Double bill from Ballet

Press, 14 March 1984, Page 18

Double bill from Ballet

The New Zealand Ballet will appear in two major arts festivals this year. The company will dance “Le Beau Danube” and “La Slyphide” in the Christchurch Festival and the Rotc.ua Festivart. It will be the first time the company has taken part in a North Island and a South Island festival on the same tour. The double bill marks a first for the New Zealand Ballet with the inauguration of its city sponsorship programme. This new programme has been designed to offer sponsors who have specific regional links to become more involved with

New Zealand’s national company. During the tour the performances in different centres will be sponsored by different companies. The first of the double bill, “Le Beau Danube,” was first produced by the ballet in 1982. The principal roles will be taken by Adrienne Matheson, Kerry-Anne Gilberd, Lee Patrice, Helen Booth, Allison Stellmach, Donald Macleod, Stephen Nicholls, Martin James, Wim Koelma, Ronald Fung, Peter Boyes, Emmett Hardie and Owen Anderson. The costumes and scenery are recreations of the origi-

nal designs. The scenery design was based by Vladimir and Elizabeth Polunin on a painting by Constantin Guys; the costume designs are by Comte Etienne de Beaumont, who also designed for the first version of the ballet dance in Paris in 1924. “La Sylphide” is the oldest ballet still being performed today. The principal rolls will be shared by Helen Booth, Adrienne Matheson, Kerry-Anne Gilbert!, Allison Stellmach, Gayle-Anne Jones and Anne Anderson, Jon Trimmer, Martin James, Donald Macleod, Stephen Nicholls, Emmett Hardie, Wim Koelma amd Owen Anderson.

“La Sylphide” was created by August Bournonville and had its first performance in Copenhagen in 1836. An earlier version had been performed in Paris but today’s performances are based on the Copenhagen performance. It has been passed down through the Royal Danish Ballet. This will be a busy year for the ballet who will tour both the North and South Islands, with overseas guest stars, record for television and re-stage some of its more popular ballets. The Christchurch Festival performances will be on Friday and Saturday in the James Hay Theatre.