“Prism” casts a vibrant hue of dances to the stage this spring season. The Australian Ballet’s contemporary dance program is a must-see and arguably their best offering yet in this genre. The dancers have never looked so strong and adept at the modern dance vocabulary. Their technical prowess is absolutely outstanding. The performance is further enhanced by a unique collection of choreographers and composers such as Jerome Robbins and J. S. Bach.
There is an urban pulse throughout all three “Prism” pieces taking a different form for each choreographer’s vision. The evening begins with American choreographer Jerome Robbins’ 1983 ballet Glass Pieces, partnered with compositions by minimalism master Philip Glass. Robbins is most famously known for his award-winning production of West Side Story, both in film and on stage. His work continues to resonate in popular culture long after his passing in 1998. With music performed by Orchestra Victoria, Glass Pieces is logical in its construction of a beginning, middle and end. The company of dancers opens the ballet by orderly walking across the stage with chance meetings and random interactions. Robbins cleverly inserts couples breaking out of the pedestrian boredom and dancing in unison. The setting could be Flinders Street train station with its collage of different expressions and purposeful crossings: city inhabitants moving through the creative lens of dance.
The ballet’s second section is a standout with an elegant duet danced by Principal Artist Robyn Hendricks and Soloist Maxim Zenin. The set is a geometric grid where a parade of dancers traverses in single file with militant precision, lit in silhouette. Their movement is in sharp contrast to that of Hendricks and Zenin, who are both mesmerizing. Beautifully supported by her partner, Hendricks floats through the choreography with a dream-like quality. Her arms are poetic and lithe with faultless lines executed in perfect time with Zenin.
In the final section, six dancers enter with grounded steps and flexed feet. The feeling is somewhat tribal and anxious. Robbins concludes his ballet with a crescendo of music, and dancers building up to over 30 bodies on stage moving in architecturally dazzling patterns. Robbins and Glass are a perfect marriage of modern music and dance with a flawless execution of urgency and spatial complexity.
Fellow American choreographer William Forsythe’s Blake Works V (The Barre Project) is equally sophisticated in its design and execution, but emotionally remote. It was originally choreographed with four dancers during the COVID lockdown of 2020 over several online rehearsals on Zoom as a standalone dance film. The Blake Works in its many reimaginings since then has been performed by dance companies all over the world. The Australian Ballet’s debut of Blake Works V is for eleven dancers and is probably the most technically ambitious of all the pieces in the “Prism” program. The tempo is extremely fast, drawing on inspiration from exercises in a ballet class confined during lockdown. The choreography embodies undulating torsos tilting off-center. One moment the steps resemble exercises in traditional ballet, and then break into supersonic speed pushing the dancers off balance. Principal Artist Brett Chynoweth displays a dynamic ability to push the limits of speed and control with reliable stability. His dancing is like a ravenous appetite needing to consume every moment of the choreography.
Forsythe’s creativity blossoms with a collection of pieces by British musical artist James Blake. Blake’s music has been compared to Brian Eno and he has collaborated with pop music artists Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z and Beyoncé. It would seem that Blake’s music might be an unlikely match for a neo-classical ballet, however, the music works unexpectedly well.
The Australian Ballet dancers have never looked so technically adept at jumping in and out of classical and contemporary moves with an impressive virtuosity. Principal Artist Benedicte Bemet displays her versatility in a fluid solo in the “Lullaby for My Insomniac” section while sprites of speed, Samara Merrick and Lilla Harvey, dazzle in their solos with a controlled oscillation. Forsythe’s choreography embraces Blake’s largely synthesized score to find natural movement phrase at an up-tempo pace. Blake Works V interprets the relationship dancers have with the barre that is used to both support and manipulate. This piece leaves the audience with an appreciation for the work and control dancers strive for on a daily basis to reach excellence.
Finally, the best for last: Resident Choreographer Stephanie Lake’s world premiere of Seven Days. Local dance master Lake stands exceedingly strong beside the likes of Robbins and Forsythe. She is a powerhouse of ingenuity and formation, making the most of simple wave patterns that blossom into dynamic conversations in movement. She creates a domino effect to bring her dancers together as if they were a centipede unraveling through a confined space. Dancers break out as individuals but always return to a circular confluence.
Lake knows how to extract the best from her dancers and seven appears to be her lucky number. Principal Artist Callum Linnane with Adam Elmes, Benjamin Garrett, Elijah Trevitt, Lilla Harvey, Samara Merrick and Yaru Xu danced with tremendous confidence and fluidity; it would be difficult to choose a favorite. Seven Days is textured and precise and at times whimsical. During a section in which every dancer has a chair one dancer holds an upside-down pose while the others continue in their unity. Seven Days ripples through you with its warmth and engagement.
Lake happens to be paired with the oldest and best composer in the program, J. S. Bach. The introductory aria to his Goldberg Variations is performed with an impressive arrangement by musician and composer Peter Brikmanis. Bach’s aria (roughly four minutes long) is creatively arranged seven different ways by Brikmanis and looped together. Each interpretation of the score builds from solo piano to fuller instrumentation, concluding with a full orchestra.
Lake created her piece on seven handpicked dancers she has nurtured and matured through the choreographic process. Artistry takes form through meaningful lines of connectedness and accessibility. There is an intimacy displayed through the dancers’ movement that welcomes the audience. I would even suggest a Melbourne energy to the piece, with elements of travel, short interactions of entrances and exits and a return to home. The dancers savour every move with vigor and emotional commitment.
The beautiful costumes differ in cut and fabric but all fall within the orange and rust palette. Designer Kate Davis’ costumes support the theme of individuality within unity. The set is very simple with minimal lighting outside of an onstage spotlight that shines on the audience, marking a new day within the dance.
The Australian Ballet continues to grow and evolve with its contemporary repertoire. Audiences will be impressed with the dancers’ ability to execute modern choreography of greater technical complexity. “Prism” gives people an exceptional reason to go to the ballet.
“Prism” runs from 25 September – 4 October at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne
Photo credit: Kate Longley
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Paris Wages reviewed “Prism”, presented by The Australian Ballet at the Regent Theatre on Saturday, September 25 at 7.30pm, 2025.
