Rowena Jackson Thrills With Ballet Performance

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28324, 9 July 1957, Page 7

Rowena Jackson Thrills With Ballet Performance

Last evening the Majestic Theatre was filled to the doors when an enthusiastic audience of amateurs of the ballet welcomed Rowena Jackson and Bryan Ashbridge. with supporting artists to Christchurch. On this notable occasion the fascination of assured artistry held the attention of the audience from the beginning of the presentation to the end.

In the main, the programme was a classical one. but no New Zealand audience would object to that Indeed, last night’s entertainment might be called the perfection of ballet in miniature. Everyone is thankful for Rowena Jackson’s visit to the South Island; but it was impossible nevertheless, not to sigh at times for the gliding entrance of the corps de ballet, however humble its attainment. An orchestra, too was sadly missed, even if it had been one of those orchestras which would play better in Christchurch behind a veil or at least under a cloud. Programme of Brilliance

However, once these limitations are accepted, there remains a programme of divertissements of the utmost brilliance and distinction. Rowena Jackson is perhaps the most debonair personality who has ever appeared on the stage in Christchurch, and it is easy to see that she now embodies in her own person the traditional elegance of classical European ballet No sign of the difficulty of the art appears in this finished accomplishment That fact was immediately evident in her interpretation of the Nocturne from “Les Sylphides,” with which the programme opens. In, most people’s minds' the movements of these familiar white ballets have crystallised into a formal pattern; but Miss Jackson dances with such style and vividness that all sense of the conventional and the stereotyped is lost. “Facade” struck a different note and one that contrasted with “Les Sylphides. “This satire on modern ways was given a gentle emphasis by Bryan Ashbridge, Derek Westlake, and Pearl Gaden; but Rowena Jackson added a certain piquancy of her own, particularly in the surprising tango at the conclusion of the ballet.

The second act of “Coppelia” was perhaps the feature of the programme. Here Bryan Ashbridge made a volatile Franz, and Derek Westlake, miming in the of Dr. Coppelius himself, brought the old magician to life, straight out of the story-book. Miss Jackson danced the role of Swanilda, and nothing could be imagined more smoth and gracious than the free onward motion of the danseuse, as she progressed through the sequences of this beautiful ballet. The cheerful hustle of “The Sleeping Beauty,” who followed, demands a crowded stage; but the excerpts given with such bold imaginative vivacity were charming in themselves, and, in particular, the ever-popular “Blue Birds” was a triumph for Pearl Gaden and Derek Westlake. As for “Swan Lake,” all that could be offered was a souvenir. Even so the Czardas from Act 111 had lost none of their old attraction. Concluding Item The programme concluded with the Pas de Deux from “Don Quixote,” danced by Miss Jackson and Mr Ashbridge. Here the artists presented in a moment of time that seemed all too brief the essential spirit of what must be an almost perfect ballet. The dancing was even lovelier than anything that had been seen on

the programme before, and the audience broke into spontaneous and sustained applause long before the ballet concluded.

Henri Penn and Marie Haydon provided the music for the presentation. They also played the music of Richard Straus and Johann Strauss, and of Weber in a series of delightful interludes. —C.E.S.