Enthusiastic Reception For N.Z. Ballet Company

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29301, 5 September 1960, Page 7

Enthusiastic Reception For N.Z. Ballet Company

From the volume of applause at the end of the final item at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening it was obvious that the audience had greatly enjoyed the opening performance of the New Zealand Ballet In Christchurch. The theatre was packed, for quite clearly this was no ordinary occasion.

The New Zealand Ballet, which has gallantly persisted for a number of years, largely because of the inspired efforts of Poul Gnatt, now appears as a complete company equipped to interpret a range of works of considerable difficulty. The scope of the programme is indeed surprising: the four ballets presented are of the most varied kind, and the difference in style and atmosphere between “Prismatic Variations” and “Prince Igor,” for instance, is marked.

The programme opened with “Dream Visions,” a ballet from Denmark, which has not been seen in Christchurch before. It might be described as a port pourri of Viennese and Italian themes. The tone is light, and there is ample opportunity for mime and for comedy of a graceful kind. The dreams were all good; but as they are so numerous, unfortunately only a few can be mentioned. Carol Diaper and Graeme Pickering, as Amelie and Hans Christian, introduced the ballet and cleverly suggested the style and the period—Copenhagen of per : haps 125 years ago. .The divertissements that followed were lively. In the role of Columbine, Sara Neil combined the conventional graces with a piquant vivacity; Walter Trevor was an athletic, whimsical Harlequin; and Gary Grant’s Her Kroll was a man of the world of a somewhat formidable Prussian type. They made an entertaining trio. The inset ballet of Old Ladies and Old Men was really most artistic and unexpected. The couples were admirably differentiated, and these talented young dancers entered into the frolic with wonderful spirit. Promising Ballerina

Dianne Horsham’s “Sylphide” revealed her as an attractive and promising ballerina, and June Kerr and Russell Kerr were gaiety personified in their sparkling Zouare number. The finale and salute for Boumonville brought the whole cast on stage in a complicated sequence of movements that could best be described as exciting.

“Prismatic Variations,” the programme explains, is “a neoclassical work, in which styles, patterns and colours blend, contrast and move on.” It is a short abstract ballet remarkable for the controlled, precise pattern evolved. The dancers in “Prismatic Variations” were led by Gloria Young and Russell Kerr.

The familiar music of Meyerbeer brought the Brown Couples on stage in Frederick Ashton’s ever-popular “Les Patineurs.” Walter Trevor’s “Blue Boy” was

keen and joyous, the embodiment of fun on the ice; Sara Neil and Poul Gnatt made a charming “White Couple,” and the “Blue and the Red Girls” had their own distinctive air, as well. The Polovtsian Dances from “Prince Igor” are a splendid spectacle, and the performance seen on Saturday evening was no exception. The stage was alive with colour—orange, red, and brown, as the whole company threw themselves into the task of creating a scene of barbaric magnificence of energy. It is not too much to say that “Prince Igor” was a revelation to the audience of what the New Zealand Ballet, led by Gloria Young, June Kerr and Russell Kerr, can do. The placing of members of the Harmonic Society Chorus at the sides of the stage may be criticised. From time to time the free movement of the dancers appeared to be hindered. Nevertheless the singers, together with the orchestra conducted by Alex Lindsay, are to be commended for their performance. The musical standard attained was high. It was also a pleasure to see once more in the decors the masterly hand of Raymond Boyce, who will be remembered for his work with the New Zealand Players. In conclusion it will be agreed that the New Zealand Ballet in its new form owes much to the artistic skill of a directorate which includes in its numbers Rowena Jackson-Chatfield, Philip Chatfield, Poul Gnatt and Richard Campion. —C.E.S.