.png)
Beverley Brommert
Cape Town City Ballet's current production may be titled WINTER DANCES, but there is nothing wintry about this beguiling sextet of short ballets: the company has recovered much of its pre-Covid sparkle, evident in the collective joie de vivre of its executants.
The beauty of a collage is its potential for gratifying a wider spectrum of taste than one full-length work; it generally commands and projects a variety of styles and moods, which is true of the present offering.
From the ethereal poignancy of Fokine's classic solo, ‘The Dying Swan’, to the cheerful sociability of David Nixon's newly minted eponymous ensemble for ten dancers, WINTER DANCES is a balletic medley for all seasons.
A common denominator of the six pieces is the minimal role of narrative, which allows the audience to focus on the calibre of performance without the distraction of following a storyline. As such, it is a ballet-lover's dream, provided the execution is up to the mark. Which happily it is, in this Cape Town City Ballet (‘CTCB’) production.
In both solo and ensemble dancing, a combination of authority, discipline and manifest commitment to the simple enjoyment of serving the art of ballet makes this a high point in the company's achievement.
Opening night featured the additional joy of an irreproachable solo from guest artist Fumi Kaneko, who showed yet again why she enjoys her enviable reputation. As she translated the elegiac strains of Saint Saën's ‘The Dying Swan’ into visual poetry, her musicality, perfect lines and exquisite feet defined the aesthetic heights that pure ballet can scale.
Another work, Garry Trinder's soulful ‘Pie Jesu’, also showcases the essence of ballet, and this challenging duet is tackled with impressive proficiency by Leané Theunissen and Leusson Muniz. Their sympathetic partnership results in elegant synchronicity, with disciplined muscles on pitiless display in pristine white, skintight costumes.
These are familiar works set amid new ones: Nixon's ebullient ‘Winter Dances’ provides a cracking start to the programme, and Kenneth Tindall's subtle, but highly energetic ‘Shades of You’ rounds off the evening with panache. Both are extended dances which afford the cast ample opportunity to exhibit their merits in large ensemble as well as pas de deux, pas de trois, and solo performance.
In Nixon's piece, a stylish prop or two beneath a coruscating chandelier is all that is required for generating a festive atmosphere conducive to lively interaction on a winter's evening between five sisters and their male friends. Whether playful or seductive, frivolous or passionate, relationships are explored to the blood-warming intimacy of Dvorák's ‘American’ string quartet.
Swirling fuschia-hued costumes (by Nixon) offset lithe bodies as the games begin: A highlight is the delicately provocative pas de deux from principal ballerina Kirstél Paterson and her partner, leading soloist Leusson Muniz. Confident, expressive dancing from the well-matched pair sets the pace for other partnerships, which prove more than equal to the challenges of Nixon's eye-pleasing choreography.
More abstract, but also probing human relationships, is Tindall's ‘Shades of You’, a large ensemble piece which makes significant demands on the stamina of its executants. Here again the CTCB dancers show their mettle as they attack the work's serial depictions of individual and collective experience with undiminished gusto. This says as much for their morale as for their discipline in performance.
A nicely balanced pair of shorter works on début in South Africa complete the collage: one honouring women (The Garden) and one featuring men (succinctly titled Men Dances).
The former, choreographed by Mariana Rodrigues, was originally created for Northern Ballet. It brings a gentle moment in this evening of dynamic dance as the all-female cast interact with restraint in their soft, soothing colours of rosy florals and verdant foliage. Execution is sleek, body language conveying nurture as well as nature; a pas de six in dusky red is a particularly attractive inclusion in this essentially feminine piece.
In predictable contrast is Mlindi Kulashe's potent Men Dance, inspired by dealing with the restrictions of lockdown. Nine austerely costumed male dancers generate a robust reading of Kulashe's choreography, tempering feistiness with musicality and neat coordination.
As the curtain descends on this gem from CTCB, the audience will recall with appreciation an evening of diversity unified by polish and commitment - hallmarks of rewarding ballet.
WINTER DANCES
Director: David Nixon
Choreography: David Nixon, Mikhail Fokine, Garry Trinder, Kenneth Tindall, Mlindi Kulashe, Mariana Rodrígues
Cast: Members of Cape Town City Ballet with guest artist Fumi Kaneko
Venue: Artscape Opera House, until 1 September 2024
Tickets: Webtickets