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R OYA L N E W Z E A L A N D B A L L E T

Artistic Director Patricia BarkerExecutive Director Lester McGrathBallet Masters Clytie Campbell, Laura McQueen Schultz, Nicholas Schultz, Michael Auer (guest)Principals Allister Madin, Paul Mathews, Katharine Precourt, Mayu Tanigaito, Nadia YanowskySoloists Sara Garbowski, Kate Kadow, Shaun James Kelly, Fabio Lo Giudice, Massimo Margaria, Katherine Minor, Joseph SkeltonArtists Cadence Barrack, Luke Cooper, Rhiannon Fairless, Kiara Flavin, Madeleine Graham, Kihiro Kusukami, Minkyung Lee, Yang Liu*, Nathan Mennis, Olivia Moore, Clare Schellenberg, Kirby Selchow, Katherine Skelton, Laurynas Vėjalis, Leonora Voigtlander, Caroline Wiley, Wan Bin YuanTodd Scholar Teagan TankApprentices Georgia Baxter, Ella Chambers, Lara Flannery, Vincent Fraola, Calum Gray, Kaya WeightGuests Jamie Delmonte, Tristan Gross, Levi Teachout*On parental leave.

Choreography Loughlan PriorMusic Claire CowanSet and costume design Kate Hawley Assistant set designers Miriam Silvester and Seth KellyLighting Jon BuswellVisual effects POW StudiosConductor Hamish McKeichOrchestra Orchestra Wellington

CLICK TO EXPLORE

The story of Hansel and Gretel instantly conjures up visions of witches, lost children, a trail of breadcrumbs and a glowing gingerbread house. Our production brings together all the fantastical elements you remember from your childhood, while presenting the story in a wholly unique way.

Hansel and Gretel drive our story and their relationship reflects the ups and downs of any good sibling bond. Hansel can usually be found with his head in the clouds and big sister Gretel is always there to get him out of trouble. Both children go on an epic journey and come out the other side stronger and wiser - bringing the family unit back together. Our primary protagonist Gretel is a fearless female leader and a wonderful role model for young girls and boys alike.

Hansel and Gretel’s parents are both loving and supportive but have fallen on hard times and struggle to make ends meet. We have done away with the cliché trope of the evil stepmother, creating greater sympathy for the parents in their financial struggles and lumping the Witch with the job of primary antagonist.

The character of the Witch is an amalgam of so many influences. She has a dual personality and gives rise to the term ‘looks can be deceiving’ as she transforms from a

beautiful, glamorous hostess to a menacing, predatory child catcher. She’s a mash-up: a cabaret performer, Kylie Minogue showgirl meets Leigh Bowery, vampiric Nosferatu.

I would like to thank Patricia Barker for entrusting Claire, Kate and myself with this special story and supporting our creative vision. It is our goal to have audiences pirouetting out of theatres with an orgy of stunning visuals emblazoned in their minds and humming tunes which they won’t be able to get out of their heads for weeks. Hansel & Gretel is a show for everyone.

L O U G H L A N P R I O R | October 2019

The most important part of building any great production is the team you surround yourself with. I am very privileged to be working with collaborators Kate Hawley and Claire Cowan to bring this fantastical story to the stage. Together we have spent countless hours designing the treatment for the show and building a world that is familiar yet full of surprises.

The themes of underprivileged children, bullying and stranger danger are prevalent throughout the tale and speak directly to issues facing Kiwi kids today. Above all, the story is about overcoming difficult obstacles that block your path, growing up, navigating the world and using a level head to rise above adversity.

Caught inside a black and white 1920s silent film the look, sound and feel of the production harkens back to the times of old celluloid. Audiences will experience the story through the eyes of Hansel and Gretel in an expressionistic landscape where trees manifest as a forest of forks, the moon is made of cheese and the Witch rides around on a steampunk bicycle, luring children to her Gingerbread House.

Hansel & Gretel has been a production two years in the making and is the largest single project I have yet had the pleasure to work on. In terms of scenic scale and cast there are six large set changes and over seventy different characters.

‘ Above all, the story is about overcoming difficult obstacles that block your path, growing up, navigating the world and using a level head to rise above adversity’.

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A C T O N E

Once upon a time...

