UPLIFTING BALLET

 The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Venus Rising – a spectacular programme of three ballets – will touch down in Ōtautahi on 4 March, beginning a wonderful year of dance around Aotearoa. 

After a long pandemic shutdown, we certainly need something to lift our spirits and remind us of the beauty of life, and the new programme from the Royal New Zealand Ballet certainly fits the bill. From inspiring and internationally celebrated choreographers, the three extraordinary works capture the spirit and power of Venus Rising – brightest of stars, herald of the dusk and the dawn. 

Aurum, by RNZB alumna Alice Topp, glows with inner light and profound peace. Meditative and moving, this award-winning ballet, created for The Australian Ballet in 2018, is shaped by kintsugi, the Japanese art of healing cracks with pure gold – celebrating the beauty of the broken, Chantal Nguyen of Bachtrack says of the work: “It has been a long while since I saw choreography so sincerely focused on emotional resonance and human connection.” 

Royal New Zealand Ballet Choreographer in Residence Sarah Foster-Sproull’s The Autumn Ball, premiered in 2021, dances through the circle of life with tenderness, grace, and floor-filling fun. Dunedin-born Foster-Sproull, a senior lecturer in dance at the University of Auckland, worked with ten dancers to create the ballet, celebrating the energy and human connections of a long life, well-lived. 

The final ballet of Venus Rising is choreographed by global dance legend Twyla Tharp. The New York-based dancer, choreographer, and author brings this showcase of top-flight international dance to a climax with the New Zealand premiere of her exhilarating Waterbaby Bagatelles. 27 dancers are sent spinning across the stage while they sparkle in an ever-changing ocean of light and revel in the freedom of space, movement, and togetherness. 

This is a generous, glorious celebration of ballet and the joy of pure dance, created by some of the finest choreographers working today. 

Subscribe to the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2022 to save up to 20 per cent on ticket prices and receive subscriber benefits including preferential seating, reduced booking fees, complimentary programmes, and bespoke packages – available when you purchase tickets for two or more ballets. All tickets are fully refundable.