Adventurous Tutus On Tour

Tower Tutus on Tour
Royal New Zealand Ballet
Opera House, Wellington
February 24

On Tour Until April 3rd

The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s “Tutus on Tour” programme which features two ensembles is on tour at the moment, to more than forty towns and cities around New Zealand from Kerikeri to Invercargill.

The programme is an adventurous mixture of traditional classical style work along with a contemporary retelling of the Pinocchio tale which will appeal to young and old alike.

The “Verdi Variations” is a sophisticated classical piece of dance performed to “The Four Seasons from Verdi’s Opera “The Sicilian Vespers”. The original dance routines featured a range of gods and homage to Bacchus but this production uses the music for more abstract, classical purposes.

Five female dancers in white tutus and five males in white finery perform a series of elegant classical works. All the dancers display superb timing, graceful movement and vigorous athleticism.

But there is an unexpected addition displayed by these princes and swans - humour

This element which adds a witty element to the performance shows a creative choreographer (Greg Horsman) at work as well as some talented actors in the corps de ballet.

We get to see the normally unseen and unspoken side of dance where dancers try to outdo each other in their crowd pleasing excesses or show their annoyance at other getting too much limelight

Abigail Boyle and Qi Huan shine in this work with some sophisticated dancing which admirably translated the emotional power of Verdi’s music.

The second work on the programme is a reworking of the frenetic adventures of Pinocchio, Geppetto and various interfering rogues.

The wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy blunders through life encountering the evil Fox and Cat, Strombolli’s who wants to turn everyone into donkeys, the Blue Fairy and a giant whale.

Choreographer Tony Behan does a remarkable job of imbuing the dance with the contradictory forces found in the life of youth everywhere. The peculiar and awkward way in which teenagers confront the world is poignantly captured in the inelegant dancing of Pierre Doncq who is a brilliant Pinocchio.

Despite an often confusing story line – adults ensure you read the story outline to the children; it is a delightful and whimsical work with some spectacular dancing.

Tutus on Tour Itinerary
South Island

Nelson - Trafalgar Centre
Tuesday 8 March 7.30pm
Wednesday 9 March 7.30pm

Westport - NBS Theatre
105 Palmerston Street
Friday 11 March 7.30pm

Greymouth - Regent Theatre
Saturday 12 March 7.30pm

Oamaru - Oamaru Opera House
Thursday 17 March 7.30pm

Dunedin - Dunedin Town Hall
Saturday 19 March 7.30pm
Sunday 20 March 2.30pm

Invercargill - Civic Theatre
Wednesday 23 March 7.30pm

Gore - SBS St James Theatre
Thursday 24 March 7.30pm

Te Anau - Fiordland Events Centre
Friday 25 March 7.30pm

Queenstown - Queenstown Events Centre
Saturday 26 March 7.30pm

Wanaka - The Lake Wanaka Centre
Sunday 27 March 7.30pm

Alexandra - Alexandra Memorial Theatre
Tuesday 29 March 7.30pm

Twizel - Twizel Events Centre
Wednesday 30 March 7.30pm

Timaru - Theatre Royal
Thursday 31 March 7.30pm

Ashburton - Ashburton Trust Events Centre
Friday 1 April 7.30pm

Kaikoura - Kaikoura Memorial Hall
Sunday 3 April 2.30pm

North Island

Hamilton - Founders Theatre
Tuesday 8 March 7.30pm

Takapuna - Bruce Mason Centre
Thursday 10 March 7.30pm
Friday 11 March 7.30pm
Saturday 12 March 2.30pm
Saturday 12 March 7.30pm

Epsom - Raye Freedman Theatre, Epsom Girls Grammar School
Tuesday 15 March 7.30pm

Kerikeri - The Centre at Kerikeri
Thursday 17 March 7.30pm

Whangarei - Capitaine Bouganville Theatre
Friday 18 March 7.30pm
Saturday 19 March 2.30pm
Saturday 19 March 7.30pm

Warkworth - Mahurangi College
Sunday 20 March 7.30pm

Manukau - TelstraClear Pacific
Tuesday 22 March 7.30pm

Papakura - Hawkins Theatre
Thursday 24 March 7.30pm

New Plymouth - TSB Show Place
Saturday 26 March 7.30pm
Sunday 27 March 2.30pm

Hawera - Hawera Memorial Theatre
Tuesday 29 March 7.30pm

Whanganui - Royal Wanganui Opera House
Wednesday 30 March 7.30pm

Taihape - Taihape Town Hall
Thursday 31 March 7.30pm