Hansel and Gretel live with their mother and father in a tiny little house. The family have fallen on hard times and the children’s parents struggle to make ends meet.

Every morning, their father ventures into town to sell his homemade brooms while their mother scrounges rations for dinner. Hansel and Gretel are always hungry, and their clothes are ragged and worn. The other children tease them when they play in the streets.

One day an enchanting woman appears, riding a magical bicycle and selling delicious ice-creams! Penniless, Hansel and Gretel watch jealously as the other children buy giant ice-cream cones. All is not as it seems however as the mysterious woman is an evil witch in disguise and she has a taste for naughty children…

That night, Hansel and Gretel start to quarrel at the table. They are scolded by their parents, who are at their wits’ end. Feeling hard done by and desperate for food, Hansel and Gretel decide to steal the last loaf of bread and run away. A magical forest begins to grow from the ground. Hansel and Gretel venture inside, laying a trail of breadcrumbs to mark their way back home.

A squabble of noisy birds makes quick work of the crumbs and the children are lost and alone. They run from the shadows and ghosts that appear in the forest until they meet a friendly face, the Sand Man. He tells the children he will protect them while they sleep and introduces them to the Man in the Moon and the beautiful Fairies who live amongst the stars.

Worn out, Hansel and Gretel fall asleep. They wake to the smell of gingerbread and see a delicious looking house covered in chocolate and sweets. The door of the house creaks open and the children go inside.

A C T T W O

Dinner is served! Inside the Gingerbread House Hansel and Gretel are treated to an enormous banquet as the Witch and her troupe of pink-iced gingerbread men provide a cabaret. Hansel and Gretel gorge themselves on every food imaginable until they can no longer move and fall asleep at the table. Once the children are asleep the Witch reveals her true, terrifying self.

Back in the forest Mother and Father search frantically. They are beside themselves with worry until the Sand Man and the Fairies arrive to explain what has happened. Together they continue their quest to find and save their children from the Witch.

Meanwhile, the Witch prepares disgusting concoctions to fatten Hansel. She is going to cook him in her giant oven and then eat him. Gretel tries in vain to free Hansel from his cage. She passes Hansel a scrawny chicken bone so when the witch asks Hansel to stick his finger out of the cage so she can feel how plump he is getting he can present the chicken bone instead and the short-sighted Witch will think he is still too skinny.

As the Witch takes a nap, Gretel sneaks up to steal the keys to Hansel’s cage. Just as she is about to grab them the Witch wakes up. In a terrible rage, and fed up with waiting so long, the Witch decides she will cook Hansel and tells Gretel to prepare the oven! Gretel finds some bellows by the fire and pretends not to know how to use them, tricking the witch, who snatches them from her hands. As the witch fans the flames Gretel runs behind her. She shoves the Witch head first into the oven and slams the door.

Hansel and Gretel are free, and the Witch’s evil magic is destroyed! Their parents arrive with the Sand Man and Fairies to find the children safe and well. All is forgiven and there is a wonderful celebration.

Gretel • Feisty, resourceful and just a little bit bossy – the perfect big sister

Hansel • Dreamy and easily led. Thank goodness he can rely on Gretel!

Father • Ground down by poverty but working hard to look after his family

Mother • Devoted to her family, but at her wits’ end

The Ice Cream Witch • A sugar-coated Pied Piper, luring children with magical treats

The Transformed Witch • The Witch in her true form

The Sand Man • Guardian and guide in the enchanted forest

Queen of the Dew Fairies • Queen of the enchanted forest

King of the Dew Fairies • Her consort

Gingerbread men • Enslaved by the Witch to do her every bidding

Food People • Anthropomorphic dancing desserts

Townspeople • Wealthy inhabitants strolling the street

Ghost children • Lost souls in limbo

Boogie Men • Oversized rabbits

Birds • Cleaners who sweep the forest floor

Dew Fairies • A clan of magical sprites

C H A R A C T E R S W H A K A M I H I

We are honoured to thank the donors who have helped us make Hansel & Gretel magnificent by supporting our creative talents and bringing the characters and props to the stage:

