A taster's menu

The Royal New Zealand Ballet begins its national tour in Dunedin tonight, and it's going to be a triple treat. Nigel Benson previews "From Here to There".

An Otago blue and gold carpet will welcome the audience to the Royal New Zealand Ballet's world premiere at the Regent Theatre tonight.

The "From Here to There" triple bill will be the first time Dunedin has been chosen to debut new RNZB works.

"The company is very excited about holding the world premiere of two new works in Dunedin," RNZB spokeswoman Robyn McLean says.

"Triple bills are great for those who have never been to the ballet before.

"They are a bit like a dance tasting-plate.

"There's a bit of contemporary dance and a bit of classical dance.

"We are coming to you first and will present two never-seen-before works, because it is the only time we will perform in Dunedin this year due to the Regent renovations," she says.

"It's our way of saying `thanks' to the wonderful people of Dunedin for their support over the years.

"And we promise to be back as soon as the renovations are done."

Regent Theatre staff are equally excited about the coup.

"It's the first time they're starting their national tour here and it's going to be spectacular," theatre manager Sarah Anderson said.

"This is the only Royal New Zealand Ballet show in Dunedin this year, because we can't fly the set for Nutcracker or Carmen."

The Regent Theatre will be closed for renovations, which include extending its fly-tower lines to handle big ballet productions, after the Otago Festival of the Arts in October.

The theatre will reopen in mid-2011.

"From Here to There" features three works by three choreographers and is designed to showcase a variety of dance styles, RNZB artistic director Gary Harris says.

"It's a unique opportunity to see a selection of work from choreographers who each have a different vision.

"This is an exciting programme and provides a platform for our dancers to really extend themselves.

"The triple bill will be a challenge for the dancers, as they work with different choreographers to interpret their ideas and also have to learn three separate works, which often have huge variations both technically and stylistically."

After opening in Dunedin tonight, the tour will visit Invercargill, Christchurch, Hastings, Hamilton, Auckland and Wellington.

The first premiere is A Song in the Dark by Christchurch-born, Germany-based choreographer Andrew Simmons.

"I idolised the company as a young boy.

"It was their productions that really ignited my passion to dance," Simmons said.

"To come back and create a work for the RNZB and to have the opportunity to work with my friends who are still dancing there is fantastic."

A Song in the Dark features eight male and eight female dancers in flowing green and black costumes designed by former RNZB dancer Kate Venables, set to music by American composer Philip Glass.

"I wanted to find something that had energy and was dynamic, without being a heavy orchestral number," Simmons said.

A Song in the Dark premieres alongside another new commission, Silhouette, originally titled Poulenc Variations, by England-based choreographer Christopher Hampson.

Hampson says it was "a long-held dream" to create a ballet to Francis Poulenc's Concert Champetre.

After originally calling the work Poulenc Variations, he decided to rename it Silhouette when working on the piece in the studio.

"I changed the name for two reasons," he says.

"Firstly, because Silhouette was a more apt reflection of the startling black tutus featured in the work and, secondly, because a few people had asked if the work had something to do with chickens - a misunderstanding that came after them confusing the composer's name with 'poulet', the French word for chicken."

The third work is an encore performance of David Dawson's elegant and evocative A Million Kisses to My Skin, which the RNZB first performed in 2005.

The work was inspired by Bach's Concerto No 1 in D minor and reflects "the feeling an artist can achieve when everything comes together; a feeling that can be rare", Dawson says.

"It's what gives dancers goosebumps and makes their spines tingle.

"The set represents a shrine or altar where the colourful glamour of dance can be seen as a celebration of the individual.

"It represents the sheer bliss of being a dancer".

• See it:
The Royal New Zealand Ballet performs From Here to There at 7.30 tonight at the Regent Theatre.
Tickets from $25 to $55.