Tutus on Tour returns to Wanaka on March 3, marking the end of summer and the start of a brand-new year of ballet.
The performance is one of 12 stops on a tour of regional New Zealand, wrapping classical favourites and "breath-taking" ballet technique along with "exquisite" costumes in a new tribute to the RNZB’s founding fathers.
Tutus on Tour will feature excerpts from former artistic director Russell Kerr’s production of Swan Lake, ahead of the company’s full-length Swan Lake season in May.
Performances will include the "Black Swan" pas de deux (dance for two), the famous "Cygnets" quartet (for four), the graceful "Pas de Trois" (for three) from Act I, and the grand "Hungarian" and "Spanish" dances – a special highlight of Act III.
Alongside the classical splendour of Swan Lake is RNZB choreographer in residence Shaun James Kelly’s Prismatic — inspired by RNZB founder Poul Gnatt and Kerr’s landmark Prismatic Variations — set to the music of Johannes Brahms.
Commissioned to mark the RNZB’s 70th birthday last year, Prismatic highlights Kelly’s confident choreographic style.
Closing the Tutus on Tour programme is Clay, by Alice Topp. It is an emotionally charged pas de deux, which opens her acclaimed Logos, first seen in New Zealand in the RNZB’s popular 2023 season Lightscapes.
"Tutus on Tour goes to the heart of what the Royal New Zealand Ballet stands for: sharing the beauty and power of classical ballet with Kiwis far and wide," incoming artistic director Ty King-Wall said.
"To begin our 2024 season traversing the length and breadth of Aotearoa New Zealand, with a collection of works that strongly represent the history and evolution of our company, is a joy."
The full RNZB 2024 programme can be found on www.rnzb.org.nz
