Programming contemporary work is a tricky business, especially where the arch conservatism of ballet audiences is concerned. Tradition-minded punters come to the theatre in search of fabulous grace and heart wrenching beauty, not the angular angst some assume is the mainstay of modern choreography. A tried and true tactic for sneaking this apparently odious work past unwilling patrons is to program it alongside a popular draw card, and this is certainly the tack taken by the Australian Ballet in its latest program.
The afore mentioned carrot on the contemporary dance stick is, of course, George Balanchine's audaciously grand ode to classical form and technique, Symphony In C. The undisputed father of American ballet, known for the glossy vim and vigour of his aesthetic, Balachine was a choreographer able to command a stage on every conceivable scale, from a pas de deux to grand corps, and both those extremities are on show to spectacular effect in this work.
Aside from the modern-ish vibe of its almost wantonly economical set - merely a sky-blue backdrop with three lavish chandeliers hanging overhead - Balanchine's tutu'ed women and crushed velvet clad men evoke the most sacred traditions of the 19th-century form. And yet, the sharpness of the lines, the concertinaing cascades of the flowing extensions, and the sheer ambition of its colossally populated conclusion, remind us that this is a work of the modern era (created in 1947), and from a country in a post-war boom, having perfected the industrially mass produced, shamelessly coveting excess and luxury above all things.
The full complement of the Australian Ballet is certainly ample enough to pull off a work on this gluttonous scale, but in a piece where repetition and symmetry are key, some inconsistencies amongst this company's lower ranks left this performance a little ragged around the edges.
Before the interval, some classical palate cleansers were presumably included as buffers for the two new works on the bill. Ironically, these highly formal divertissement were the most jarring elements of the evening, sitting uncomfortably with their contemporary counterparts, although the performance of the Diana And Acteon pas de duex by company principals Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo was breathtakingly well executed, showcasing some utterly astonishing and gasp-worthy technique.
Two new works, by Australian Ballet dancers Richard House and Alice Topp, offered a glimpse at ballet's future, with dance as beautifully lyrical and sublime as any of the 19th-century examples on offer. House's From Silence delivered a playful, highly theatrical performance, underpinned by a sensual language of flowing and serpentine lines. However, for my money, the highlight of the entire program was Alice Topp's Little Atlas. Illuminated by a halo of light, a body twists and unfurls within a cage of light. A trio of dancers then muse on the complexity of our interpersonal connections, the fluency of this physical dialogue astutely captured by Topp's superb skill at transmuting the nuance of human emotion into movement. Australian Ballet's director David McAllister would be wise to give Topp a more substantial commission as a matter of urgency. I, for one, cannot wait to see more from this talented dance maker.
The Australian Ballet presents Symphony In C till 2 Sep.
