief so that eventually the Sylph and James fall prey to a scarf that Madge has infused with poison.
Michael Braun brings a fresh energy to the part with ease and fluidity to his variations; he is totally believable in the role, as is the chemistry between him and the Sylph who keeps reappearing in his smoky Scottish lodge.
The duet between Braun and Antonia Hewitt after she comes in through the window on the forest breeze is enchanting and lovely; it is immensely satisfying to see this kind of rapport onstage.
Antonia Hewitt is exquisite throughout, dripping with serenity and grace then surprising with deep penchees and dynamic split leaps; particularly moving in her death scene.
Rory Fairweather-Neylan brings great gusto and precision to his role and his balon is impressive.
Lead Sylph Abigail Boyle dances with exquisite timing and line as do Renee von Stein and Katie Hurst-Saxton as the Leading Sylphs. I was mesmerised by the corps de ballet in Act II, they are exquisite in their unison and their commitment to movement; a breathless quality as if we can see their souls dancing.
The evening begins with another Bournonville classic with Dances from Napoli, a technically demanding work which – on opening night – became more fluid and pleasing as the dancers warmed up and I am sure it will develop more fizz with further performances. The Pas de Six works well as a unit with the men exhibiting precise footwork and balon and the women pleasing arabesques. I particularly like the way the women use their heads in travelling steps. There is a beautiful marriage of music and movement as well as a dynamic use of stage space.
Clytie Campbell and Michael Braun shine in the famous Flower Festival Duet.
Artistic Director Gary Harris’ beautiful costume design brings the piece alive and in the final scene the stages is ablaze with swirling colour as the whole company revels in a joyous tarantella; the final sequence of jetes coming forward in a line is stunning.
This was a highly enjoyable and satisfying evening of ballet.
Romantic classic handled with poise
The Press, 7 August 2009
Reviewed by Sheryl Robinson
The latest offering from the Royal New Zealand Ballet is a celebration of August Bournonville’s choreography and the soft, pliant style that typifies the romantic era.
The evening opened with dances from the ballet Napoli, a light-hearted and warm series of divertissements.
The flexible upper body work of both Maree White and Abigail Boyle brought the dances to life, while Alayna Ng’s exuberance and smile were both infectious and natural.
The main offering of the evening, La Sylphide, was beautifully reproduced by Matz Skoog. There is something truly magical about watching a ballet that has enchanted audiences for over 170 years.
Antonia Hewitt as the Sylph flitted delicately from one extreme emotion to the next in her pursuit of James on the eve of his wedding to Effie.
Her ethereal grace and charm made the storyline all that much more believable. Michael Braun as James was superb in his crisp footwork and effortless leaps.
Gurn, danced by Rory Fairweather-Neylan, the man in love with Effie, provides comic relief. Sir Jon Trimmer as the vengeful witch Madge commanded the stage with nothing more than a contemptuous flick of the wrist.
The second act opened with Madge and cohorts by a cauldron.
This led to the white ballet, where the sylph and her companions dance. The company excelled in this act with their polished and poised musicality.
Wedding Crashers
New Zealand Listener, August 15-21 2009
Reviewed by Francesca Horsley
A groom-to-be succumbs to an elusive sylph and an evil witch.
Characters never tend to go beyond 2D in La Sylphide, but the new production by the Royal New Zealand Ballet captures perfectly its storybook flavour and lovely choreography. La Sylphide is from the Romantic period, created by Danish choreographer August Bournonville in 1836 for the Royal Danish Ballet, and its composition is refreshingly uncomplicated compared with the opulent white ballets of the later Classical era.
James, a young Scottish laird snoozing by the fire on his wedding morning, wakes to find a sylph smiling rapturously at him. He is instantly smitten, her elusiveness only increasing his ardour. Enchanted, with barely a skerrick of conscience for his wife-to-be, he leaves the wedding party, following the sylph. This impetuousness can only come unstuck, especially since he has already offended an old witch warming herself by the fire.
The ballet is set in the hall of a stony castle and in misty forested glens, and producer Matz Skoog has cleverly realised the original choreographic blend of mime, rapid intricate footwork and turns. The wedding party dances are a stylish mix of snappy steps, sprinkled with references to Scottish highland and country dance.
Mixing Gaelic mystery and vibrant Scottish colours, the women wear silky dresses in heather tones, while the men are dramatic in bright tartans. With flowing tutus and tiny wings, the sylphs are delicate and passive, forming soft lines and poses. Lighting by Jon Buswell enhances the woodland setting, created a dappled sunlit world that is shattered when the malicious witch emerges from the glade.
Mastering Bournonville’s taxing technique, which features multiple “beats” with feet and legs, is a substantial challenge for 21st-century ballet dancers; it is a pleasure to see the RNZB dancers performing with skill and panache.
