Wellington
Aotearoa New Zealand
Reviewed November 16 and 17
The New Zealand School of Dance annual graduation season is nearly always held over several nights and presented as two programs at the school's custom-built theatre, one showcasing the classical and one the contemporary streams.
As with all dance schools, the NZSD was impacted by the pandemic, with international students returning home and on-site classes restricted. Usually the Artistic Director Garry Trinder brings a number of international guest coaches and/or choreographers to the school to stage works for the graduate season. That not being possible this year, both programs consisted of the choreography of NZSD graduates who have gone on to flourishing international careers of their own, thereby showcasing not just the students' prowess, but also the prowess of the School’s many successful graduates.
The entire classical program was handed over to Loughlin Prior, Australian-born but based (and trained) in NZ, Prior is presently a choreographer-in-residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
The first work was Storm Surge, “inspired by the wild weather of Wellington” and “exploring the drama, beauty and fragility of the human body”, according to the program notes. To an atmospheric score combining the sounds of weather with piano and strings, eight dancers, the women on pointe, from all three levels of the course, swirled and undulated in movement evoking the currents of wind and waves. Despite the turbulence of the setting, the overall effect was surprisingly calm and almost gentle, performed with careful control and lovely fluidity by the dancers.
This was followed by a delightful solo, Verse, for 1st year student Joshua Douglas. Performed to spoken verse and plangent music by 17th century Spanish composer Atononio Martin Y Coll, the piece showed off this young man’s terrific natural facility: precise placement, flexibility, neat footwork and open demeanour.
Verse segued nicely into Curious Alchemy for two couples from Years 1 and 2 (Ruby Ryburn and Miguel Herrera and Hannah Thomson and Khaan Scrivens) in red body suits and socks, with music by Beethoven and Saint Saens. They performed the playfully combative choreography with deftness and quick ease.
A pas de deux for Year 2 pupil India Shackel and Year 3 pupil Aidan Tully followed, possibly the most classically challenging of the pieces on the night, with partnering that required considerable strength and timing from both. The almost continually flowing movement echoed the circular nature of the Phillip Glass music. The couple managed the lifts and balances well and displayed excellent technique.
The final piece, Coloratura, brought together all three years in an amusing “homage to the vocal mastery” of soprano Cecilia Bartoli, represented here by a figure in an absurdly large Baroque-era white crinoline and wig. While the Diva mimes the arias, a chorus of red clad, impish dancers physically respond to the speed and burbling wit of the music with cleverly choreographed visual pictures and games. A little more exaggerated fun, perhaps, could have been made of this – the Diva in particular was rather serious - but the piece nonetheless brought the evening to an uplifting conclusion.
The contemporary program was curated by Head of Contemporary Dance, Paula Steeds-Huston. It opened with State of Perpetuation, a premiere by Craig Bary, and was performed by the second year students with Micah Tofilau and Lyndon Foley (3rd Year) in the featured parts. Opening in darkness, the dancers sang as well as danced, sweet vocals which were contrasted with an increasingly ominous soundtrack. As the light lifted, a central figure held the spotlight, moving minimally and slowly, her face sometimes cradled by another dancer. The ensemble circled protectively around her, sometimes flicking a fist above their heads: the finish, however, was inconclusive. The program notes indicated this is still a work-in-progress.
This was followed by Midlight, choreographed by Christina Chan and Aymeric Bichon, a tightly bound duo in which the dancers – Thor-Poet and Seth Ward – never seemed to lose touch with each other, the sense of a shared but lonely journey enhanced by the haunting duduk music of Levon Minassian.
The following piece, Rubble, choreographed by Holly Newsome, provided an amusing contrast, the ensemble of dancers costumed in business suits. They were pushed and prodded by the words of The Ultimate Motivational Clip, a battlecry aimed at sportspeople but for this dance applied to the grind of the corporate world. Rubble has great potential to be expanded into a longer piece.
A Kind Tone, by Tyler Carney-Faleatua, “focuses on the idea of unravelling layers of oneself”. It opened with Year 2 students emerging from strange, shapeless pieces of furniture, draped in silken cloth. The students themselves were also draped, so it was difficult to tell where the line lay between the dancers and the inanimate objects - and indeed between their own bodies and their costumes. The lovely, gleaming pink drapery was reminiscent of classical statuary, lending the work a slightly Grecian, Duncanesque look.
The program closed with To the Forest, To the Island, choreographed by Sarah Foster-Sproull, who is also a choreographer-in-residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet. I wanted to like this more, but the bright vertical lights obscured the dancers and the over-amplified bass weighed down what I think was intended as a upbeat finale.
Once again the NZSD staged an impressive and professional graduate season, with the students demonstrating they are more than capable of meeting the challenges of a wide variety of choreography.
- KAREN VAN ULZEN
The program continues until November 26.