West Australian Ballet: “Embraceable You – A Celebration of Balanchine” -
His Majesty’s Theatre, 15 May -
West Australian Ballet has been praised for the company's performance quality in both classical and neoclassical works, particularly in narrative ballets with a story to tell. In programming "Embraceable You", artistic director Aurélien Scannella challenges his dancers and audiences to "embrace" an evening of plotless, neoclassical dance and find meaning and mood through music and movement alone. It must have been gratifying that the opening night audience so warmly embraced this beautifully danced and presented program of four short, entertaining works which were well-suited to the stage at His Majesty's Theatre, with a sense of intimacy created by the theatre's three-tiered, horseshoe-shaped auditorium. And, to quote George Balanchine himself: "Put a man and a girl on stage and there is already a story; a man and two girls, there's already a plot."
Accompanied by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Myron Romanul, the Balanchine works were expertly staged by Diana White, répétiteur and master teacher for the Balanchine Trust. Concerto Barocco, choreographed by Balanchine in 1941, opened the program to the rich sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two Violins in three movements, exquisitely played by WASO and solo violinists Semra Lee-Smith and Zak Rowntree. In their purity and deceptive simplicity, Concerto Barocco's patterns and canons reveal Balanchine's compositional craft and musical intuitiveness at its finest.
Dressed in unadorned white tunics and framed by black borders against a deep blue cyclorama, the eight 'corps' dancers (Yi Li Law, Victoria Maughan, Reika Sato, Meg Parry, Alexandra Stewart, Kymberleigh Cowley, Melissa Boniface and Phebe Sleeman) were joyous, confident and polished, displaying fleet footwork and flowing musicality. The corps remains on stage dancing throughout. As the violin soloists begin, two solo dancers (Polly Hilton and guest artist Roberta Martins Portugal) join what is very much an ensemble piece. Hilton was impressive in her solo sections and, when joined by Christian Luck, showed poise, strength and fluidity, with Luck a strong and attentive partner.
Re-worked for four dancers, principal dancer/choreographer Jayne Smeulders's Tarantella followed. To Gottschalk's lively Grand Tarantelle for solo piano and orchestra, it is Smeulders's homage to Balanchine, who choreographed his Tarantella to Gottschalk's music in 1964. With sparkling performances by Sarah Hepburn, a jet-propelled Andre Santos, gifted Young Artist Carina Roberts, Adam Alzaim and accomplished solo pianist Adam Pinto, and colourful costumes by Lyndell Darch, Smeulders' fine choreography deservedly drew a rousing response.
Next was Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (1960), set to an unused excerpt from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake score, and brilliantly performed by Florence Leroux-Coleno and guest artist Oscar Valdes. Leroux-Coleno captivated the audience with her unmannered lyricism as she breezed through the technical difficulties and Valdes thrilled with his placement, spectacular jumps, wonderful beats and never-ending pirouettes.
After interval, Who Cares? concluded the program. Choreographed by Balanchine in 1970 as his tribute to George Gershwin's music, Who Cares? is set to Hershy Kay's orchestrated arrangements of sixteen of Gershwin's hit songs and show tunes. With a silhouetted city skyline as background, eye-catching costumes by Allan Lees, and a large, energetic cast of ladies in mostly red, pink and gold tones and gentlemen in brown pin-striped trousers and waistcoats, white shirts and ties, Who Cares? requires both insouciance and showbiz pizzazz in performance.
The WAB cast rose to the occasion. Matthew Lehmann partnered several ladies with panache. His dreamy duo with a charming Reika Sato to “The Man I Love” was a highlight along with his duo with Sarah Hepburn to “Embraceable You”, his stylish duo with Jayne Smeulders to “Who Cares?”, Hepburn's brilliant turning solo to “My One and Only”, Sato's tricky solo to “Fascinating Rhythm” and Lehmann's laidback sophistication in his own solo to “Liza”. The audience clearly loved this far-from-easy, breezy work and appreciated a rare opportunity to head home from the ballet humming the tunes.
- Margaret Mercer
“Embraceable You” runs until May 30.