TWO - Tempo Dance Festival, Te Rerenga o Tere 2024

“My thoughts about partnering and gender-conventions in ballet are met when two male dancers in white, sparkling costumes enter stage for TWO, choreographed by Shaun Kelly. Exploring “the fleeting moments where two birds’ cross paths” this work engages a spacious and stripped back vocabulary in which gentle ‘birdlike’ mannerisms emerge out of soaring, sky-like arcs and turns of movement. I enjoy the simple beauty in this work; how the dancers locomote through space, draw-up into levity, and extend their limbs like unfurling wings. The clarity and fluidity of their movement is mesmerizing, and their partnering is fluid and reflective. A shift of lighting at the end of this work, in which the dancers perform almost moon-walking movements, before exiting stage, is quirky in such a gentle and understated way that it makes me smile. I appreciate where this piece sits in the programme – the way its spaciousness does not emote ‘at’ the audience but provides room for reflection and time to process with it. It makes me think of the ways we decompress and re-sync with reality when observing nature.”

Reviewed by Rose Tapsell

A joyful celebration - Tutus on Tour 2024

“Yet another contrast. Whereas Clay provides a sense of constant movement but with very little horizontal space covered, Prismatic is the opposite: joyful, lively, fast moving across and within the total stage area. The movement is enhanced and driven by the 19th Century composer Brahms at his most triumphal – an ode to joy in movement, so to speak. As a prism bends and changes light to reveal rainbow colours, so there is a quickness, exuberance and colour about this work. We, the audience, are treated to ever changing combinations of dancers: solos, duets, trios, quartets and more. The costumes are contemporary: pale tunics with flashes of colour for the women and unitards for the men: a sense of ease of movement, a neo-classical re-imagining of Brahm’s era in a contemporary setting.  A joyful celebration of the passing of the years and RNZB’s life, growth and, at times, dogged determination to keep dancing. As the programme notes remind us, this work was created to celebrate 70 years of the ballet company and was adapted for this tour.  Nga mihi RNZB!”

Reviewed by Debbie Bright

Royal New Zealand Ballet - Tutus on Tour 2024

“There are striking sequences and shapes throughout the choreography, with a final triumphant sculpture of the group of twelve dancers that suggests the crow’s nest or bowsprit of a ship sailing on the high seas. ”

Reviewed by Jennifer Shennan

Bringing live dance to smaller venues - Tutus on Tour 2024

“Prismatic, created by resident choreographer and dancer Shaun James Kelly for the RNZB’s seventieth anniversary gala in 2023, pays tribute to one of the company’s signature works from its early years, Prismatic Variations, choreographed by company founder Poul Gnatt and Russell Kerr. Set to the same score, Brahm’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn, and with costumes by Donna Jeffries that evoke those of the earlier ballet, this is a celebratory work that gives the entire troupe an opportunity to shine in a sequence of solos, duets and ensembles.”

Review by Dr Ian Lochhead

Platinum. Royal New Zealand Ballet

“The final work, for full company, was a premiere—Prismatic, choreographed by Shaun James Kelly, a tribute to the Company’s landmark work, Prismatic Variations, made by Russell Kerr and Poul Gnatt in 1959. There was an attractive energy, personality and enthusiasm from this cast, with a spirited final image of a dancer poised aloft high above all the group, suggesting airborne hope. It was in considerable contrast to the original choreography, five couples in a work of abstract, astringent and timeless classicism, echoing the geometric design of backcloth by Raymond Boyce.”

Reviewed by Jennifer Shennan

Dynamic, debonair spectacle marks Royal NZ Ballet’s 70th birthday

“Completing the programme is Prismatic, by Shaun James Kelly, which pays homage to a work from the 1960s, Prismatic Variations, created by esteemed founder of the company Poul Gnatt and beloved former director Russell Kerr. It is a touching and well-crafted tribute, Kelly grows in strength as a choreographer. The original backdrop by Raymond Boyce, rescued from the bowels of the archive, is dusted off and hung at the back of the stage, making this work even more special.”

Review by Lyne Pringle

70 years of ballet to the length and breadth of NZ - worth celebrating.

“The evening concluded with a true piece d’occasion, Prismatic, choreographed especially for Platinum by Shaun James Kelly.  Drawing inspiration from Poul Gnatt and Russell Kerr’s 1960 Ballet, Prismatic Variations, set to the same music, extracts from Brahms’ Variations on a theme of Haydn, and performed using Raymond Boyce’s original backcloth, this was truly an occasion of the past meeting the present and looking towards the future.  The rhythmic vitality of the score with its bubbling horns and soaring strings established the celebratory mood but anyone expecting a reconstruction of the original work for five couples would have been surprised to find the stage being progressively filled with more and more dancers until the entire company was assembled. This was a fitting climax to a generously filled evening. “

Review by Dr Ian Lochhead

An Eclectic Programme With Flare and Versatility - Tutus on Tour 2022

‘The Ground Beneath Our Feet is a great start to the show that eases the audience back into their seats to enjoy an evening of vivacious dancing. Shaun James Kelly’s choreography is eloquently crafted, weaving seamlessly in and out of solos, duets and group ensemble moments giving the piece a sense of complexity. The fast-paced choreography and intricate footwork propels the dancers through space as they glide, jump and turn, while the breathtaking partnering reveals the dancers’ supple strength, sense of abandonment and underscores their athleticism. A landmark in the piece is the moment a dancer walks backwards under a blue spotlight that counters the business of the choreography and in a way becomes a point of reflection revealing the ethos of the work. In this work there are definitely echoes of Paul Taylor’s intention to create dance that is performed with unassuming virtuosity and for the sheer beauty of it.’

Review by Sofia Kalogeropoulou

Tutus a mixed bill - Tutus on Tour 2022

‘The current Tutus programme opens with Shaun James Kelly’s The Ground Beneath our Feet, originally performed by the company in 2019 and further developed for the current tour. Danced to a Bach violin concerto arranged by former company dancer Massimo Margaria with electronic and percussion overlays, this is a vibrant work that suits the company well.  Five pairs of dancers in colour-coded costumes designed by the choreographer, combine in differing configurations in continuously evolving sequences in response to the energy of the music.  A highlight of the piece is the central slow movement, performed by Sara Garbowski and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson, their stretched limbs evoking the yearning for growth that underpins Kelly’s concept for the work.  The final movement brings the full cast back to the stage, their energy barely contained as they slide across the floor.  It is a pleasure to see this work again and it is to be hoped that more choreographic opportunities will come Kelly’s way soon.’

Review by Dr Ian Lochhead

The legacy of Tutus on Tour well and truly alive – and then some - Tutus on Tour 2022

‘Scottish-born Shaun James Kelly’s The Ground Beneath Our Feet, wins the audience over with the fast paced, dazzling neo-classical ensemble work set to Bach’s driving Violin Concerto in G minor. Five couples are sent airborne in a sophisticated architectural choreographic design; geometric angles of legs, arms, and swooping lifts and leaps are clearly delineated on the un-adorned stage.’