PROGRAMME
Q Rangatira Theatre – 27-29 October
Ballet Noir is a meditation on Giselle Act II as viewed through a Film Noir lens and presented with the added sensory experience of The Virtue’s fragrances
There will be a twenty-minute interval between acts
This season is dedicated to the memory of Sir Jon Trimmer (18.09.1939 – 26.10.2023) - an inspirational dance legend
Mary-Jane O’Reilly QSM ARAD
Choreographer and Artistic Director
Co-Producer with Phil O'Reilly
The history of Ballet Noir is quite circuitous and began in 1996 when I made ‘Giselle Act 2 - on another planet’ starring Kilda Northcott for my company Auckland Dance which I had set up at the time. Raewyn Whyte reviewed it describing it as “one of her best works” and I have always wanted to re-visit it.
This version is very much a contemporary ballet - with a particular challenge to the dancers playing the Cynics (like the Wilis of the original ballet) to create their own individual personae.
Phil and I have been inspired by the neo burlesque works we have created more recently – In Flagrante / The Mouthfeel Show, which has resulted in a more earthy and provocative tone to this work than the romantic and ethereal ballet of the 19th Century.
Another key element of Ballet Noir is the filmic component, with Phil drawing its imagery from the Film Noir aesthetic and other filmic influences to define the emotional heart of this story. And of course, the music, going back to the classic Giselle ballets with a full-blooded orchestral rendering of Adolphe Adam’s original, heady score. We hope that your olfactory senses are enjoying our collaboration with The Virtue as we are launching ourselves into the unknown here, by fusing fragrance and live performance .
I am deeply grateful to the dancers for their hard work and creative input during the rehearsal process.
We very much appreciate Auckland Council’s Regional Arts and Culture support in presenting Ballet Noir to you today.
Q Rangatira Theatre – 27-29 October
Ballet Noir is a meditation on Giselle Act II as viewed through a Film Noir lens and presented with the added sensory experience of The Virtue’s fragrances
There will be a twenty-minute interval between acts
This season is dedicated to the memory of Sir Jon Trimmer (18.09.1939 – 26.10.2023) - an inspirational dance legend
Mary-Jane O’Reilly QSM ARAD
Choreographer and Artistic Director
Co-Producer with Phil O'Reilly
The history of Ballet Noir is quite circuitous and began in 1996 when I made ‘Giselle Act 2 - on another planet’ starring Kilda Northcott for my company Auckland Dance which I had set up at the time. Raewyn Whyte reviewed it describing it as “one of her best works” and I have always wanted to re-visit it.
This version is very much a contemporary ballet - with a particular challenge to the dancers playing the Cynics (like the Wilis of the original ballet) to create their own individual personae.
Phil and I have been inspired by the neo burlesque works we have created more recently – In Flagrante / The Mouthfeel Show, which has resulted in a more earthy and provocative tone to this work than the romantic and ethereal ballet of the 19th Century.
Another key element of Ballet Noir is the filmic component, with Phil drawing its imagery from the Film Noir aesthetic and other filmic influences to define the emotional heart of this story. And of course, the music, going back to the classic Giselle ballets with a full-blooded orchestral rendering of Adolphe Adam’s original, heady score. We hope that your olfactory senses are enjoying our collaboration with The Virtue as we are launching ourselves into the unknown here, by fusing fragrance and live performance .
I am deeply grateful to the dancers for their hard work and creative input during the rehearsal process.
We very much appreciate Auckland Council’s Regional Arts and Culture support in presenting Ballet Noir to you today.