28 October 2010

Champagne Gala Party 21 November 2010

West Australian Ballet is throwing a glamorous Champagne Gala Party at the Parmelia Hilton to celebrate its 40 years as the State ballet company.  Past and present dancers will be joined by our guest stars from The Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and The Australian Ballet.

Tickets are available at $100 per person and include champagne, canapes and entertainment. Proceeds will assist with the Company's fundraising efforts for the new State ballet centre in Maylands.

Sunday 21 November 2010, 8pm - 11pm (following the Finale performance of Gala)
Bookings through BOCS 9484 1133 or via West Australian Ballet 9214 0707 or email info@waballet.com.au

With special thanks to the Parmelia Hilton and Jane Brook wines for their support of this event.

27 October 2010

SPOTLIGHT on Leanne Benjamin and Edward Watson

Leanne Benjamin - Principal, The Royal Ballet

Born in Australia, Leanne trained at The Royal Ballet School and won the Adeline Genée Gold Medal and Prix de Lausanne. She joined the Company in 1992, promoted to Principal, 1993. She has also been a Principal with SWRB, ENB and Deutsche Oper Ballet. Her repertory includes Odette/Odile, Giselle, Sugar Plum Fairy, Aurora, Nikiya, Kitri, Swanilda, Firebird, Cinderella, Lise, Titania, Manon, Anastasia, Juliet, Mary Vetsera, Irina, Girl (The Invitation), Judas Tree, Song of the Earth, Gloria, Requiem, Rhapsody, Les Biches, Apollo, Etudes, Carmen, Herman Schmerman, ‘Emeralds' (Jewels), Rushes - Fragments of a Lost Story, Dances at a Gathering, L'Invitation au voyage, Voluntaries, Sphinx and Different Drummer. She created ‘Earth' in Homage to The Queen and roles in Metamorphosis, Mr Worldly Wise, Page's Two-Part Invention, Masquerade, Qualia, Infra, Tanglewood, Children of Adam and Sensorium, Electric Counterpoint, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Symphony in C. She was awarded an OBE in 2005.

Edward Watson - Principal, The Royal Ballet

Born in Bromley and trained at The Royal Ballet School, Edward joined the Company in1994 and was promoted to Principal, 2005. His repertory includes Romeo, Albrecht, Palemon, Crown Prince Rudolf, Des Grieux, Oberon, Daphnis, Ivan Tsvarevich, Brighella, Arthur Troyte-Griffith, Brother (My Brother, My Sisters), Boy with Matted Hair (Shadowplay), Teacher (The Lesson), Woyzeck (Different Drummer), Anubis (Sphinx), Gloria, The Judas Tree, Anastasia, Images of Love, Symphonic Variations, Symphony in C, Four Temperaments, Agon, Stravinsky, Violin Concerto, Afternoon of a Faun, Polyphonia, L'Invitation au voyage, Dances at a Gathering, and ‘Emeralds' (Jewels). He created roles in Two-Part Intervention, Cheating, Lying, Stealing, Sawdust and Tinsel, Hidden Variables, A Stranger's Taste, Symbiont(s), This House Will Burn, Tryst, Qualia, Castle Nowhere, Chroma, DGV: Danse á grande vitesse, The Seven Deadly Sins, Electric Counterpoint, Infra and Acis and Galatea (Royal Opera).

26 October 2010

SPOTLIGHT on Sue Jin Kang and Jason Reilly

Sue Jin Kang - Principal Dancer, Stuttgart Ballet

Sue Jin Kang was born in Seoul, South Korea. She studied with Markika Besobrasova at the Academie de Danse classique Princess Grace in Monte Carlo. In 1985 she won the Prix de Lausanne. In 1986, Sue Jin Kang joined Stuttgart Ballet. In 1994 Marcia Haydee promoted her to Soloist, three years later she was promoted to Principal Dancer.

