Bodytorque ‘to the pointe’ (3/5) Australian Ballet
Sydney Theatre, Sydney, 23rd February 2008

Six new dances emphasising pointe work - those most faithful to the theme stood-out. Robert Curran’s ‘amusemeant’ (3.5/5) had us amazed at Rachel Rawlins ability to stand en-pointe for minutes on end before expanding into a beautifully complex piece for 8 women and their 5 male muses. Curran has developed significantly as a choreographer from last year’s good first effort ‘Promenade’. By contrast Rawlins’ own choreography in ‘Triple’ (3.5/5) had a charming simplicity: two girls gracefully dancing en point with a single man in support. Otherwise the opening ‘Notte in Bianco’ (Daniel Gaudiello, 3/5) was an entertaining safe bet - the old story of man chases woman; cheeky, atmospherically lit and dressed in red and black more cabaret than ballet. AB is to be congratulated for promoting new work by new choreographers, even if some do better than others.

Cabaret Decadanse (3/5) (by SOMA)
The Studio, Sydney Opera House, 13th February 2008

A marionette cabaret, “marotte à main prenante”, in which the puppeteer’s on-stage performance is integral to the puppet’s persona. Initially novel, the sight of a grotesque puppet masquerading as a stereotypical night club performer becomes somewhat repetitive. The second half is stronger as pace is upped and the music, puppets and puppeteer’s sink deeper into the mad darkness their characters.

Camille - The Dark Angel (2.5/5)
The Studio, Sydney Opera House, 6th February 2008

Through 12 dark songs (Cave, Bowie etc) Camille annoyingly drifts in and out of character, damaged soul to jocular banter. Musically it works best with just David Bates’ intense keyboards - the five piece band, whilst accomplished, is too large and cheerful. Strip back to piano and double base, focus on the soul and let the encore’s intensity reach back to main show and this will be a winner.