Dance Australia

can we keep our classics?

THE choreographer Marius Petipa was a well-travelled man. He was born in France, moved to Brussels as a young student, travelled to the United States and then to Spain, where he was premier danseur at the Teatro Real in Madrid. He lived there for four years before finally settling in Russia. While in Spain he made a study of the local traditional dances, and created a number of ballets with Spanish themes, which led eventually to his full-length masterpiece, Don Quixote in 1869 (to music especially composed by Ludwig Minkus, who was Austrian). “Some of these ballets are being questioned for their appropriateness.” Petipa’s imagination travelled still further with his La Bayadere, a bulky, four-act epic set in an exotic “Indian” location with Brahmins and temple maidens and the Himalayas as a…

rare portrait

THIS portrait is of the legendary ballerina Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) and is by French painter Jacques Émile Blanche. One of a handful of portraits that exist of the Russian dancer, it has been gifted to the Royal Academy of Dance collection in the UK, through the generous support of a group of donors: The Linbury Trust, Lord and Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover, Sir Simon and Lady Robertson, Mr Roger Harrison and Mr Kerry and Mrs Dimity Rubie. Born in St. Petersburg in 1885, Karsavina’s early career saw her dance with the Imperial Ballet alongside Anna Pavlova, before appearing with the Diaghilev ballet in 1909 as “perhaps the greatest of Russian dancers”. She came to London, joining the founding committee of The Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain…

furious body politic

FORMER Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s furious repudiation of Opposition Leader Tony Abbot in parliament has become famous, resonating around the world. Now, on the 10th anniversary of the so-called “misogyny speech”, contemporary dancer Natalie Allen will be presenting her own solo response. Called Julia, the work is created in partnership with theatre producer Sally Richardson, and draws on the parliamentary record, media reportage and public commentary around Australia’s first female Prime Minister. It is a portrait of female leadership, personality, power and the body politic. Julia will run May 20 to 26 at the State Theatre Centre, WA.…

vale liam scarlett

THE brilliant English choreographer Liam Scarlett has died at his home in Ipswich, England, on April 16. He was 35 years old. A cause of death has not been given at press time. Scarlett was one of this generation's most sought-after classical choreographers until he was accused of sexual misconduct early in 2020, after which he disappeared from public life. Scarlett was the Royal Ballet’s artist in residence. He was also appointed artistic associate of the Queensland Ballet in 2017, and that company performed a number of his works to great acclaim. The accusations involved students at the Royal Ballet School, though an independent investigation concluded there “were no matters to pursue”. Nonetheless, most companies withdrew their commissions and his works from their repertoire. The news was been met with an outpouring of grief…

new choreographic centre

AN exciting new venture has started – the Sydney Choreographic Centre.Co-founded by internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer and artistic director Francesco Ventriglia and managing director Neil Christopher, the centre opened in March and has already held a debut performance season, called Grimm, performed by the resident performing group, the Sydney Choreographic Ensemble, composed of Alex Borg, Ariella Casu, Holly Doyle, Brittany-Jayde Duwner and Victor Zarallo. The SCC is temporarily based in the inner-city suburb of Zetland. It will run a number of programs aimed at mentoring the next generation of choreographers. Italian-born Ventriglia was a dancer at La Scala in Milan, then artistic director of the Florence Opera House Ballet, then artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2014-17. From 2018 until 2020 he was adjunct artistic director at the National Ballet…

moves

Sue Healey is the recipient of the 2021 Australia Council Award for Dance. Emily Flannery, a Wiradjuri woman from NSW, has joined Bangarra Dance Theatre. A NAISDA graduate, Emily was most recently the 2021 First Nations intern with Lucy Guerin. The Queensland Ballet’s Patricio Revé has been promoted from Soloist to Senior Soloist. Sydney Dance Company has welcomed Gabrielle Nankivell to its Advanced Training Department as Training Associate. Nicholas Currie-Inns, a Munaldjali and Bundjalung man from Queensland, is the 2021 recipient of the Russell Page Graduate Program Scholarship. Tyrel Dulvarie has moved from Bangarra Dance Theatre to join the Australasian Dance Collective as a company artist. Australian Ballet principal artists, Kevin Jackson and Andrew Killian, have retired. Joining Dancenorth ensemble member Felix Sampson are four new dancers: Marlo Benjamin, Nelson Earl, Niharika Senapati and Michael Smith. Sydney Dance…