Sue Jin Kang's repertoire includes numerous major leading roles in full-length ballets such as Tatjana in Onegin, the female title role in Romeo and Juliet and Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew (all: John Cranko), the title role in Carmen (John Cranko, new production: Reid Anderson and Georgette Tsinguirides), the title role in Giselle by Sir Peter Wright as well as the new production by Reid Anderson and Valentina Savina, Pamina in The Magic Flute (Maurice Béjart), Queen Isabella in Edward II (David Bintley), the title role in Cinderella and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (both: Jean Christophe Blavier), Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (Márcia Haydée after Marius Petipa), Marguerite Gautier in The Lady of the Camellias (John Neumeier), Esmeralda in Notre Dame de Paris (Tanea Ishida) as well as the title role in Mata Hari (Renato Zanella). At the Stuttgart Ballet's premiere of John Neumeier's Othello she danced Emilia.

Sue Jin Kang also danced the Third Movement in Symphony in C, Sanguinic in The four Temperaments and the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (all: George Balanchine), M. in Initials R.B.M.E., the Lady in The Lady and the Fool, the Pas de deux Legende, the Diva in Poème de l'extase (all: John Cranko), Prélude in Les Sylphides (Michail Fokine) and the Role in Pink in Dances at a Gathering (Jerome Robbins). Furthermore she performed leading parts in Chaconne, Serenade and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (all: George Balanchine), in Bolchoi, Herbst, Présence and Brouillards (all: John Cranko), in Rassemblement (Nacho Duato), in Love Songs and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (both: William Forsythe), in No More Play, Nuages, Return to a Strange Land, Sinfonie in D and Forgotten Land (all: Jiří Kylián), in The Song of the Earth and Requiem (both: Kenneth MacMillan), in Vers un Pays Sage (Jean Christophe Maillot), in Now and Then and Fratres (both: John Neumeier), in The Concert and Afternoon of a Faun (both: Jerome Robbins), in Bartók Piano Concerto No. 1 (Uwe Scholz), in Voluntaries (Glen Tetley), in Corps, Große Fuge and In and Out (all: Hans van Manen) as well as in La Chambre (Renato Zanella).

Several renowned choreographers have created roles for Sue Jin Kang: Jiří Kylián in Stepping Stones, Roberto de Oliveira in Orfeas, Christian Spuck in Songs, Stephan Thoss in Les Noces, Renato Zanella in Black Angel as well as Wayne McGregor in Nautilus and Matjash Mrozewski in Avatar. Mauro Bigonzetti created roles for her in his ballets Kazimir's Colours, Orma and in Quattro Danze per Nino as well as Kevin O'Day in Delta Inserts, dreamdeepdown and Igor Poems.

Sue Jin Kang has received several honours and prices such as the Prix Benois de la Danse for her role as Marguerite in The Lady of the Camellias (John Neumeier) in 1999. In 2007 she was awarded the national title of "Kammertänzerin". In the same year she received the John Cranko-Award from the John Cranko Association. In addition to that, she received diverse honours in her native country.

Jason Reilly - Principal Dancer, Stuttgart Ballet

Jason Reilly was born in Toronto, Canada, where he was trained at the National Ballet School Toronto. After his graduation in 1997 he joined the Stuttgart Ballet. In 2000/2001 he was promoted to Demi Soloist, one season later to Soloist. Since the beginning of the season 2003/04 he has been dancing as Principal Dancer.

With Stuttgart Ballet Jason Reilly has danced numerous major roles in full-length ballets such as the title roles in Onegin, Romeo and Juliet (both: John Cranko) and Othello (John Neumeier). Furthermore he has danced Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Petrucchio in The Taming of the Shrew (both: John Cranko), Don José in Carmen (John Cranko, new production: Reid Anderson and Georgette Tsinguirides), Albrecht in Giselle (Production: Reid Anderson, Valentina Savina), Colas in La Fille mal gardée (Sir Frederick Ashton), Prinz Desiré, Carabosse and the Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty (Márcia Haydée nach Marius Petipa), Gaston Rieux and des Grieux in The Lady of the Camellias as well as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (both: John Neumeier). Moreover he performed the Hussar in The Lady and the Fool, Gremin in Onegin and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet (all: John Cranko), he danced the Peasant-Pas de deux in Giselle (Production: Reid Anderson, Valentina Savina), Gaveston in Edward II (David Bintley), Basilio and the Prince of the Gipsies in Don Quijote (Maximiliano Guerra), Ali Baba and the 4 Princes in The Sleeping Beauty (Márcia Haydée after Marius Petipa), Dr. Franz Schöning and Jack the Ripper in Lulu. A Monstre Tragedy (Christian Spuck) a well as the black clown Brighella in Pierrot lunaire (Glen Tetley).

