Royal NZ Ballet announces Swan Lake in next year’s line-up

RNZB’s Swan Lake was last performed in Aotearoa 10 years ago and reviews described it as “super emotional” (Metro) and “stunning” (New Zealand Herald).

But the company’s outgoing acting artistic director David McAllister says this year’s season of Swan Lake, opening in May, will pay homage to RNZB choreographers who have died, including former artistic director and kaumatua Russell Kerr.

The company has staged Kerr’s version of the iconic show four times since 1996. Next year’s version will keep traditions alive for a fifth.

Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognisable score will be played by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Wellington, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in Ōtautahi, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Meanwhile, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is being brought back from its New Zealand debut in 2015, just in time for Christmas next year.

The Shakespearean adaptation will be a collaborative effort with Queensland Ballet. Kiwi designer Tracy Grant Lord is behind the iconic woodland stage and costuming.

In winter, RNZB will perform Solace: dance to feed your soul inAuckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Britain’s Wayne McGregor brings the New Zealand premiere of his Infra, created for London’s Royal Ballet in 2008 and influenced by the loneliness, connections and consolations that lie beneath the surface of a city. Set to a soulful score by Max Richter, it also includes Julian Opie’s 18-metre LED artwork that echoes the constant movement of the 12-strong ensemble of dancers.

RNZB choreographer-in-residence Sarah Foster-Sproull creates a fifth work for RNZB, collaborating closely with the dancers to create her piece. Music by Eden Mulholland generates a “surging, primordial sense of becoming” in the work.