Kapiti News, 4 Feb 2021
Dance Informa Magazine
“The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO)/Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa joins forces with the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) to perform Igor Stravinsky’s mesmerising “pocket theatre” experience, The Soldier’s Tale, around the country from 24 February. The production features a talented ensemble of NZSO musicians, RNZB dancers and actors, who bring the great Russian-born composer’s riveting and timeless work to 13 centres. In February and March, The Soldier’s Tale will be performed in the Greater Wellington region and the South Island. The North Shore, Manukau, Kerikeri and Whangarei will have performances in June. Written during the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, Stravinsky designed The Soldier’s Tale to be easily toured and performed in even small locations. He included speech, mime and dance beside music written for a distinctive assortment of instruments and inspired by popular music of the period, including tango and ragtime. This production will be directed by Sara Brodie, an accomplished director and choreographer in New Zealand and overseas. Her work spans multiple disciplines, including theatre, dance, opera and interdisciplinary productions. RNZB Choreographer in Residence Shaun James Kelly says, “As a choreographer, I take huge inspiration from the music. I like an audience to feel the music and movement moving together, and I had such fun pairing my choreographic style with this wonderful Stravinsky score, played so powerfully by the NZSO. With many varieties of musical influences – such as tango, waltz and ragtime – it gave me a great opportunity to tell this story of the new lovers, ultimately creating a light-hearted and contemporary spin on classical ballet.”
For tickets and more information, visit
www.nzso.co.nz/concerts-and-tickets/season-2021/setting-up-camp-the-soldiers-tale.”
Laura Di Orio, Feb 2021
Royal New Zealand Ballet's Contemporary Series
Dancer: Allister Madin Photo Credit: Stephen A’Court
Dancer: Mayu Tanigaito Photo Credit: Stephen A’Court
Dancers: Paul Mathews and Madeleine Graham Photo Credit: Stephen A’Court
Review by Ian Lochhead, 10 March 2019
Stuff NZ
Dancer: Mayu Tanigaito Photo Credit: Stephen A’Court
“The stand-out of the evening is The Ground Beneath our Feet by Kelly. It is a well-crafted and playful work. The dancers, who are uniformly superb, obviously relish the challenges thrown at them as they push the classical technique to an edge that is dynamic and enjoyable to watch. The costumes are bright and enhance the sense of dancers being beams of light sliding in and out of vision.”
The Ground Beneath Our Feet
Dancers: Paul Mathews and Madeleine Graham Photo Credit: Stephen A’Court
Review by Greer Robertson, 2 Mar 2019
Michelle Potter
Dancer: Allister Madin
Dancer: Mayu Tanigaito
Listener
“Usually, Shaun James Kelly is on stage dancing with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. On a hot weekday in February, though, the Scottish-born dancer is at the front of the company rehearsal studio, directing his first large-scale choreographic work, The Ground Beneath Our Feet.
Principal dancer Mayu Tanigaito is mesmerising to watch as Kelly leads the dozen women learning the piece.
Having joined the RNZB six years ago, after graduating from the English National Ballet school, Kelly has been one of three company choreographers in residence for the past two years. Ground is set to Bach’s Violin Concerto in G minor and has ballerinas en pointe and five couples dancing together.”
by Sarah Catherall / 28 February, 2019