BALLET: JEROME ROBBINS – A CELEBRATION
PREVIEW BY AMELIA GROOM
On the tenth anniversary of his death, The Australian Ballet is presenting a tribute to the legendary Jerome Robbins. He was a prolific choreographer and performer, noted for bridging classical dance and Broadway. ‘I’ve tried to break down the iron-clad traditional forms of both musical comedy and ballet,’ he said.
Best knows for his choreography and co-direction of the influential film West Side Story, his work for the stage was at once poignant, sensual and comical. Jerome Robbins ‘ A Celebration comprises three of his most loved works created in a highly fertile five-year period during the 1950s ‘ Afternoon of A Faun, The Cage and The Concert ‘ plus a work created later in his life, A Suite of Dances.
It opens with The Cage, a dark scene of strange spider-like creatures dominated by a dangerous queen. Against a web-like structure, the ensemble dance with contorted, stiff limbs, jagged movements and splayed fingers and the cold-blooded queen murders a series males who cross her path.
For his Afternoon of a Faun, Robbins was inspired by Nijinsky’s famous 1912 ballet. Retaining the same basic structure ‘ a faun awakens upon the entrance of a solitary nymph ‘ he stripped away the mythological dimension and had his nymph and faun as young, contemporary dancers meeting in a rehearsal space.
A Suite of Dances is the most delicately beautiful of the four works. Kevin Jackson performs the solo dance in red garb, the stage left bare except for a single cellist performing Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. The interaction between the movement and sound transforms it into a peculiar kind of duet, as Kevin responds to the cellist with a range of emotions ‘ sometimes sombre, sometimes cheeky and playful, always with admirable grace.
The final piece is The Concert – a comic gem that features elements of ballet and slapstick in a series of whimsical fantasies. Innocently humorous and irresistibly fun, it has butterflies, umbrellas, feathery hats, a rubber dagger and a surrogate audience on stage, commenting on the nature of live performance.
Set to scores by musical greats such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Chopin and Bach, these works deftly explore a range of human experiences, and ‘ in the case of Afternoon of a Faun and The Concert ‘ comment self-referentially on the world of ballet itself. With many ballet companies around the world doing Jerome Robbins tributes in 2008, it’s a fitting time to see how his work continues to inspire and delight.
Jerome Robbins ‘ A Celebration
Until May 19
Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House
$28-132
Bookings: 9250 777 sydneyoperahouse.com