Antonia Hewitt is a vivacious Sylph, and Michael Braun as James is full of romantic bravura. Supporting roles by best man Rory Fairweather-Neylan and bride-to-be Adriana Harper add depth to the drama. Sir Jon Trimmer’s Madge, the witch, errs on the side of caricature; more subtle venom would have made her scarier, less melodramatic.
The evening begins with Dances from Napoli, also by Bournonville. The flowers, full skirts and happy-go-lucky Neapolitan ambience would have been enhanced by a simple Mediterranean backdrop. As it is, dancers struggle to let go “Italian-style”, remaining stiff and reserved, apart from Alessia Lugoboni, whose Tarantella is full of pizzazz.
La Sylphide, Royal New Zealand Ballet, touring until September 3.
Early Romantic ballet great entertainment
National Business Review, 7 August 2009
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
With its latest offering the Royal New Zealand Ballet has not only put on a grand entertainment, it has also provided a rarely performed dance work central to the development of ballet in its present form.
La Sylphide is an early 19th century Romantic work choreographed by Danish choreographer August Bournonville. The work is not to be confused with the early 20th century ballet Les Sylphides, which is a homage to the earlier work.
The Romantic style is essentially a transitionary stage from the court dances of the early 1800s to the classical form at the end of the 19th century.
Where classical dance has certain rigidity, with poses and lifts and steps having an angularity and severe quality, the Romantic form was softer. Poses and movements are based on the curve and the oval rather than the more rigid diagonal and circle of the Classical language.
While the Romantic form did not have the same complexity of display and narrative expression, it did allow for a boldness and inventiveness in which emotional display was more favoured.
La Sylphide, which was choreographed in 1836, is set in Scotland (a romantic setting at the time due to the influence of Sir Walter Scott) and tells the tale of James who is engaged to marry Effie. On the eve of his marriage he is visited by the Sylphide who offers him a taste of the sublime.
James is desperate to have her and runs off to the forest where he cavorts with her and the other sylphs.
He is tricked by the evil witch Madge into throwing a magic scarf over the Sylphide in the belief that it will make her human but the loss of her powers means she dies and Effie marries James’ friend, Gurn.
Many of the Romantic notions of the early 19th century are threaded through the ballet; the idea of communing with nature, aspiring to rise above the common and base as well as the ambivalent notion of controlling nature.
So James is torn between his love of the sylph and his love of Effie, the higher realms of spiritual, love and the earthly.
Michael Braun as James displays this ambivalence with dancing that is by turns energetic and lethargic, providing a sense of a man trying to resolve his predicament. In this he is also traversing the dilemma many men have found themselves in when they are seduced by another woman in their life.
Michael Braun delivers huge open chested leaps and elaborate bouncing footwork, which is an ideal complement to the delicious dancing of Antonia Hewitt as the Sylphide.
She has the more sophisticated moves, however, disappearing up the chimney, flitting in through the window and leading her fellow sylphs in forest dances with gazelle-like movements.
Her dancing is that of the free sylph, gliding across the stage without reference to the classical language. This is not the elegant floating wings of the classical swan but the lively fast stepping of the underworld fairy.
In her white filmy costume and winsome smile she was like a surreal apparition of the underworld.
Her Act I dance of seduction was a beautifully conceived and presented sequence with her tempting and evocative poses delicately crafted, combining coquettishness and playfulness. This conveyed the notion of her being part apparition and part figment of the imagination.
The Act II forest glade scene was replete with charming sets of dances. A pas de trois of sylphs was delectable and the full group of sylphs conveyed a sense of delicacy and refinement. But throughout their displays Antonia Hewitt’s dancing shone through with a lustrous richness.
As Gurn, Rory Fairweather-Neylan provided lively and expressive dance and on a couple of occasions provided some inspired balletic humour as he imitated the fragile movements of the Sylphide in a gawky display.
La Sylphide truly Beautiful
Southland Times, 20 August, 2009
Reviewed by Amy Milne
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s season of La Sylphide opened to a packed house at Invercargill’s Civic Theatre last night in what is surely one of its best performances in recent years.
The production is a celebration of great Danish choreographer August Bournonville’s work.
La Sylphide is one of the oldest ballets and one of the oldest tragic love stories to play out on the stage.
It captures all things ethereal and ghostly to tell a tale of love and revenge.
Set in the Scottish Highlands it is a classic mix of whimsical and romantic fairytale tragedy.
The performance last night opened with Dances from Napoli. It is a contrast to the story that succeeds; being light-hearted and lively. But the best was yet to come.
La Sylphide is bewitching, mythical and truly beautiful.
It tells of James (played by Michael Braun), who is captivated by an enchanting Sylph (Antonia Hewitt) on his wedding day. But it ends in a tragic twist.
