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.