Perth, Western Australia, is a much-blessed city, and among its biggest blessings are the lovely balmy summer evenings. Organisers can plan outdoor events and be reasonably confident that their performance or function will not be washed out.
The West Australian Ballet has taken advantage of this climatic blessing for several years now, by presenting a summer season at The Quarry – a unique venue that is indeed nested in a disused quarry, one that has a natural rake for seating. It also has a wonderful view over the stage into the woodlands beyond. I have seen Giselle performed here, and never was a set more convincing!
This year, however, the Company gave us a program of five short modern works, aptly named Five by Night. A black background was added to the stage, which resulted in a huge reduction in the forest view. While it suited the works – clean, simple, no fuss needed – it did look a trifle odd, because it was not tall enough to hide the trees completely. I, for one, found the treetops distracting.
The West Australian Ballet provides employment for some 30 dancers, and with financial assistance from many sponsors and donors, is able to support a number of young trainees as well. This gives choreographers a huge pool to fish from, and the fish they brought up were ideally suited to their needs. We were treated to works by David Dawson, Craig Davidson, Andre Santos, Melissa Boniface, Victoria Maughan, Meg Parry, and a team composed of Jane Smeulders & Pepito. Every dancer got a chance to shine because none of the works had a huge cast.
The five works presented were well-suited to the intimate atmosphere created by the Quarry’s high walls. David Dawson contributed two of them. One, simply called ‘5’ did indeed feature five dancers. It is, in fact, an excerpt from Dawson’s realisation of Giselle and uses the traditional Adam score. The other, ‘On the nature of Daylight’ was set to Max Richter’s eponymous score.
This is the first time I have seen Dawson’s work. It is as impressive as one might expect from a choreographer at the peak of his career: one who quite rightly enjoys world-wide repute. Rebecca Gladstone, who put the Dawson works on the company, is also to be congratulated on a job well done. Dawson, by the way, is a multi-talented individual who likes to create his own sets and lighting.
A contrasting work, Craig Davidson’s ‘Ambiguous Content’ to a score by Philip Glass, was a world premiere. Much of the ambiguity was provided by dim lighting, with dancers appearing and disappearing like a magician’s doves and rabbits. There was a hint of the ballroom in the staging, with the dancers appearing introspective to the nth degree and largely unconscious of the audience. Kate Venables’ costumes and Benjamin Fry’s lighting also contributed to the ambience of this impressive piece.
Company member Andre Santos created ‘In Black’ to a potpourri of musical items. It complemented the other featured dances. In fact, one can see a definite ‘school’ of choreographic style forming within the company. That is not to say the program was completely homogeneous: the items mentioned above were varied but carried a stamp to mark them as ‘Made in WA’. This is a good thing: any company needs to develop a unique style while nonetheless being open to innovation. The WA Ballet’s style seems to feature rather a florid hand focus with a lot of wrist movement. It is an attractive leitmotif, as long as it doesn’t become a mannerism.
The one item that differed from all the others, and probably the one audiences will remember best, is ‘To the Pointe’. Choreography was created by the dancers: Melissa Boniface, Victoria Maughan, Meg Parry, Andre Santos, Jayne Smeulders and Pepito. The last-named is a break dancer, and a very good one. His head spins and other tricks served as an excellent counterpoint to the pointe work of the classical dancers. Despite many hands, this broth wasn’t spoilt a bit. Far from it – ‘To the Pointe’ is original, entertaining and a lot of fun.
Benjamin Fry, by the way, deserves a mention for his excellent lighting, as do Andre Santos, Yumiko Takeshima, Kate Venables and Matt McVeigh for their wardrobe designs. And the company now sports a ‘graffiti artist’ in the person of Steven Buckles.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Ballet at the Quarry: Five By Night
The West Australian Ballet
The Quarry Amphitheatre, City Beach
5–27 February 2016
