BC
Ballet
The
Four Seasons & Firebird
Date: 25 September
2003 at 20.00
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Reviewer: Ross Micheal Pink
 |
The
FIrebird |
The Firebird to a delighted audience.
The Four Seasons is a work that blends dance with nature. The seasons of nature: Spring, Summer, Autumn.
Winter, depicted in the ballet, is also a metaphor for the seasons of a dancers life, from energetic youth to seasoned elder.
The work was created for NBC in 1996 by James Kudelka, choreographer of the company and had its world premiere on February 12, 1997. The music is by Antonio Vivaldi.
Rex Harrington, with energy and grace, danced the key role in the ballet. Harrington is recognized as one of the leading male dancers in the world. A member of the Order of Canada, he has been a principal dancer with NBC since 1988 and partnered some of the most illustrious ballerinas of his generation including Karen Kain, Evelyn Hart and Carla Fracci.
The piece on Spring was led by first soloist Stacey Shiori Minagawa who hails originally from California. She is a strong dancer with elegant, precise steps.
Summer was led by Greta Hodgkinson, who is a native of Rhode Island.
She has been described as a dancer of exquisite refinement and this characterization was clearly evident as she graced the stage.
In 2000, she was nominated for the prestigious Prix Benois de la danse, an international award for excellence in ballet.
Martine Lamy, a dancer who surges with energy, led the
piece on Autumn. Born in Trois Rivieres, Quebec,
she
has been a principal dancer with NBC since 1990.
First Soloist Christopher Body, is a dynamic young dancer who led the final piece depicting, Winter.
Body was born in Zambia and has travelled extensively
as a dancer and performer. In 2001, he was a member of
the touring company for the hit Broadway show, Contact. Body
also created the lead role of Tristan in the John Alleyne ballet, Tristan
and Isolde, which premiered in 2003.
The second part of the evening performance, The Firebird , featured the lovely and superior ballerina, Chan Hon Goh, who was raised in Vancouver and attended the Goh Ballet Academy led by her mother and father, Lin Yee and Choo Chiat Goh.
Chan Goh is grace defined. Her technical mastery is strong yet she achieves the ultimate aim of classical ballet which is to convey beauty and grace in each step.
The
Firebird was choreographed
by James Kudelka, the music is by Igor Stravinsky. It is also a story
about
nature and the forces of good and evil.
 |
Chan
Hon Goh |
The set design was rich with imagery.
Chan Hon Goh breathed vitality and emotional depth in the role of The Firebird.
The ballet was enriched by the superb National Ballet Orchestra.
© 2003, Ross Micheal Pink