Loughlan Prior • Ballet Foundation of New Zealand

Kate Hawley • in memory of Kate Meares

The Gingerbread House • Dr Tom and Mrs Ann Morris

The Moon • Sarah and John Singleton

The Mother • Elizabeth Whyte

The Queen of the Dew Fairies • Friends of the RNZB

The King of the Dew Fairies • Douglas Higgins

Food People • Bruce Rae and Margaret Mabbett

Dew Fairies (corps de ballet) • Sarah and Tim Bartlett, Steven and Catherine Fyfe, Heather Gribble

The Chorus of Witches • Steven and Catherine Fyfe, Elizabeth and Geoffrey Lee, Mrs Diana Marsh and Justice Francis Cooke QC

Birds (child extras) • Peter Bertram, Shanwen Tan and Family

Gingerbread Boogiemen • Frances and Bill Bell, Mrs Diana Marsh and Justice Francis Cooke QC

Gingerbread Waiters • Chris Kiddey and Bryna O’Brien-Kiddey, Elizabeth and Geoffrey Lee, Peter and Juliet Rowe, Frances Turner

Ghost Child • Leanne Arker

1920s Street Characters • Anonymous (2)

Additional support for costumes and sets provided by Alison Buchanan and Eric Johnston, Monica Liu, Penelope Ryder-Lewis and Hugh Rennie, Stephanie and Allan Tattersfield, and all donors to the 2019 Annual Appeal for Hansel & Gretel.

Title graphics by POW Studios. IntermissionIntermission

Once upon a timeOnce upon a time

The EndThe End

Food may be omnipresent, but the world in which the tale unfolds has many layers of inspiration. Chief among them is film – but not the digital wizardry of our own era. Rather, it is the flickering, grainy charm of early films such as Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon (1902), with beautiful typography and magic achieved in monochrome, and projections and animations adding mystery and sometimes, menace.

The design also plays with scale, from the tangled forks which sprout to create the enchanted forest, to the two very different ‘buildings’ which appear onstage. Hansel and Gretel’s tiny home, a single apple crate, vividly shows the stresses of a family on hard times, literally on top of each other. The gingerbread house which is constructed at the end of Act I seems small and almost innocent in its childlike construction but, Tardis-like, reveals the full scope of the Witch’s diabolical world in Act II.

‘We’re obsessed with food’ is how Loughlan Prior and designer Kate Hawley introduced their production concepts for Hansel & Gretel back in March 2019. The sense of an all-pervasive hunger, of the need to eat being (as it were) all-consuming, and of food and eating having a genuine presence and power, is there in every element of the production.

Kate Hawley’s costumes are heavily influenced by the 1920s, with Act I showing clearly the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ of Hansel and Gretel’s home town in sharp tailoring, top hats and fox furs, versus the children’s much-patched and shabby garments. The 1920s were also one of the earliest periods when children were dressed as children, rather than miniature adults. The smart children who taunt Hansel and Gretel wear crested blazers, but Hansel and Gretel are simply and practically clad, though perhaps not warmly enough: rompers and a middy blouse for Gretel; shorts and a nod to lederhosen braces for Hansel.

The 1920s aesthetic extends to the fantasy realm of the forest, where the Sand Man has an air of Buster Keaton, with blazer and boater, and the Dew Fairies are flappers, illuminated by electric light. The Witch’s gingerbread servants wear tunics in the manner of bus

Creating a fairy-tale world

boys or stewards on a classic ocean liner, though thickly iced in a vivid shade of pink.

Colour in the ballet is always associated with food: magical, desirable, seductive. The Witch enchants children like a Pied Piper showgirl, albeit one with a slight edge of Weimar-era cabaret tawdriness. The ice-creams she sells to mesmerised children are intensely coloured, exotic and hallucinogenic in their power, while she herself is a riot of candy-coloured fun.

Once on her home ground, the Witch’s colourful persona, together with the lavish banquet of food that she offers to the starving Hansel and Gretel, conspire to create sensory overload. There is too much colour, too much food, too many people: everything is bright, sparkling and delicious. Hansel and Gretel are swept along and are powerless to resist. However, on closer inspection, perhaps the food is not as delicious as it seems?