The performance of 12-year-old Invercargill dancer Tracy Ayto was one she and her parents can be very proud of, dancing like the best of them.
The set and costumes – created by the late Anne Fraser (2005) – are stunning.
The score was commissioned by Maitre de Ballet en Chef Bournonville from composer Hermann Lovenskjold.
It is said to be one of the oldest and most comprehensive Romantic ballet scores.
La Sylphide is on again tonight from 7.30pm.
TIMELESS ROMANTIC BALLET DEMONSTRATES TALENTS
Theatrreview 9 August 2009
Reviewed by Kerri Fitzgerald
When a recession is biting, the magical world of Romantic ballet becomes more inviting. The dancers of the RNZB grace the stage presenting an enchanting programme offering the heart warming Dances from Napoli followed by the historic tale of obsessive love: La Sylphide. The season of Bournonville choreography is dedicated to Poul Gnatt who brought this rich heritage to New Zealand in the 1950's.
The opening exudes a delightful youthful physicality and exuberance amidst warm hues of pinks and golds. The dancers' consistently assured technique allows the audience to relax and enjoy this piece with its stylish ballon, controlled lines and robust leaps. A gracious Pas de Six perform with finesse and delicacy and a winsome duo (Clytie Campbell and Michael Braun) deliver with confident partnering, full extensions and a gentle ease, communicating a believable romance.
Dances concludes with a vibrant Tarantella, complete with tambourines, which harnesses the light and buoyant spirits of the dancers. They comfortably display their fancy footwork in this snappy, playful choreography. This is a piece which gives a feeling of order and grace to the world. Satisfying and energising.
The moors, the mist and the castles of Scotland figure in the mystical La Sylphide. The set is magical with its stone walls, its stately ambience and its clever chimney. A tapping at the window does not reveal the ghostly arm of Catherine (a la Wuthering Heights), but instead reveals a teasing, spirited, sylph-like creature who quickly entices James into the game of love.
The magical forest glen, into which the hapless James stumbles, is created with dreamy overtones and delicate greens; a perfect setting for the bittersweet ending to unfold.
This timeless Romantic ballet gives many dancers opportunity to demonstrate their talents. Jon Trimmer's characterisation of Madge, the evil crone who presides over a cauldron, again reveals his mastery of gesture and nuance; this man is a national treasure. Antonia Hewitt explores the humanity of the sylph and she brings the choreography to life bringing out the playfulness and depth of the character. Her dancing is light, refreshing and secure.
The inevitable demise of the sylph is delivered with truth and integrity. Hewitt is ably partnered by Michael Braun who dances with aplomb; he skilfully finds the nuance in the gestures, and delivers an impassioned James.
Of particular note is the cohesiveness of the corps de ballet who dance with a sense of unity and purpose. Their pleasing stylistic qualities and the evenness of their technical control demonstrate a thorough rehearsal period.
Brave the cold, fight the recession ... go to the ballet!
Polished performances capture true spirit of this melodramatic dance
NZ Herald
Reviewed by Bernadette Rae
Published 28 August (show reviewed 26 August)
The artistic ideals of the Danish balletic tradition are faithfully and beautifully reproduced in this Royal New Zealand Ballet season of La Sylphide, choreographer August Bournonville’s hallowed contribution to the Romantic style.
As near as we can know, La Sylphide today is virtually unchanged from its premiere in 1836, because of the careful stewardship of the Royal Danish Ballet which has maintained and regularly performed it over almost two centuries.
Mannered and mimed, it is melodramatic in the extreme – terrible revenge is wreaked by Sir Jon Trimmer’s dreadlocked crone Madge on the whimsical nymph and her Highland laddie James over nothing more than a place by the baronial fire. And there is no happy ending.
The forward tilt of dancers’ torsos, the exaggerated expressiveness of arms, shoulders and the tilt of heads, all set above the precise beat and bounce of extremely busy legs, marks out the work distinctly from ballets that came later, like Swan Lake.
It could be a bit of a shock to contemporary sensibilities. But the dancers of the RNZB, who have grown up far from the ingrained traditions of historical European opera houses, enter into the spirit of this dance wholeheartedly and with élan.
Antonia Hewitt’s nymph is gorgeous, a little bit naughty, flirtatious, palpably in love and genuinely heart-wrenching in death.
Michael Braun, as James, wears the kilt and the choreography in joyful style and manages to make his character warmly believable.
They are backed by polished performances from the whole cast, including 13-year-old Imogen McGill as Fiona, the jilted Effie’s little sister, and by the gorgeous décor and costumes by Anne Fraser from the Australian Ballet.
Dances from Napoli, taken from another Bournonville work, precede the main work. Performing on a bare set without much dramatic context, the dancers give it their best shot but the sentiment of the piece falls flat and the Tarantella finale seems forced and too foreign.
