The Australian Ballet: Vitesse –
Melbourne Arts Centre, 11 March -
The Australian Ballet made a triumphant start to its 2016 season with “Vitesse”, a high energy triple bill of modern ballets. This was the company at its best, dancing repertoire which suits it well and makes the most of its athletic exuberant style.
The night opened with Forgotten Land by Kylian set to Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem. This work is a superb example of the way in which Kylian's choreography combines musicality, intelligence and emotional depth, and no one captured those qualities as well as Lana Jones. From the perfect timing and thrust of her first leap into the pas de deux, she was in command of the drama and the steps, assured and mesmerizing in the dramatic angles of her lines with a never wavering focus. Complemented by Rudy Hawkes's softer lines hers was an exhibition of energy, strength and maturity.
The red and white couples were good foils to this central black couple, Vivienne Wong contributing a playful lightness, and Amber Scott a delicate fragility, with Cameron Hunter and Adam Bull outstanding in their roles. From the windswept opening with the dancers facing the back of the stage, to the endlessly inventive female trio, the ensemble and timing were faultless.
William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated set out to send shock waves through the ballet world in 1987, with its distortions of classical lines and fiercely angular aesthetic. It was first conceived as a pas de deux and a vehicle for the particular gifts of Sylvie Guillem partnered by Laurent Hilaire, and most notably reprised by Deborah Bull at the Royal Ballet several years later. This duo has, in the interim, morphed into an ensemble piece for nine dancers led by a trio. For me it sustained interest better as a duo, bringing out a combative element between the protagonists which made sense of the violent movements, the breakings apart, the stomping around the stage and the coming together in moments of partnering and mutual dependency. In this later version the piece, for me, does not make compelling viewing, despite the best efforts of the dancers who largely met the demands of the choreography.
The ensemble was led by Ako Kondo, Robyn Hendricks and Kevin Jackson. Kondo shone particularly in her solo, infusing the steps with the necessary energy and focus to bring them to life. Hendricks displayed soft yet precise extensions and marvellously centred turns in both her solo and duet work with Jackson who was powerful and impressive in his secure partnering and solo. Benedicte Bemet stood out both here and in the following DGV for her fearless technique, precision and total immersion in dance.
Nearly half the cast of In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated transferred to the last piece, Danse a Grande Vitesse or DGV (as opposed to TGV!) by Christopher Wheeldon with music by Michael Nyman, a kind of homage to fast train travel. Floating lifts come and go as a backdrop to the four central couples and lines of movement travel in sequences across the stage against a background which looks like industrial wreckage. The chorus comes in and out, punctuating the main action in an interestingly structured work. Jennifer Tipton's sculptural lighting of the dancers' limbs, especially in the first pas de deux which begins behind a screen, is a stand out feature of the work.
The powerful pas de deux of the first couple, Amy Harris and Andrew Killian, is another highlight, their wing like arms striking at the start. But it was Hendricks, partnered again by Jackson, who shone in the third pas de deux, the centrepiece at the heart of the work. Entering in a spectacular floating lift Hendricks looked stunning with endless legs and beautiful arms. Together, she and Kevin Jackson created lyrical floating transitions, shaping movement and flow.
The piece comes to a dramatic ending with the four couples in lifts circling in silence. And while the inventiveness of the work is somewhat uneven it is a welcome addition to the repertoire.
All in all, if this standard is maintained this promises to be a season worth closely watching. The dancers clearly relish working with this repertoire which seems to be a more natural fit for their aesthetic and training. Also, the repetiteurs working with the dancers on these works seem to have coaxed extra qualities out of them which have added whole new layers to their interpretations.
- Irina Kuzminsky
"Vitesse" plays Arts Centre Melbourne until 21 March and Sydney Opera House 26 April - 16 May.
Top photo: Ako Kondo & Kevin Jackson in In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Photo: Jeff Busby. Click on thumbanils for captions and credits.