David Nixon, artistic director of the Northern Ballet in the UK, is staging his 'Beauty and the Beast' on the West Australian Ballet.
Magic and fairytales are on the menu for the West Australian Ballet’s next major season this year. Casting the spell will be an illustrious overseas choreographer who has discovered the secret for conjuring up beautiful story ballets.
David Nixon, the artistic director of the Northern Ballet Theatre in England, will stage his enchanting production of Beauty and the Beast for the West Australian Ballet (WAB). First created in 2011, this retelling of the well-known fairytale has been very well received by audiences and critics alike.
Aurelian Scannella, the artistic director of the WAB, was considering creating his own version, but decided that Nixon's ballet was as good as they get. He knew Nixon from when he staged his Ondine for the Ballet du Rhin, with Scannella's wife, Sandi, in the title role. The company has bought the entire ballet, including the sets and costumes, which Scannella promises are a visual feast – with the sets requiring three rather than the usual two freight containers for shipping from Leeds to Australia.
For those who believe the story ballet is on its way out, Nixon is a living denial. Over his long career, the Canadian-born choreographer has amassed an amazing oevre of storyballets, with subjects ranging from Hamlet to Wuthering Heights, Dickens to The Great Gatsby, Dracula to opera stories. He was drawn to the story of Beauty and the Beast because he wanted a subject that was appropriate for the whole family and also because the male role is as important as the female’s. The ballet the WAB has bought is the latest of two. “My first production was very much inspired by the Cocteaux version [of the fairytale] and the music of the French impressionist composers,” he explains. “I also wanted to create a real fairy tale and for me there needed to be fairies to make this more magical.
“The second version is in many ways an updated version, revisiting the way in which the beast was created and allowing for a more contemporary, timeless design to inspire and update the story. Duncan Hayler, who is the set designer, is extremely imaginative and inspired a story that is in some ways real and simultaneously magical. This changed the nature of the sisters, the fairies and even the prince. Inspired by this I let the costume design be led by the world of haute couture, which resulted in a very different look and one that had both a gothic and futuristic appearance.”
Nixon himself designed the costumes, which he describes as belonging to fashion “from the 50s to the present day”.
Nixon’s talent for family friendly choreography, and his prodigious output, has been key to the survival of Northen Ballet. He has been director since 2001, during which time he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution to ballet. He agrees that the company’s identity “for having a company of great dance actors and for telling known stories in new adaptations has certainly helped”. But he won’t take all the credit. “We have a very loyal audience in Leeds and in many of our venues on tour and this certainly does help to keep the company going.
“I believe that it is a part of the great British ballet tradition to tell stories in dance and it is something that our audiences do love. I also think that I have a gifted artistic team, a wonderful and exciting group of dancers and great wardrobe and technical departments. It is this combination of talents and dedication that I believe is the real reason for our success.”
Before his appointment at Northern Ballet, Nixon was artistic director of BalletMet in Ohio in the US from 1994, where he created his version of Beauty and the Beast. With such a long career behind him, does he think that audiences’ tastes have changed over that time?
“Yes and no. I do believe that their expectations for design and cleverness in adaptation have increased and that they prefer shorter programs, but I still am not always sure that they understand quality in the way I would think about it. I find that the larger English audiences still prefer the standard classics to taking a chance on new stories, and any touring Russian company has success with performing Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker at any quality level year after year.
“That being said I do believe that our young choreographers of today will see that change in the coming years.”
Northern Ballet is a similar size to the WAB Ballet, so the ballet should be a good fit. At the time of writing, Nixon was looking forward to arriving in Perth to stage the ballet.
Audiences can experience his magic at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth, May 13 to 28.
-- KAREN VAN ULZEN
This is an extract from a longer article covering this ballet and the Queensland Ballet's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the current (April/May) issue of Dance Australia. To see the full article and photos, hurry into your favourite magazine retailer or subscribe here, or purchase an online copy via the Dance Australia app.