RUSSIAN BALLET, WITH AN AUSTRALIAN ACCENT.

RUSSIAN BALLET, WITH AN
AUSTRALIAN ACCENT

WEST AUSTRALIAN BALLET
HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
JUNE 6, 2001

It would be easy for the West Australian Ballet to be lax in its repertoire and technique. Located in arguably the most remote city in the world, the Perth-based classical ballet company is one of two on the Australian continent. But the West Australian Ballet's isolation and Artistic Director Ted Brandsen's vision have served the company well since his arrival there two years ago. On the June 6 program of "Russian Romance," the Dutch-born Brandsen's world premiere of Pulcinella was undeniably Australian in its boldness and class.

The only thing Russian about this Pulcinella was its Stravinsky score. White-faced dancers entered the stage looking like space-age fairies. Their wonderful Judy Jetson-style white tutus, designed by Francois-Noel Cherpin, complemented the men's costumes, which looked like body-sized white vinyl boots, laced up the torso. The ballet's movement was easy and fluid, with hints of nineteenth-century puppetry creeping into lifts, fast-moving group patterns, and playful duets. Daryl Brandwood as Pulcinella was the kind of puppet one hopes will come to life--easygoing, fun to watch, and full of surprises. One moment, his limbs hung droopily; another, he supported a confident Nicola Wade as Pimpinella. When the group came together in the latter sections of the ballet, the movement swirled so much that the lyrical interchanges and whispery lifts were over before one realized what had just happened. Between that and the dancers' precise musicality, this seamless twelve-part ballet was part dreamy futurism, part homage to the Baroque period.

Brandsen encouraged so much exploration of sensuality and individuality in Pulcinella that the Russian works on the program paled by comparison, although they were danced with stellar technique and respect for tradition.

In the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake, Benazir Hussain was more swan than woman. Her arms had a life all their own, with her port de bras delightfully arriving just milliseconds after the music. In the grand pas de deux from Raymonda, Act III, Errol Pickford stayed airborne in his cabrioles slightly longer than seemed humanly possible, partnering a capable Jacinta Ross. They rounded out the Russian part of the program, which also included the pas de quatre from Sleeping Beauty's Act III.

Krzysztof Pastor's Firebird was less successful than the other works, although Cherpin's unconventional costumes were once again a highlight. Here the dancers' movement was languid during times it needed to be sharp, such as when the men danced together as Kastchei's followers. And although Ross fueled her role as the Firebird with passion equal to that of David Cranson as Ivan, their sincerity was no match for Stravinsky's richly layered music, which overshadowed the one-dimensional choreography at times.