The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is a multi-faceted organisation. Although we all love the company that gives us amazing productions like The Wizard of Oz and The Handmaid’s Tale, the ballet school is just as important. In Spotlight, the Professional Division students are in just that, the spotlight, and all of their incredibly hard work for the year pays off. This year’s Spotlight features not only these talented dancers, but also some notable choreographers. This is a wonderful opportunity to see future professional dancers at the start of their training, and a great way to support Professional Division students as they pursue their dreams.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is quite unique, in that the Company, the Professional Division, and Recreational Division of the school all dance in the same building. Dancers can enter the Professional Division program at the age of 10 in the Ballet Academic program, and can move through seven levels to the Aspirant Program. The Aspirants and the Level 7 students from the Professional Division will often have minor roles in the Company productions. However, Spotlight in unique, in that all students in the Professional Division get to take part! I have to give a huge thank you to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for providing tickets for the show!
The show opens with excerpts from Le Corsaire, a mid-to-late nineteenth century ballet created by the Russian Ballet Master, Marius Petipa. This was one of my favourite pieces in this production. If you love classical ballet, you must go to Spotlight as the choreography is amazing, but the costumes will take your breath away. The dancers’ classical tutus are absolutely gorgeous, and it is easy to see why we all fall in love with them on stage. Part of the importance of Spotlight is the production quality itself; the stage and sets, the lighting and staging, the costumes are all professional quality, and it creates such an experience for these young, talented dancers. Meghan Sangster, Sarah Anderson, and Brooke Thomas particularly shine in “3 Odalisques”, a set of trios and solo pieces that showcase their petite allegro (fast footwork), turns, and extensions.
There are also two excerpts that feature the younger students; Gayaneh, which the Kirov Ballet originally performed during Second World War evacuations, as well as Shurale Children’s Dance, a charming peasant dance. I loved being able to see some of the younger students perform, especially in these character pieces. Character dance is a critical component of any ballet education, but it isn’t often seen outside of a ballet studio and dances here and there. The students brought these pieces to life, and it was wonderful to see some of the folk dances that have inspired many classical ballets.
Jera Wolfe, who created my personal favourite piece in Ballet and the Band, “Bare”, has also created a piece for Spotlight. Bridget Lee, a Prince Edward Fund recipient, and Quintin Cianci are incredibly talented dancers, and Wolfe’s contemporary choreography in “Autumn” works perfectly for them. The choice of music (Impetus, Sebastian Plano) was quite brilliant. The fluidity and complexity of the music was reflected beautifully in the choreography and the performance, and was the most moving piece of the evening.
The show continued with two pieces created by RWB staff members. Claire Marshall and Jolene Bailie’s pieces were created for the Levels 1-5 students, and quite frankly is the most fun that I have had as an audience member in a while! (How often do you get to see balloons and tennis balls at the ballet?) They were quirky and original, and captured the feelings and emotions that we all experienced when we were younger, and truly asked all of the dancers to commit.
Mark Godden who choreographed the RWB’s Dracula production, has created a piece for RWB students, which closed the show. This piece, “The Marshmallow Test”
“…is an experiment conducted on young children to test delayed gratification. It’s also an old story: sacrifice now, in the present, for something better in the future,” says Godden. “The dance and movement ideas for this ballet spring forth from the body’s dilemma of wanting something now while the mind works overtime to convince the body to wait. It is an internal tug-of-war; but, it’s also a chance to sublimate the moment.”
Not only is Godden’s work amazing to see in person, this is a fantastic opportunity for students to work with a world-renowned choreographer in the creation and staging of a new piece. Godden, himself a graduate of the Professional Division, created the piece with students last summer. The juxtaposition of the comical nature of the marshmallow test on stage with a classical piece of music only made the piece that much better, and the dancers more than Godden’s high standards as a classical piece while maintaining a playful sense of humour.
Where You Can Find It
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division’s Spotlight 2019 has four performances for you to see it at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre! You can buy your tickets here:
Friday, 24 May 2019- 7:30pm
Saturday, 25 May 2019- 2:00pm
Saturday, 25 May 2019- 7:30pm
Will you be heading to RWB’s Spotlight 2019?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