The revelation of the Witch as her true self – sweet no more – is a return to the world of film and especially to classic early horror movies such as Nosferatu (1922). The grasping menace of her presence, first seen in shadow and then hideously revealed, returns the children all too brutally to the real world. It’s no longer a dream, but a nightmare.

‘ Once on her home ground, the Witch’s colourful persona, together with the lavish banquet of food that she offers to the starving Hansel and Gretel, conspire to create sensory overload’.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT / the Chorus of Witches, Gingerbread Men, the Witch’s Bicycle, designs by Kate Hawley.

Rhythmically, the first five notes spell out all the syllables of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. The other notes sound like a little bird call, with several ‘chirping’ grace-notes. It was obvious to me that bird-like melodies would be present throughout the ballet because of the forest setting.

The melody flips between major and minor, echoing the children’s struggle with poverty, but also the strong bond they have with each other and the love they have as a family. You can find this melody in almost every scene, flipped, stretched, distorted, fragmented.

The other main inspirations for the music were the 1920s era of the ballet, early jazz music and early Broadway. The Witch and her gingerbread house world embody this most strongly, with an extended over-the-top display of excess food and gluttony in stark contrast to the children’s reality. The harmony grotesquely lurches from one direction to the next, with all the grace and elegance of the Witch herself.

The forest, and its magical mysteries are represented by a simple repeated quaver pattern. Every other beat the harmony lands on a minor seventh, creating a constant sense of unease: the feeling of being lost. The strings most often play this sul ponticello, which is playing near the instrument’s bridge to produce a slithering, glassy tone. The effect is to send shivers down the spine!

‘Raindrop Theme’ as the opening street scene is a rainy evening, and I imagined Gretel jumping in puddles with Hansel close behind, and the hustle and bustle of the townspeople around them. It is light, agile and playful, like Gretel herself. You will hear it played on the celeste. It returns in Act II when Gretel is planning to outsmart the witch and save her brother.

The orchestra includes some unusual instruments in addition to the standard orchestral lineup. We have a baritone and tenor saxophone player which adds a smoky jazz flavour to the woodwind section, and a harpsichord and organ alongside the celeste. In the percussion section we also have instruments you may find in your own kitchen: pots and pans and assorted metal sounds. Also, the percussion section features an unusual instrument - the musical bones! These sounds you will hear in Act II once we arrive at the Witch’s house. The finger cymbals are also a feature of the entire ballet, and you will hear them on the first beat of the overture and then throughout. They represent an element of magic and they’re one of my favourite sounds in the orchestra.

C L A I R E C O W A NOctober 2019

Hansel and Gretel’s Mother and Father have their own love theme, and this is a very simple melody which begins on the harp, and then layers to build stronger chords with the addition of strings and then a suspended clarinet above. This feels to me like the way in which they comfort each other, building trust and stability from very basic means. It also feels like an innocent melody, and one of hope and happy memories, something they must cling to in hard times.

When it comes back in Act II, they are searching for their lost children through the night, so the harmony is darker and more troubled. This is one of my favourite musical moments in the ballet, with Mother clinging to Hansel’s lost toy rabbit, and Father losing hope. It feels like the emotional climax of the ballet.

The Witch’s ice-cream bicycle theme was inspired by a cross between Mr Whippy and old German organ grinders (complete with cymbal playing monkeys!) The waltz melody swirls around with lots of deliberate clashing and fanfare type figures. The Witch never quite pulls off elegance or grace, despite trying. The simple oom-pah-pah motif returns in Act II, but distorted into four beats and wrangled into a Charleston.

Gretel, being the heroine of our story deserved her own theme. I have called it the

When I started to write the ballet, I decided that I wanted a distinctive theme for Hansel & Gretel that would run through all the various scenes in various renditions. To find this theme, I thought about all the elements of the ballet and how they could be reflected in a simple melody. ‘Lullaby theme’ was one of the first melodies I composed. It’s a simple melody that sits over two chords.

Magical Music

Forest theme

Lullaby Theme

Gretel’s Raindrop Theme

Sand Man

Mother and Father

The Witch’s Bike

IMAGE / Claire Cowan and Loughlan Prior. Photograph by Garth Badger, make-up by Kiekie Stanners for M.A.C.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were the second and third (and the first to survive infancy) of the eight sons and one daughter born to Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, a lawyer and court official, and his wife Dorothea, née Zimmer, in Hanau, Hesse, now part of Germany. Hanau, now a major railway hub within commuting distance of Frankfurt-am-Main is today best known as the birthplace of the brothers, but in their day, it was a centre for goldsmiths and makers of luxury goods.

