Take a journey with the Royal New Zealand Ballet

Take a journey with the Royal New Zealand Ballet

Media Release
January 2010

From being a backup dancer for violinist Andre Rieu to creating his own ballets – the last two years have been a huge journey for Andrew Simmons.

The Christchurch dancer and choreographer returns to New Zealand this month to create a new work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s TOWER Season of From Here to There.

A former RNZB dancer himself, Simmons says he was honoured to be asked to choreograph his third work for the company.

“I idolised the company as a young boy and it was their productions that really ignited my passion to dance,” he says. “To come back and create a work for the RNZB and to have the opportunity to work with my friends who are still dancing there is fantastic.”

The work, A Song in the Dark, will feature eight male and eight female dancers in flowing green and black costumes designed by another former RNZB dancer, Kate Venables.

Simmons set the work to the music of legendary American composer Philip Glass. “I wanted to find something that had energy and was dynamic without being a heavy orchestral number.”

A Song in the Dark will premiere alongside another new commission, Silhouette (formerly known as Poulenc Variations), by UK-based choreographer Christopher Hampson who created Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella for the RNZB. The third work in From Here to There will be an encore performance of David Dawson’s breathtaking A Million Kisses to my Skin – a work which attracted critical acclaim when the RNZB first performed it in 2005.

From Here to There offers something for everyone, says RNZB artistic director Gary Harris. “It’s a unique opportunity to see a selection of work from choreographers who each have a different vision. This is an exciting programme and provides a platform for our dancers to really extend themselves.”

The TOWER Season of From Here to There opens on 25 February in Dunedin and tours to Invercargill, Christchurch, Hastings, Hamilton, Auckland and Wellington.

The TOWER Season of From Here to There

FACT SHEET

From Here to There features three works, each by a different choreographer.
This triple bill programme aims to give audiences the opportunity to see a variety of dance styles. Triple bills provide a challenge for dancers – they have to work with different choreographers to interpret their ideas and also have to learn three separate works, which often have huge variations both technically and stylistically.

Silhouette
Choreographer: Christopher Hampson
Music: Concert Champêtre by Francis Poulenc
Design: Gary Harris
Lighting: Jordan Tuinman

Classical and elegant in technique, dynamic and dramatic in style, Silhouette (formerly known as Poulenc Variations) will feature the full company. Christopher Hampson has a long-standing relationship with the RNZB. He choreographed Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella for the company. Based in the UK, he returns to New Zealand to create and premiere this work. The costumes are designed by RNZB artistic director Gary Harris and will feature inky black tutus slashed with white.

A Song in the Dark
Choreographer: Andrew Simmons
Music: Philip Glass
Design: Kate Venables
Lighting: Jordan Tuinman

Andrew Simmons danced with the RNZB from 2004 – 2007 before moving to Europe to pursue freelance dance and choreographic opportunities. Presently based in Germany, he returns to New Zealand to create his third work for the RNZB, A Song in the Dark. Simmons, fast-becoming a choreographer to watch, was inspired by ‘beauty in the ordinary’ in the creation of this work.
The sexy, contemporary costumes feature flowing chiffon in shades of green. Costume designer, Kate Venables is also a former RNZB dancer. She now is a pilates instructor.
A Song in the Dark is set to music by renowned American composer Philip Glass.

A Million Kisses to My Skin
Choreographer: David Dawson
Music: JS Bach
Design: Yumiko Takeshima
Lighting: Bert Dalhuysen, recreated by Jordan Tuinman

First performed by the RNZB in 2005, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to My Skin wowed audiences and critics alike. Like the costumes, the movement is free flowing and elegant. Originally created for the Dutch National Ballet in 2000, this work helps secure Dawson’s reputation as one of the most original and inventive choreographers working today. Spine-tingling in its beauty, A Million Kisses to My Skin is a lyrical extension to JS Bach’s divine piano concerto.

Season Dates:

Dunedin, Regent Theatre - 25 February
Book at TicketDirect (03) 477 8597 www.ticketdirect.co.nz Tickets $25 - $55

Invercargill, Civic Theatre - 28 February
Book at TicketDirect (03) 211 1692 www.ticketdirect.co.nz Tickets $25 - $40

Christchurch, Isaac Theatre Royal, 4 – 6 March
Book at Ticketek (03) 3778899 www.ticketek.org.nz Tickets $25 - $55

Hastings, Hawke’s Bay Opera House, 9 & 10 March
Book at TicketDirect (06) 835 2702 www.ticketdirect.co.nz Tickets $25 - $55

Hamilton, Founders Theatre, 13 & 14 March
Book at Ticketek (0800) 842538 www.ticketek.co.nz Tickets $25 - $55

Auckland, Aotea Centre at THE EDGE,17 – 20 March
Book at THE EDGE® (09) 357 3355 www.buytickets.co.nz Tickets $30 - $65*
*Limited number of Inner Circle seats at $85

Wellington, St James Theatre, 24 – 27 March
Book at Ticketek (04) 384 3840 www.ticketek.co.nz Tickets $30 - $65*
*Limited number of Inner Circle seats at $85

ENDS

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