Posts filed under: Bodytorque

Chengwo Guo and Natasha Kusen in Alice Topp's Scope. Photo Jess Bialek
Amy Harris and Luke Marchant in Kevin Jackson Encomium. Photo Jess Bialek

Our citizen reviewer Carolyn Dempsey has measured up four of the six Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominees in performances of Madame Butterfly and After the Rain^©. Now she moves on to the Bodytorque.Muses program to see how Chengwu Guo and Luke Marchant interpret some brand-new choreography. (more…)

6 June 2011

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Natasha Kusen. Photo by Stefan Duscio

Bodytorque: creation in action

By Behind Ballet

Behind the scenes, Bodytorque

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Take a sneak peak at the visuals for Alice Topp’s brand-new work Scope, part of our new-choreography showcase Bodytorque, which opens at Sydney Theatre tonight. Not in Sydney but hankering to see the five fresh new works? The last performance of Bodytorque will be live streamed on bigpondvideo.com/ballet on the 29 May, 3pm. You can also watch it afterwards as a video on demand.

These behind-the-scenes shots were taken by Stefan Duscio as The Apiary (Gavin Youngs and Lily Coates) created visuals for Scope.

26 May 2011

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Daniel Gaudiello and Dana Stephensen in Don Quixote. Photo Jessica Bialek

Our 5 favourite grand pas de deux

By Rose Mulready

Bodytorque

Fizzing firework displays of virtuoso technique, the extremes of masculine and feminine expression, soaring music, roaring applause – there’s nothing like a grand pas! Daniel Gaudiello (principal artist, choreographer, and stunning exponent of the Don Q pas) has been inspired to make a grand pas, Tristan and Isolde, in the style of Petipa for our upcoming Bodytorque season. For Daniel, “this format best shows off the dancers’ special abilities together and individually”. Which got us thinking about our favourite pas de deux! Here are some of ballet’s showiest showstoppers, and why we think they’re grand.

Christine Walsh and David Ashmole in The Sleeping Beauty 1988. Photo Anthony Crickmay

The Sleeping Beauty, Act III pas de deux, Petipa

The grand pas in The Sleeping Beauty, like so many of the genre, is the climactic wedding scene that ends the ballet. And, like so many of the classic pas, it’s choreographed by Petipa and scored by Tchaikovsky. Here we see the traditional form of the grand pas: an opening adage, a variation for both male and female dancers, and a coda in which they are reunited. Aurora is marrying the prince who’s kissed her back to life, and she’s transformed from a girl to a gracious woman. The two express their love with a royal dignity (although they’re not above showing off with a fishdive or three). Aurora’s stately but sensual variation, in which her twining arms seem to embrace the air, is a highlight.

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20 May 2011

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Brett Simon and Dana Stephensen. Photo Paul Empson
Brett Simon. Photo Paul Empson
Dana Stephensen. Photo Paul Empson

What is a muse?

By Behind Ballet

Bodytorque

Bodytorque.Muses is The Australian Ballet’s latest showcase of bold new work. This year, Bodytorque veterans Daniel Gaudiello, Kevin Jackson and Alice Topp return with new ballets, joined by Coryphée (and first-time choreographer) Vivienne Wong, and guest choreographer Lisa Wilson.

The theme of this year’s season is ‘Muses’, so we thought we’d ask the choreographers what the word ‘muse’ means to them. (more…)

13 April 2011

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Sideshow alley ballet

By Nicole Lovelock

Bodytorque, Video

It’s a freezing Tuesday night, and instead of the warmth and comfort of The Australian Ballet studios or the State Theatre, we’re standing huddled together in Melbourne’s Guildford Lane, preparing to be part of web based video project Sideshow Alley TV. A bit of a guerrilla filming outfit, Dave, Ty and their merry group of video bandits have been setting up shop in assorted laneways around town, and shooting one-take footage of various musical acts, from established bands like Midlake to new kids on the block The Tiger and Me. So very Melbourne … and fittingly, so very, very cold. (more…)

21 January 2011

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The power of a muse

By Behind Ballet

2011, Bodytorque

Ballet choreographers have turned to countless influences including mythical creatures, literary figures, and soaring scores. Bodytorque.Muses allows the choreographers of tomorrow to step into the studio with the ballet stars of today and create works inspired by their muse of choice. Olivia Stewart writes about the classical concept of the muse, and questions: without the muse, would there be no art?

If you’re reading this, chances are you would not only find a world without art unbearable, but also unthinkable. Of course, art and civilisation go hand-in-hand. While the ancient Greeks loved their sport, giving us the basis for the modern Olympics, history demonstrates it was in the arts they exalted. In contrast with our contemporary society, there was no god of sport, yet there were nine goddesses of the arts (and also sciences) – the Muses – led by Apollo, the god of music.
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15 September 2010

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