Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal with Wayne McGregor - Part 1

Sydney you are one lucky town, not only do you have a beautiful harbour; when you go the the Theatre, the Opera, the Ballet; you get to head down to Circular Quay then, walking up along the waters edge you experience Utzon's beautiful vision, the Sydney Opera House with its soaring white sails poking out into the blue green water of the harbour and the deepening blue of the evening sky. All this even before enjoying your night of arts and entertainment. I don't think the experience of arriving at the Sydney Opera House is something I will ever be able to take for granted, it is just too special. And of course arriving is just the beginning of a special night.

Dancers, ballerina lifted, The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Two Dancers White Set - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Last night that was certainly the case as I was invited to the Australian Ballet's preview of  CHROMA the new triple bill of Contemporary Ballet and Dance in the Dame Joan Sutherland theatre at the Sydney Opera House; and extra special for me, as a member of the digital media I was permitted to photograph the show - every photographers dream come true! Chroma from which the program takes its name is being performed in Australia for the very first time, and Chroma's choreographer the UK's Wayne McGregor was on-hand to fine tune the performance to deliver the utmost fidelity to the ballet's season in both Sydney and Melbourne. This work is performed to an orchestral score of  'The White Stripes' music in collaboration by Joby Talbot and Jack White III and delivers for Chroma perfect musical energy. 
Men struggling with women - Contemporary Dance - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Men struggling with women continued - Contemporary Dance - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Men struggling and fighting dancing - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Open set blue - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Dramatic movement and dance - Open set blue - The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Blue set, alienation, The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Ballerina on single leg, The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Full company, The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal with Wayne McGregor - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
The Australian Ballet - CHROMA - Preview & Dress Rehearsal with Wayne McGregor
ART TO SKY (2014) Premier Performance (dress rehearsal) by choreographer Stephen Baynes performed to the music of Piotr Tchaikovsky, a great ballet favourite  with costume design and stage concept by Hugh Colman, Lighting design by Rachel Burke. If you were there on Opening Night you will have had two premiers, one Australian and one World Premier, and that certainly makes for a pretty special night out.
Opening dance sequence, while three ballerinas are sleeping, male and female dance together, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Beginning - Art to Sky by choreographer Stephen Baynes

Two groups, dancers, men and women paired, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Two groups, dancers, men and women strained relations, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Classic dance, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.

Jet - Chengwu Guo,, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.

Leaping male dancers in circle, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes,  performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.

Leaping male dancers in circle II, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes,  performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.

Male dancers squating in circle, The Australian Ballet, ART TO SKY (2014) by choreographer Stephen Baynes, performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.The Australian Ballet, PETITE MORT (1991) 2014 performance Sydney Opera House - Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Part 2 of The Australian Ballet - CHROMA will cover PETITE MORT (1991) by late 20th Century great Jirí Kylián; a modern ballet but with a more classical feel, at least that's how my companion Vivienne felt about it and I am not one to disagree.

Special thanks to the Australian Ballet for the inviting Street Fashion Sydney to the media preview of Chroma.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW!!! Thank you for sharing these STUNNING images Kent! Also the article!! Now I have friends want to go get the tickets right now!!! :-)

Kent Johnson said...

Thank you @vivennejacinta. You can now view Chroma Part 2 here, http://streetfashionsydney.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/the-australian-ballet-breaks-rules-in.html

Kent Johnson said...

You can now view these images and the images from Part 2 here, LARGE on Flickr The Australian Ballet on Flickr.