ENCORE! reports of recent functions This is our 'magazine' page containing reports on previous Ballet Society functions and items of specific interest. The contents are edited by a sub-committee of the Ballet Society. Items are replaced as events progress.

NOW ON THIS PAGE. 2007 Events 'Head Games' Talk and Auction. (Report). Annual General Meeting. New Committee. Meet the New Dancers. (Report). 2006 Events Stuart Macklin, Principal Pianist. (Report). Stephen Baynes Raymonda. (Report). Nicolette Fraillon. (Report).

'HEAD GAMES' TALK and AUCTION (8 May). The auction of headdresses donated by The Australian Ballet's Production Department was called by Commmittee member Robin Collins. President Mrs Woodgate took the bids and Committee Member Patsy Martin held up the items for view. Michael Williams (Production Manager, Wardrobe) provided detailed information. Energetic bidding from the audience resulted in a significant financial contribution to the work of the Society. Our guest speaker, Isobel Bloor, a Canadian milliner and jewellery artist with great experience in the world of ballet and film, gave a fascinating talk on the history of hats and hat-making. She showed the multitude of materials used in the craft and answered questions from members who were intrigued that often very ordinary materials could produce such exquisite creations. The evening was informative, entertaining and happy, with lots of good food and conversation as well. Top.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The AGM of the Australian Ballet Society took place on 26 April 2007. The two-year term of office of the previous Committee having expired, the following were re-elected or elected to the Committee for 2007-2009: Josie Woodgate (President); Jeanette Levy and Catriona Bruce (Vice-Presidents); Joy Cassidy (Hon. Secretary); Ian Drew (Hon. Treasurer); Coralie Carson; Jenny Chynoweth; Robin Collins; Norma Drew; Helen Hunwick; Patsy Martin, Colynette Patrick; Constance Pennell; Margot Seeley; Ruth Triggs; Patricia Tyler; Terri Fitzsimmons; Marlene Kavanagh; and Kay Williamson. Mrs Woodgate congratulated and thanked the volunteers for giving so generously of their time and expertise. She also thanked those who had retired from the previous Committee: Ronnie Kenworthy, Leslie McCaw, Kevin Adair, and Alan Holgate. Top.

MEET THE NEW DANCERS. Our very popular first evening function of the year 'Meet the New Dancers' was a very happy event on Tuesday 6 March at the Ballet Centre. Nine new dancers of The Australian Ballet were welcomed by the President, Josie Woodgate with backgrounds provided by Mark Annear, Senior Classical teacher from The Australian Ballet School and then interviewed by David McAllister, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet in his inimitable relaxed manner. Halaina Hills, Heidi Martin, Stephanie Williams, Jacinta Christos, Rohan Furnell, John-Paul Idaszak, Jared Wright (who all trained at The Australian Ballet School), Alice Topp from Royal New Zealand Ballet and Simone Pulga from Stuttgart Ballet were articulate and confident. Their responses to David's lighthearted but probing questions made the evening entertaining and humourous. The President thanked David and Mark and the dancers, who then joined members and guests in The Dancers' Deli for a delicious 'homemade' supper with champagne. No-one wanted to go home! Top.

Stuart Macklin talked about his role as Principal Pianist. Our function on the evening of Friday, August 25th, was advertised as a talk on the 'The Worst Job in Ballet', but we found ourselves enjoying a piano concert as well. Colynette Patrick, one of our Vice Presidents, welcomed Members and friends to our recent Function and introduced Stuart Macklin, Principal Pianist and Music Librarian, to chat about his experiences with the Company and how he came to this career path. (Photo courtesy of The Australian Ballet.) Stuart began piano as a young lad in Perth and, in time, attended University where, like most students, he had various part-time jobs. Graduating with a Bachelor of Music, he asked himself … what do I do now? Maybe teaching. A friend was working in various jobs while playing for "Miss Wendy's" Dancing School - tap classes, some jazz and ballet. The friend needed someone to cover one day and asked Stuart if he was interested. Why not? And so began what was to come a career that has spanned many years - first with the Australian Ballet School in the 'good old days' at Flemington (the year David McAllister and Steven Heathcote joined the School) and subsequently with the Company. Stuart explained that although his job has given him very many exciting moments and wonderful travel, few people realise what is involved. Playing for class - OK, you are playing the piano, it's what you trained for - but how do you get experience, how do you learn the tempi for the various step combinations, repertoire etc? How do you know what a teacher is going to require on any given day? Stuart explained that Miss Wendy's classes helped him along the way. He was given the Royal Academy of Dance Music Notes to follow, and from there he developed his knowledge base. Then came rehearsals, learning new scores, learning commissioned works … Waiting for the next part of the music from a composer is very nerve racking because the scores have to be arranged and prepared for the Orchestra. A part of Stuart's job as Librarian is ensuring all the scores for all productions are ready for the various orchestras the Company performs with. Then there is playing in the pit with the Orchestra - playing piano, harpsichord, or maybe an organ, as required. Then of course there are the performances when Stuart is on stage with the dancers, and 'Stuart the concert pianist' comes to the fore. Funny (maybe frightening) experiences which Stuart recalled were: lights going out in the pit; 'what on earth is that sound' when there was a foreign 'body' left in the piano; not being able to see the dancers … and having to use a television monitor to follow the action on stage - and the piano in a theatre in China that was so out of tune, that dancers had only the beat of the music to guide them. And so it goes … In between all of the wonderful stories, Stuart treated us to just the best concert! We left Studio 8 with the wonderful strains of The Merry Widow ringing in our ears and the knowledge that in Stuart we truly have a master at the keyboard. The 'worst job in ballet' was a quote from Dame Ninette de Valois, that is something to ponder. However, as Colynette said in her introduction, we can have music without ballet but - can we have ballet without music? A wonderful night - a wonderful 'concert'! Thank you Stuart. Catriona Bruce Top.

