The Australian Ballet revs up for ‘Faster’

The Australian Ballet's 2017 SeasonCharging onto the stage with athleticism, Faster opens The Australian Ballet’s Sydney and Melbourne 2017 seasons at full velocity. As of Monday, November 21, single tickets are now on sale for both seasons.

 

This contemporary triple bill showcases the work of some of the world’s most exciting living choreographers, with the Australian premiere of a work by David Bintley alongside new works by Wayne McGregor and Tim Harbour. Faster will set hearts racing at Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre on March 17-27 and at Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre on April 7-26, 2017.

 

David Bintley, the artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, created Faster in 2012, the year of the London Olympic Games. Inspired by the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, the title work of this season takes audiences on a journey through the agony and ecstasy of elite athletes. Australian composer Matthew Hindson’s energetic score drives the action with a muscular force of its own.

 

Bintley says, “A dancer doesn’t have to be portraying a character to move or excite us by their sheer physicality. Every journey is its own story, and every ballet is a journey.”

 

Bintley choreographed his first professional piece for Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) in 1978, and was resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet between 1986 and 1993. In 1995, he became the artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and, in addition to this role, he was artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan between 2010 and 2014. Bintley’s many awards include a Critics’ Circle Award and a South Bank Show Dance Award. He was appointed a CBE in 2001.

 

British choreographer Wayne McGregor’s new work Multiverse provides the second work in this program. This year, McGregor celebrates 10 years as The Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer with this new work, set to a commissioned score by celebrated American composer Steve Reich. Multiverse sees the return of the extreme physicality that burst through in the McGregor works previously performed by The Australian Ballet – Chroma in 2014 and Dyad 1929 in 2013.

 

McGregor founded Random Dance in 1992; it has since evolved into Studio Wayne McGregor. His dance ensemble Company Wayne McGregor is resident company at Sadler’s Wells in London, and since 2006 McGregor has been resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet. His awards include three Critics’ Circle Awards, two Time Out Awards, two South Bank Show Awards, three Olivier Awards, a Prix Benois de la Danse and a Critics’ Prize at the Golden Mask Awards. In 2011, McGregor was awarded a CBE for Services to Dance.

 

Squander and Glory, a new work by Tim Harbour, provides the final ballet in the Faster triple bill program. Harbour will reunite with the team he worked with to create his widely acclaimed Filigree and Shadow in 2015. Renowned architect Kelvin Ho and lighting designer Benjamin Cisterne will set the scene for the daring and emotional work expected from Harbour.

 

A resident choreographer of The Australian Ballet since 2014, Harbour has also created work for Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, The Dancers Company, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute and Christopher Wheeldon’s company Morphoses over the course of his career. His works have garnered multiple Green Room, Helpmann and Australian Dance Award nominations.

 

Harbour says, “Ballet is the human form at its most vivid. When you watch dancers push their bodies to the limits of expression, it reminds me of those signals sent into space searching for new life. They are projecting themselves into the undiscovered.”

 

Kelvin Ho adds, “The ballet transports me on a total sensorial journey. I love the storytelling and its ability for anyone to create their own interpretation and take away a unique experience.”

 

Visit australianballet.com.au for more information on The Australian Ballet’s Faster.

 

Photo: The Australian Ballet’s Vivienne Wong. Photo by Justin Ridler.