Further leading roles of Jason Reilly's repertoire are the Victim in Le sacre du printemps (Glen Tetley), the Couple in Black in Forgotten Land (Jiří Kylián), the Third Movement in Symphony in C and Phlegmatic in The Four Temperaments (both: George Balanchine), the Pas de deux "The Lovers" in Gaîté parisienne (Maurice Béjart), the Second Intruder in The Cage, the Role in Purple and the Role in Brown in Dances at a Gathering (both: Jerome Robbins) as well as the male leading parts in Opus 1 (John Cranko), The Song of the Earth and Requiem (both: Kenneth MacMillan), Fratres (John Neumeier), Afternoon of a Faun (Jerome Robbins) and Siebte Sinfonie (Uwe Scholz).

Furthermore he has danced the Pas de deux Legende, Roy in Présence as well as solo parts in Initials R.B.M.E, Brouillards, Poème de l'extase (all: John Cranko), The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (William Forsythe), Serenade and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (both: George Balanchine), Kazimir's Colours and Orma (both: Mauro Bigonzetti), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Jean Christophe Blavier), Hikarizatto and Mono Lisa (both: Itzik Galili), No More Play (Jiří Kylián), Urlicht (William Forsythe), One to another (Douglas Lee), Troy Game (Robert North), dreamdeepdown (Kevin O'Day), Grosse Fuge and Kleines Requiem (both: Hans van Manen) and das siebte blau (Christian Spuck). He also performed in Ashes (Daniela Kurz), Vers un Pays Sage (Jean Christophe Maillot) and Slice to Sharp (Jorma Elo).

Roles were created especially for Jason Reilly by Mauro Bigonzetti in I fratelli - The Brothers, Quattro Danze per Nino and Orma, Jean Christophe Blavier in E=mc², Dominique Dumais in still.nest, Nicolo Fonte in Gambling, x 5, Marco Goecke in Sweet Sweet Sweet, Daniela Kurz in Paper Scissors Stone, Douglas Lee in Curtain of Hands, Siren Sounding and Fanfare LX, Wayne McGregor in Nautilus und Yantra, Jorma Elo in RED in 3., Bridget Breiner in Letters of Others, Marc Spradling in melodious gimmick to keep the boys in line and The Shaking Tent. For the "Young Choreographers" evening of the Stuttgart-based Noverre Society, Marco Goecke created a role especially on him in Demi Gods, as well as Eric Gauthier in Ballet 101 and Air Guitar, Paul Julius in After Rain and Dreams, Alejandro Cerrudo Martinez in David's Law, and Yoko Tani in Slipped Boy. Christian Spuck created roles on Jason Reilly in Passacaglia, Amores I, dos amores, das siebte blau, Carlotta´s Portrait, Songs, nocturne and Sleepers Chamber. In his first full-length ballet Lulu. A Monstre Tragedy Christian Spuck created the role of Rodrigo for Jason Reilly. In The Sandman, his second full-length ballet for the company in Stuttgart, he created the role of Coppola for him as well as in ..., la peau blanche... the role of Henry IV. Kevin O'Day created the role of Hamlet in his first full-length ballet of the same name.

Due to his outstanding interpretation of classical roles in combination with his expression and technical brilliance in modern ballets Jason Reilly was named in the category "Outstanding Dancer" in the annual critics' choice of the magazine ballettanz several times.

In February 2006 Jason Reilly received the German Dance Award "Future", which is awarded each year by the German Association for Dance Education and the German Association for the Promotion of the Art of Dance.