Jacob Grimm was born in 1785, with Wilhelm following a year later. In 1791, the family, by then including six children, moved to Steinau, where Philipp Grimm had been born and where his father, Friedrich, had been a Protestant minister. Philipp Grimm served as Amtmann (clerk) in Steinau until his death in 1796. The eldest sons, Jacob and Wilhelm, then moved to Kassel, their mother’s birthplace, where they lived with an aunt while completing their secondary school education. In 1802 and 1803 respectively, the brothers entered the University of Marburg to study law.

In 1806, while still students, the brothers began to collect folk tales. They were inspired by the folk poetry anthology Des Knaben Wunderhorn, the first volume of which had been published by Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim in Heidelberg in 1805. With a romantic and heroic view of Germanic history and mythology, Des Knaben

T H E S T O R Y O F H A N S E L A N D G R E T E L

‘The Brothers Grimm’ – was there ever a more aptly named pair of brothers, forever synonymous with the wildest and darkest of fairy-tales?

Grimm Beginnings

Wunderhorn (‘The Boy’s Magic Horn’) was a major influence on German Romanticism and nationalism in the early 19th century and was popular across the German-speaking world.

Dorothea Grimm died in 1808, at the age of 52, leaving the family with meagre resources. In order to support his younger brothers and sister, Jacob Grimm took a position as a librarian at Kassel. Wilhelm soon followed. In 1812, the brothers published the first volume of Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales), which has become known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The modestly printed collection of 86 stories sold reasonably well, and was followed in 1814 by a second volume,

LEFT / Haunted forest path image by Homegrown Creative ABOVE / Hacob and Wilhelm Grimm, daguerrotype by Hermann Blow, 1847.

with a further 70 stories. Six further editions followed during the Grimms’ lifetime, eventually containing 200 numbered stories as well as ten ‘Children’s Legends’. In 1816 and 1818 the brothers published two volumes of Deutsche Sagen, a collection of 585 German legends.

While they continued to be employed as librarians, the brothers were increasingly feted for their work in linguistics, folklore and medieval studies. In 1819 they were awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Marburg and in 1830 they resigned from their positions at Kassel to take up professorships at the University of Göttingen. In 1837 – 42 they, together with five of their eminent colleagues, were involved in a protracted protest against a

constitutional violation by Ernst August, King of Hannover (formerly the Duke of Cumberland, uncle of Queen Victoria). All seven professors, ‘Die Göttinger Sieben’, were fired. The brothers were offered positions throughout the German-speaking world, but eventually chose to take up professorships at the University of Berlin.

In Berlin, the brothers continued both their academic studies and teaching as well as their political activities, before retiring (Jacob in 1848, Wilhelm in 1852) to devote themselves to their own studies. Wilhelm Grimm died in December 1859, at the age of 73, while Jacob died in September 1863, at the age of 78.

Together with well-known tales such as Rapunzel, The Musicians of Bremen, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin and The Elves and the Shoemaker, the story of Hansel and Gretel appears in the first volume of Kinder-und Hausmärchen, published in 1812. The early editions of most of the stories appear quite dour and at times bloodthirsty. Over time, the brothers romanticised their stories, making them more appealing for children (and perhaps their parents) while at the same time emphasising their moral lessons.

In Hansel and Gretel the brothers made substantial changes to the 1812 version, with the most significant being the change from the children’s mother in the first edition to the (wicked) stepmother of later versions. The character of the father also undergoes a change, becoming milder and less able to stand up to his domineering wife, who, during a famine, plots to save herself and her husband by abandoning his children in the woods. Overall, the original story is more

‘folk tale’ than ‘fairy tale’, with the children saved from the witch’s clutches by their simple Christian faith, common sense and Gretel’s resourcefulness. Rather than fairies and the Sand Man, birds appear as motifs throughout the original tale: gobbling up the breadcrumbs dropped by Hansel to guide them home; a snow-white songbird which leads them to the witch’s cottage; and a white duck which carries them across the river on their way home.

