In 20:21 the Australian Ballet have brought us a thrilling triple bill combining new works with old favourites. Technically the dancers were in dazzling form, performing with relentless, incredible energy.
Of the three works, the opening piece, Balanchine’s work, Symphony in Three Movements, felt a little dated and left me a little cold though it was superbly danced.
Created in 1972 it is very obviously ‘of its period’ – one of Balanchine’s neo classical leotard ballets – think Agon or Four Temperaments.
The opening, with all the women in white leotards, referenced his Serenade but also made me think of synchronized swimming, even Busby Berkley musicals. There was another section with women wearing black leotards, and the men wore black and white.
Some of the choreography was extremely demanding and revealing – Balanchine’s trademark fast fleet footwork was included but his work also called for incredible control in the slow adage.
There were three leading couples – we saw Ako Kondo, Chengwu Guo, Lana Jones, Andrew Killian, Amber Scott and Rudy Hawkes on opening night. The women in various shades of pink had dazzling pas de deux and solos to perform as well as having to join in the complicated, intricate ensemble work.
The orchestra under the baton of Nicolette Fraillon played Stravinsky’s difficult music superbly.
Explosively sizzling, dark and electric, Tim Harbour’s Filigree and Shadow, with its slinky black and blue costumes and clean set dominated by a curved wall was riveting. The set was brilliantly lit by Benjamin Cisterne and featured some very effective and sinister use of shadows, contrasted with washes of colour. The crashing, pounding, specially commissioned score by Ulrich Muller and Siegfried Rossert featured a pounding, remorseless rhythm.
In some ways this work was similar to Forsythe’s work In The Middle, Slightly Elevated and there were also hints of a Graeme Murphy influence.
The cast performed its spiky, angular, sometimes dangerous choreography with razor sharp clarity, and passionate commitment. There were some very demanding jumps, a wonderful, very strong male trio at one point, and some slithery, spider like floorwork.
During Tim Harbour’s piece Rudy Hawkes and Dimity Azoury performed an amazing pas de deux. The atmosphere throughout was punchily, almost savagely aggressive. The audience roared its approval at the end.
Another audience favourite, dynamically, exuberantly performed, was the riveting In The Upper Room by Twyla Tharp, first performed by the Australian Ballet in 1997. Tharp’s work references in part Mahalia Jackson’s gospel song In the Upper room [ with Jesus] .
Full of breathless energy and dazzling partnering, this work featured a cast of thirteen , including ‘stompers’ who opened the work, and the red socks and pointe shoe wearing section which Tharp called “the bomb squad”.
The work was full of the trademark Tharp style , sleek, driven and elegant. The Phillip Glass score surges, throbs and pulsates. Various dance styles were incorporated including tap, ballet, yoga and boxing and a backwards run.
The costumes worn were at first blue and white stripe pyjama like wear, then the dancers stripped down to revealing elegant red dresses for the women and red briefs for the men.
This was an exhausting, marathon of a work and the cast were marvelous with their febrile energy that leaves you gasping with the jump-snap at the end.
20:21 was a very exciting triple bill performed by the dancers with amazing, explosive ENERGY .
Running time – 2 hrs 30 mins including 2 intervals
The Australian Ballet in 20 : 21 is playing at the Joan Sutherland Auditorium at the Sydney Opera House until the 21st November.
