Andy Ross
Header image: Scottish Ballet dancers in Sophie Laplane’s Dextera. Above, from top: First Artist Kayla-Maree Tarantolo in Cayetano Soto’s Schachmatt. First Artist Rishan Benjamin in Cayetano Soto’s Schachmatt. Scottish Ballet dancers in Cayetano Soto’s Schachmatt as part of their earlier Twice-Born double bill.
It may only be for two days (March 14 and 15) but Scottish Ballet’s performance after their long journey to Wellington, New Zealand delighted the audience at the St James Theatre tonight.
In collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the two companies performed two ballets each, united in their competence, professionalism and mutual admiration, but distinct in their approach.
Beginning with Scottish Ballet, Cayetano Soto’s Schachmatt (Checkmate!) received its New Zealand première a week after its London première at Sadler’s Wells, an inventive, humorous ballet performed on a giant chessboard, with lighting effects, shadows, and quirky, energetic movements contributing to its flow. The soundtrack—distinctively French, Latin, jazzy and mid-century—showed that ballets can depart from classical music. There was synchronicity in the movements as well as the costumes—grey with equestrian helmets.
The recorded music was an enjoyable journey through prewar romance through to a mid-century jazz heyday: Dino Olivieri and Louis Poterat’s ‘J’attendrai’ performed by Rina Ketty; Michel Legrand’s ‘Di-Gue-Ding-Ding’; Henry Mancini’s iconic ‘Peter Gunn’ as performed by Jack Constanzo (with appropriate gumshoe moves from the Scots ballerinos); Mañuel López and Jorge Luis Piloto’s ‘Estaba escrito’, performed by Monna Bell; Agustín Lara’s ‘Arrancame la vida’, performed by Maria Teresa Lara and Toña la Negra; and Chucho Navarro’s ‘Lo dudo’ by los Panchos.
Schachmatt is said to be inspired ‘by the words of Joan Rivers, the films of Pedro Almodovar, and the choreography of Bob Fosse’.
Above, from top: Soloist Kirby Selchow, artist Ema Takahashi, principal Ana Gallardo Lobaina, and soloist Jemima Scott in Prismatic. Principal Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson in Limerence. Principal Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson and soloist Katherine Minor. Soloist Katherine Minor and principals Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson, Kihiro Kusukami and Ana Gallardo Lobaina. Principal Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson. Principals Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson in Limerence. Principals Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson in Limerence.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet followed with expat Scot Shaun James Kelly’s Prismatic, inspired by Poul Gnatt and Russell Kerr’s Prismatic Variations. Here was a more classical turn, set to the music of Johannes Brahms. Kelly shows off traditional ballet technique and the numerous pas de deux are fetching (look out for Dane Head as one to watch), as are the sculptural poses that parts of the ballet finish on.
Staying with the RNZB after the interval, Limerence by Annaliese Macdonald, set to a Franz Schubert score, demonstrates that powerful ballets do not necessarily need lavish sets. A ballet grounded in character and emotion given simple yet sympathetic lighting design made for one of the most moving performances of the night, as Macdonald explores the gap between reality (demonstrated by a blazer) and imagination (illuminated by yellower, brighter tones). It is a timely ballet, too, as we can empathize with a protagonist who is tempted by the fantasy, and is pulled back to a drearier reality.
Then to the guests for the final ballet, Dextera, was commissioned by Scottish Ballet to commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2019. Sophie Laplane set her ballet to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, loosely basing it on the Pygmalion myth, but with far more fun. Coloured gloves fall from above giving their wearers power; and, initially, men controlling female mannequins, sometimes with awkward positioning for their limbs—until one man brings in his male mannequin and one woman brings in her female one, upsetting the balance of the society. The mannequins are freed and there are yet more gloves; and there are same-sex pairings and the entire group ultimately coming together for a samba Mozart—in this case with some added spice which Scottish Ballet creative director and CEO Christopher Hampson, CBE called ‘a surprise’. We’ll honour that by not spoiling it, but we will say it left us on an upbeat note.
There are two more performances in Wellington on Saturday, March 15, at 1.30 and 7.30 p.m., before Scottish Ballet heads to Auckland to perform A Street Car Named Desire.
More details, including online booking, can be found at the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s website.
Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.
Andy Ross
Above: Scottish Ballet dancers in Sophie Laplane’s Dextera, photographed as part of Scottish Ballet’s Spring!. Third photo from bottom: Javier Andreu and Aaron Venegas. Second photo: Thomas Edwards and Sophie Martin. Bottom photo: Kayla-Maree Tarantolo.
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