Maarten Holl
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Tutus on Tour for 2011 had a very warm reception at the Opera House in Wellington last week, as it continues its tour of the country.
The Christchurch leg has, sadly, been cancelled due to the national emergency, and the Wellington audience paid tribute to the victims of the earthquake.
The production is divided into two parts: the first is a humorous ballet called Verdi Variations, which takes the music from the ballet sections of Verdi’s operas. Greg Horsman has choreographed an enjoyable production which makes use of the company’s timing skills: acting humorously is a lot harder than doing a traditional ballet! Gary Harris’s lovely costumes make Verdi Variations complete.
The children’s ballet, Pinocchio, forms the second half. More literal than an adult’s ballet, it provided younger members of the audience with their own ballet experience. Julian Southgate’s costumes brought the Collodi story to life with Toby Behan’s choreography; Nigel Percy’s clever lighting—including the moment the Blue Fairy transforms Pinocchio—should be noted.
Dates for the tour can be found at the RNZB’s website.
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