RNZB presents entertaining and polished programme with Tutus on Tour

Tutus on Tour, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Choreography: Shaun James Kelly, Christopher Wheeldon, Val Caniparoli, Marius Petipa, Olivier Wever. The Opera House, Wellington, October 7. Reviewed by Brigitte Knight.

Royal New Zealand Ballet’s infamously ambitious Tutus on Tour was, in its heyday, a full six-week biennial tour during which the company divided in half and performed in dozens of towns from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South.

It was the season that acknowledged the company’s pioneering roots when dancers doubled as stage crew and were billeted by generous Kiwi hosts around the country. A certain magic is created when the RNZB performs in small local venues, offering exchange and connection with the audience that is a true reflection of their status as a national company.

Pared back to 10 centres, 2022’s Tutus on Tour has a full programme of five works featuring both classical and contemporary ballet. Opening the show is Choreographer in Residence Shaun James Kelly’s ‘The Ground Beneath Our Feet’ which premiered at RNZB’s Choreographic Series in 2018. As his first work for the main stage the ballet presented Kelly’s choreographic voice clearly from the outset, indulging his preferences for technically demanding partnering, swift neoclassical movement vocabulary, and signature slides en pointe. A manipulated Bach score and variety of transitions ensure the work is well-paced, light-hearted, and lively.

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Christopher Wheeldon’s ‘After The Rain Pas de Deux’ (2005) makes its RNZB debut during Tutus on Tour. The final pas de deux is a masterclass in nuance and restraint, Wheeldon making exquisite use of stillness, broken vs. extended line, and motif. Set to Arvo Pärt’s captivating Spiegel im spiegel (Mirror in mirror), the performance holds the audience spellbound. Depth, intimacy and clarity underpin this subtly sophisticated performance by Kate Kadow and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson, facilitated by their highly refined technique and realisation of partnering in the truest sense of the word.

‘Waltz of the Pohutukawa Flowers’ and the ‘Grand Pas de Deux’ – excerpts from RNZB’s ‘The Nutcracker’ (2018) choreographed by Val Caniparoli – has the largest cast of the programme, including a dozen corps de ballet women, Kirby Selchow as Dew Drop, Mayu Tanigaito as Sugarplum Fairy, and Laurynas Vėjalis as Cavalier. With its iconic Tchaikovsky score and traditional format, ‘The Nutcracker’ nevertheless allows Caniparoli to create pleasing geometric formations and some challenging choreographic detail for the soloists. Selchow performs with characteristic joy and panache, and Tanigaito and Vėjalis’ pas de deux work is especially impressive in its opening moments.

‘Le Corsaire Pas de Trois’ is an opportunity to celebrate spectacle and virtuosity courtesy of principal dancers Mayu Tanigaito, Paul Mathews and Laurynas Vėjalis. Best viewed from the stalls to appreciate the magnificent elevation, Le Corsaire is a treat for lovers of classical ballet.

Created for Grand Rapids Ballet in 2013, Olivier Wevers’ contemporary ballet ‘The Sofa’ follows an arc of falling and rising action, the farcical and sometimes superficial first and last movements bookending a richer and more densely choreographed second movement. The ensemble operates as musical staging rather than the Greek chorus they are billed as, which traditionally delivers a single perspective, powering the narrative and articulating a clear point of view.

Soloists Ana Gallardo Lobaina, Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson, and Shaun James Kelly realise their roles with stamina and style, and this season sees a welcome return to the spotlight for Madeleine Graham. Each of The Sofa’s three movements feels longer than the underlying concepts justify, however, the dancers’ performances are impressively sustained with strong commitment to character.

Tutus on Tour is an entertaining and polished programme of works, and with plenty of variety it offers something for everyone.