Aladdin - the Queensland Ballet
Oct. 1st, 2006 10:41 amSo, yesterday was the second last QB performance on my subscription this year.
Aladdin used to be part of 1001 Nights - a longer performance by the Queensland Ballet - all choreographed by Francois Klaus. Aladdin was picked out and reshaped as a children's ballet - and boy were there a lot of children there to see it.
Impressively, since the dancers were performing the difficult and athletic . . . with Attitude last night, yesterday afternoon's performance was headed by the principal and soloists. Rachael Walsh is always good - and she made a nice Princess Jasmine (which impressed most of the little girls in the audience). The real stars of yesterday's performance, though, were the male dancers.
Zachary Chant played Aladdin with a lovely playful manner, and Timothy Brown had just the right amount of pantomine as the magician. My two favourite dancers were also great - Adam Blanch was a little subdued (for him) but lovly as the genie, and Alex Wagner was a wonderfully sulky Vizier's son.
The corps were good - though one of the trainees looked like she was unsure of the steps - she stood out to me since I once attended a dance vacation school with her. Most impressive was Claire Phipps, the introduced story teller, who helped explain the story to the children.
This wasn't a grown up ballet - there was a pantomine feel to the piece, and some of the movements were oversimplified. But it was great fun - and I was among the people gasping when the genie arrived on the flying carpet.
The tickets are cheap at $25 each, and if you know a child who enjoys dancing, take them along. It will be showing at matinees in Brisbane until Saturday.
Aladdin used to be part of 1001 Nights - a longer performance by the Queensland Ballet - all choreographed by Francois Klaus. Aladdin was picked out and reshaped as a children's ballet - and boy were there a lot of children there to see it.
Impressively, since the dancers were performing the difficult and athletic . . . with Attitude last night, yesterday afternoon's performance was headed by the principal and soloists. Rachael Walsh is always good - and she made a nice Princess Jasmine (which impressed most of the little girls in the audience). The real stars of yesterday's performance, though, were the male dancers.
Zachary Chant played Aladdin with a lovely playful manner, and Timothy Brown had just the right amount of pantomine as the magician. My two favourite dancers were also great - Adam Blanch was a little subdued (for him) but lovly as the genie, and Alex Wagner was a wonderfully sulky Vizier's son.
The corps were good - though one of the trainees looked like she was unsure of the steps - she stood out to me since I once attended a dance vacation school with her. Most impressive was Claire Phipps, the introduced story teller, who helped explain the story to the children.
This wasn't a grown up ballet - there was a pantomine feel to the piece, and some of the movements were oversimplified. But it was great fun - and I was among the people gasping when the genie arrived on the flying carpet.
The tickets are cheap at $25 each, and if you know a child who enjoys dancing, take them along. It will be showing at matinees in Brisbane until Saturday.