Royal NZ Ballet’s fashionable winter collection (+video)
 PHOTO Ross Brown.jpg "Tonia Looker in Satisfied with Great Success. PHOTO Ross Brown")
 PHOTO Ross Brown.jpg "Antonia Hewitt in Milagros. PHOTO Ross Brown")
 PHOTO Ross Brown.jpg "Medhi Angot in Petrouchka. PHOTO Ross Brown")
Ballet has taken a big leap in popularity thanks to the success of Hollywood blockbuster Black Swan and local TV3 series The Secret Lives of Dancers.
It now looks to cement its fashionable following with the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Stravinsky Selection, a winter season of dance featuring costumes by internationally recognised designer, Karen Walker.
The three-ballet Stravinsky Selection salutes the enduring influence of Igor Stravinsky. The 20th century composer revolutionised modern ballet with his groundbreaking collaborations with Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, Ballets Russes impresario Sergei Diaghilev and choreographer George Balanchine.
“Underscored by Stravinsky’s musical brilliance, these three vividly contrasting works span a century of extraordinary creativity. Passion, fashion and dazzling artistry; spend a night in our company and experience first-hand ballet’s genius for live spectacle,” says Matz Skoog, the company’s interim artistic director.
Walker lends her trademark style to the costumes in Satisfied with Great Success, a new ballet by expat dance star Cameron McMillan. Steeped in dance heritage, the line-up also features Petrouchka, a dramatic masterpiece created in 1911 for the Ballets Russes, lovingly restaged by Christchurch choreographer Russell Kerr; and Javier De Frutos’ Milagros, a powerfully modern retelling of The Rite of Spring, which earned the RNZB international awards attention following its 2003 premiere.
- Wellington: 20-22 May, St James Theatre. Featuring the Vector Wellington Orchestra.
- Auckland: 25-28 May, ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, THE EDGE. Featuring the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
- Napier: 31 May and 1 June, Napier Municipal Theatre.
- Invercargill: 8 and 9 June, Civic Theatre.
- Christchurch performances scheduled for 4 and 5 June have been cancelled due to the earthquake.
Choreographer Cameron McMillan suggested Karen Walker design the costumes for his work, Satisfied with Great Success, which is one of three short ballet's in the Royal New Zealand Ballet's season, Stravinsky Selection. In this backstage video they talk about the collaboration.
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Royal New Zealand BalletThe Royal New Zealand Ballet
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a company of 32 dynamic dancers, performing an eclectic repertoire of outstanding dance, for national and international audiences, whilst continuing to build a style that is ultimately unique to this Company and Aotearoa, New Zealand.
The demands of our audience, particularly within New Zealand, mean that we present an eclectic repertoire of choreographic styles, from 19th century classics to 21st century contemporary works. Our aim is to present dance of outstanding quality.
We want to attract New Zealand and international dancers, choreographers and designers who will nurture and grow a company of international acclaim.
