Review of
DANCE ROUND THE WORLD, a performance by the
Young Dancers Company of Central Queensland 28th April 2012 at the Pilbeam Theatre Rockhampton.
by Robin Haig Dance Professor Emerita University of Colarado
Harry Haythorne MBE, Wendy Barker and Robin Haig at the Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton.
Photo MK Creative Studios
I was recently in Rockhampton, lecturing for Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society and was absolutely delighted to find that my visit coincided with the arrival of two very dear, long term colleagues, Wendy Barker and Harry Haythorne who were jointly involved in a presentation by the Young Dancers Company of Central Queensland (YDCCQ) at the Pilbeam Theatre. Wendy is the Founder of this excellent young group and Harry who reproduced the Bournonville ballet, La Sylphide, in its entirety for them last year was overseeing an excerpted version for the performance, which I attended on Saturday, 28th of May.
I feel moved to write about the program as I think it is of utmost importance that a group such as this is supported and recognized for its endeavor, creativity, and the opportunities offered to young dance students. I was moved by the commitment and freshness of the performers who were highly disciplined and well rehearsed. I believe it has been Wendy's policy to include professionals as guest dancers; in the performance I saw the talented Jessica Thompson, Peter AB Wilson and Harrison Hall all of whom must surely have inspired the student dancers.
There were four different works on the program and I was very impressed by how all the dancers tackled the diversity. The first work, CALLIOPE (Poetry in Motion) was a really good choice for an opening ballet, very capably choreographed by the excellent Ballet Mistress of the company, Helen Graham whose dancing throughout the evening was stellar. The young dancers as Muses, Goddesses, Paris and Sea Sprites all looked well in the flowing, rather elegant style. The second work, SCOTTISH SUITE, was an excerpt from Bournonville's La Sylphide produced by Harry Haythorne MBE. Harry is truly a Master! He has a life-time of experience in reproducing, directing and coaching and I am always amazed at the results he manages to get from his dancers. There were two male solos in this Suite, the first danced by Harrison Hall and the second by Peter AB Wilson. Both danced with great flair and attention to the Bournonville style. Matilda Skelhorn was a gentle Effie and she and the ensemble danced The Reel with great panache.
SCRIBE with choreography by Peter AB Wilson was unique in its conception, staging and intriguing movement vocabulary. The opening section was striking with a single dancer, the lovely, Jessica Thompson dancing slowly on a circular, dais which was manually revolved by a crouched male figure, Peter AB Wilson. Their silhouettes thrown in gigantic relief onto the cyclorama; a very effective beginning to the piece. Wilson's use of the ensemble, very well danced by the YDCCQ dancers, was creative displaying a good deal of craft. The highlight for me was a very beautifully danced and expressed pas de deux by Thompson and Hall. The choreographer's choice of ending the work on a quiet note with the dancers leaving the stage one by one was excellent. Wilson's use of music by Handel followed by highly contrasted music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, then Esio Bosso and finally ASC's Losing You added an interestingly different atmosphere to each section of the work. I believe that Peter AB Wilson will soon prove to be a highly sought after choreographer.
The evening concluded with THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS based on Lev Ivanov's popular ballet, THE NUTCRACKER to the unforgettable melodies of Tchaikovsky. Arrangements and original choreography were most ably handled by Wendy Barker and Andris Toppe, who also played the role of Dr Drosselmeyer with great flair, while Helen Graham danced the Seductive Arabian Coffee. How can one resist the charm of this ballet? A delightful young Clara (Elle Hetherington) was taken on a dream journey to the Kingdom of Sweets where she was entertained by a series of divertissement all danced with verve and again showing admirable discipline and commitment from the young dancers. I particularly enjoyed the vitality and panache of Harrison Hall as he led the Russian Whirls, the Chinese Tea duet so sweetly danced by Petria Shuttleworth and Daniel Kempson and the gliding, changing beautifully conceived patterns of the Angles and executed delightfully by the serene young dancers. Mother Ginger has always been a favorite with me and I loved the spritely performance by Holli Hall leading the Junior members of the company in a lively dance.
The final Grand Pas de Deux was elegantly danced by Jessica Thompson as the Sugar Plum fairy with her handsome and gracious partner, Peter AB Wilson as Prince Candy. This pas de deux in the classical style requires strong technique from both dancers together with an innate sense of style and quiet grandeur. Both Thompson and Wilson rose to the occasion not only with the grace of the duet but by exhibiting tremendous flair in their individual solos. A most satisfactory performance.
A "Bravo" to Laurie Clark for the always lovely and appropriate lighting and another "Bravo" to those involved in the costuming which was highly suitable in the various works, mostly simple and well executed.
In conclusion, I want to restate how important it is that a group such as this exists not only as an opportunity for young dancers but also for the audiences who must surely enjoy, as I did, the magic that is the dance, the commitment of the dancers, their directors and teachers in the creation of theatrical magic. Long may YDCCQ prosper and grow.
