This is a fascinating ,enthralling book extensively researched and vividly written by renowned dance critic and journalist Valerie Lawson . Lawson uses letters, interviews and personal anecdotes from dancers, directors, impresarios , producers, and critics to bring the history and characters alive . The horrendous drain of one night stands on the exhausting long tours ! The backstage scandals and dramas!

With a forward by David McAllister of the Australian Ballet , and a well laid out table of contents , the book while large and heavy is beautifully illustrated and also includes a terrific bibliography and helpful index at the back .

The preface briefly acknowledges the very early history of ballet in Australia but the book really begins with the tours of the famous Anna Pavlova ( with her signature solo ‘The Dying Swan’) in 1926 and then her 1929 tour, where the Taits and JC Williamsons ( ‘The Firm’ ) first feature and we learn how she influenced a young Robert Helpmann. The merits (or lack of) the ballets presented are discussed.

We then jump to the varied and perhaps confusing various Ballets Russes tours, with mention of de Basil. (described as a ‘crooked octopus’) . The sad story of Olga Spessivtseva , another prima ballerina , her links with Giselle and descent into madness is told.( Readers might recall Meryl Tankard’s Two Feet , partly based on Spessivtseva’s story , revived earlier this year for Natalia Osipova for the Adelaide Festival) .

The Ballets Russes tours during the 1930’s were very glamorous but also fraught with problems, Arnold Haskell the dance author came with the companies (producing not only articles but a couple of books) and Lawson also quotes from letters from company members .
The tragic story of poor Madeline Parker (stage name Mira Dimina) dying of leukaemia is told .

What is also interesting is how Australian artists and dancers were involved ( eg Max Dupain , ) and a couple of crucial dance teachers in Sydney and Melbourne The early 1940’s.The New Zealand tours of the various companies are also mentioned but Lawson concentrates on the Melbourne and Sydney seasons .Mention is also made of the film captured by Dr Ringland in Melbourne as we see in Murphy’s Nutcracker – The Story of Clara .

1938 also saw the glitzy tour by two renowned ballerinas Irina Baronova and Tatiana Riabouchinska , not forgetting the premier danseur Anton Dolin.

Discussion is raised about the ‘cultural cringe’ , the lack of information about Indigenous dance , and how London was regarded as ‘home ‘, and also the way at that time dancers had to have ‘ Russian’ stage names.

The way that the uneasy rumbles of politics in the lead up to World War 11 made some dancers decide to stay – especially Eduard Borovansky , aka ‘Boro’ – therefore changing the history of ballet in Australia – is mentioned .The early 1940’s also saw another famous ballerina Tamara Toumanova here and a visit from premier danseur Serge Lifar ( who commissioned Australian artist Sydney Nolan to design his ballet Icare) . Also important for Australian dance history was the arrival of Gertrud Bodenweiser.

After the tense war years we then jump to a discussion of Helene Kirsova and her company( with the major work Revolution of the Umbrellas) and the rivalry with Borovansky’s and how eventually this led to the folding of Kirsova’s and the eventual creation of the Australian Ballet which first performed 2 November 1962. But before that, during the 1950’s there was the major Ballet Rambert tour and the British council tour by the Old Vic company led by Sir Lawrence Olivier. Helpmann is also mentioned as he was not only involved with a tour by the Royal Ballet( yes with Fonteyn as prima ballerina ) but acting and directing in a play at the same time ! Not forgetting the 1954 tour by Queen Elizabeth 11 , again emphasising the UK links , and by contrast, the rise of Australian plays such as Summer of the Seventeenth Doll , turning perception of the arts on its head.

We then follow the history of the Australian Ballet from 1962 – 2008 under its Artistic Directors , with profiles of Helpmann , Dame Peggy van Praagh , Ross Stretton, Anne Woolliams ,Maina Gieilgud , Marilyn Jones and David McAllister. The ups and downs , backstage bitchiness, financial woes , involvement by Federal treasurers and Prime Ministers , repertoire problems etc are all mentioned as well as the shabby treatment by the Board and the way some artistic directors were driven/forced to resign or retire .There are fascinating interviews with various dancers and a look at the sensational team of Graeme Murphy and designer Kristian Frederickson ( see their Swan Lake , and Nutcracker for example) .

Mention is also made of the various works that Helpmann created (eg The Display , Yugen , Sun Music ) and much is made of the 1972 Don Quixote with Helpmann in the title role and Nureyev’s fiery presence and the delightful romantic The Merry Widow .

The various legacies of other directors is also considered ( eg Anne Woolliams and her bringing Cranko’s Onegin and Romeo and Juliet into the repertoire , and Gielgud’s version of Giselle . We eventually come to the 2001 start of McAllister’s current reign. Brief mention is made of Li Cunxin ( ‘ Mao’s Last Dancer ‘ , who danced with the Australian Ballet and is now artistic director of the Queensland Ballet) and Bangarra’s collaboration on Rites .The various gruelling international tours are mentioned ( eg the 2005 one of the UK ) and visits by major choreographers such as Glen Tetley and Jiri Kylian .

Lawson’s book concentrates on ‘the history of ballet in Australia’ – so , specifically on the history of our national company , the Australian Ballet .( There is almost no mention of contemporary dance , so Australian Dance Theatre , Chunky Move, Expressions , Dance North etc are not considered ) and the Queensland and West Australian Ballets only get a very tiny mention if at all .Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra are mentioned but only because of Graeme Murphy and the links and their collaborations with the Australian Ballet The cut off point is 2008 , nothing since , and the final chapter uses articles Lawson wrote from the 1990’s until 2008 when she stopped writing for the Sydney Morning Herald .

This was a vividly written insightful and captivating book.

https://scholarly.info/book/dancing-under-the-southern-skies-a-history-of-ballet-in-australia/

Release date 07-2019
Format Paperback
ISBN 9781925588743
ISBN10 1925588742
Author: Valerie Lawson, Publisher: Australian Scholarly Publishing

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