Stephen Baynes talked about his new Raymonda. On Friday 11 August, Society members heard The Australian Ballet's Resident Choreographer, Stephen Baynes, talk about his new version of Raymonda. The event took place in the intimate setting of Studio 6 at the Ballet Centre, allowing plenty of opportunity for audience interaction, including a lengthy and lively question time. Stephen said he had been pleased to be asked to work on a story ballet - a format that he feels is 'slipping away' as abstract ballets become more popular. However he felt that, despite its complexity, the plot of Petipa's Raymonda moves slowly and not a great deal happens. The central theme is that Raymonda is forced to choose between two very different, but equally attractive men. As with many ballets, the third act consists of divertissements intended to show off dancers' skills. Stephen, working with designer Anna French and set designer Richard Roberts, looked for inspiration in Glazunov's score, listening over and over to sense the meaning of its incidents and of its general progression. He evolved a vision of Raymonda as a film star of the 1950s, making her choice between the glamour and excitement of serial monogamy in Hollywood on the one hand, and the formality and dependability of marriage into a European monarchy on the other. The divertissements of Petipa's third act now gain meaning as characters integral to the story dance at the wedding. Stephen's ballet thus has only two acts. He assured the traditionalists in our audience that his choreography is firmly based in the classical tradition. While the structure of the ballet and its episodes is clear, Stephen is still hard at work putting the finishing touches to the choreography. Four of Anna French's costumes were on display in the studio, providing an impression of the setting. Stephen will be giving a similar talk at 5 p.m. on Saturday 23 September in the State Theatre. Admission is free to 2006 Australian Ballet Subscribers and $9 for others. See the Saturdays at Five page of The Australian Ballet's "Education" website, or The Australian Ballet's e-mail Newsletter (subscribe through the The Australian Ballet web site). Top.

An Afternoon with Nicolette Fraillon. On Sunday afternoon, 18 June, members were treated to a presentation from Nicolette Fraillon, Music Director and Chief Conductor of The Australian Ballet. Nicolette spoke first about the legendary Ballet Russes founded by Diaghilev, whose wide knowledge of all art forms and skill as a 'collector of geniuses' caused a revolution in the world of ballet. He brought together dancers and choreographers of the calibre of Nijinsky, Massine and Fokine; composers such as Stravinsky, Satie and Ravel; and painters like Benois, Bakst and Picasso, providing equal scope to dance, music, drama, sets and costume. After Diaghilev's early death in 1929, the self-styled Colonel de Basil was one of the more successful of those claiming to be his heirs - and the most important for dance in Australia. Companies under his backing made three visits to Australia from 1936 to 1940. The effect on art in Australia was enormous. Leading musicians and artists, as well as balletomanes, attended performances and took inspiration from what they saw and heard. Ballet gripped the imagination of the general public and people camped in queues overnight to obtain tickets. When war broke out, some of the dancers stayed in Australia, including Edouard Borovansky whose company paved the way for The Australian Ballet. Nicolette then spoke of the research initiative, in which The Australian Ballet, The University of Adelaide, and the National Library of Australia joined in application for funding from the Australian Research Grants Council. Over the next four years, the project will involve basic research into the original Ballet Russes, and especially into the visits of the de Basil companies and their effect on art in Australia. However, there will be strong emphasis on practical outcomes. The information gained will be applied in performances by The Australian Ballet and the Dancers Company over the next four years. Materials will be prepared for a travelling exhibition. A web site is being established and developed. An important outcome will be the bringing together of relevant collections currently displayed in various institutions - for example, the excellent costume display at the NLA. In contrast with Diaghilev's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, the arts in Australia were pigeon-holed in the 1930s, so that the high quality music of the Ballet Russes performances was not reported in Australian music journals, and the design was not commented upon in arts journals. Nicolette concluded by noting how lucky we are to have living in Australia three dancers who took part in the Ballet Russes tours: Irina Baronova, Anna Volkova, and Valrene Tweedie. Their input has already informed the 2006 Revolutions programme of The Australian Ballet. And in the NLA we have one of only two complete remaining sets of Diaghilev's art journal Mir Iskusstva. As usual, Nicolette's presentation was superb: articulate, erudite, and attuned to her audience. Society members had a chance to talk to her during the champagne tea that followed. For more on the Ballet Russes research project, see http://www.nla.gov.au/balletsrusses/. Top.

Notes ... The Australian Ballet e-mail Newsletter. The Australian Ballet has launched a new monthly e-mail Newsletter entitled "Spin". You can subscribe through their web site. Top.

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