Stories of cannibalistic witches and giants and resourceful children abound throughout Northern Europe and the source of Hansel and Gretel is unclear; with the brothers only stating that it is based ‘on various stories from Hessen’. It seems likely that the brothers heard the story – or several elements which they then combined into a satisfying narrative – in the home of the Wild family; Wilhelm Grimm married Dortchen Wild in 1825 and it is known that many of their stories were influenced by the tales told at the Wilds.

Like many folk and fairy-tales, Hansel and Gretel has inspired new works of art over the years. Chief among them is the opera, Hänsel und Gretel, by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 - 1921) which was premiered in Weimar in 1893 and is often performed at Christmas time. A Märchenoper, or fairy-tale opera, Hänsel und Gretel combined the rich, polyphonic orchestration and leitmotifs (the use of recurring musical themes depicting characters, things or ideas) popularised by Richard Wagner, with simple, folk-like melodies.

Humperdinck’s version includes the characters which, although not part of the Grimms’ original tale, are now frequently

part of re-tellings of the tale, including the Sand Man (the Sleep Fairy) and the Dew Fairy. The Witch is attended by gingerbread children who, when the spell is broken, are set free. Ballet versions are less common – perhaps because of the perceived difficulty of adult dancers portraying child characters – but the story has recently been staged by both Scottish Ballet (2013), with choreography by Christopher Hampson and designs by former RNZB Artistic Director Gary Harris, and The Royal Ballet (also 2013), with a very dark and contemporary take on the tale by Liam Scarlett.

Thanks to Ulrike Rosenfeld of the Goethe-Institut New Zealand for assistance with information about the Brothers Grimm.

LEFT / The Ice Cream Witch, design by Kate Hawley ABOVE / The Sand Man (detail), design by Kate Hawley

Children

A special welcome – and our heartfelt thanks – to the young dancers from around Aotearoa, and their families, who join us for The Ryman Healthcare Season of Hansel & Gretel. W E L L I N G TO N / Amy Glover, Anouk Verscheuren, Blake Russell, Charlotte Kennach, Elizabeth Longhurst, Ewan Riches, Isabelle Montague, Jade Tufele, Jayden Salla-Haines, Matilda Wallace, Mio Denize, Olivia Hardgrave, Peyton Luamanu, Ruby Taylor.

PA L M E R S TO N N O R T H / Aily Abdollahi, Alex Pedley, Amber Auret, Chelsea Callaghan, Harriet Jackson, Malaya Hinks, Sofia Leong.

N A P I E R / Amelia McDade, Bethan Renew, Emily Ede, Maggie Thompson, Piper Golds, Sofia Montaperto-Wells, Star Absolom.

C H R I S TC H U R C H / Abigail Flemmer, Annie Young, Carlos Miller, Charlotte Bobichon, Freya Hall, Juliet Hsu, Keira Conyers, Luca Maxwell, Malakhi Dunn, Pixie Clark, Poppy Brown, Sienna Currie, Summah Hooper, Xavier Eveleigh.

I N V E R C A R G I L L / Hannah Forsyth, Haylee Springford, Kaitlyn Madden, Matilda Stevens, Natalie Smith, Paige Baxter, Sophie Wylie.

D U N E D I N / Bronte Beker, Gus Carr, Hermione Sparks, Holly Weatherall, Lucy Wellington, Savannah-Lee Dennison, Vincent Vickers.

A U C K L A N D / Aliza Song, Amelia Tapsell, Ana Tubberty, Ayawa Sotome, Caitlin Caird, Effie Evans, Eloise Marshall, Ethan Bygrave, Isabella Goff, Jasmyn McMillan, Snowey Yeung, Sophie Van den Borst, Sophie Wood, Tatianna Curtis.

Our young dancers come from the following schools:

W E L L I N G TO N / Chilton Dance Centre, Dreams Academy of Performing Arts, Extreme Dance, Fiona Haines Dance Academy, GH Dance, Instep Dance Studio, Tarrant Dance Studios, Wellington Ballet, Wellington Dance and Performing Arts Academy.

PA L M E R S TO N N O R T H / DanceWorks Studios, Dance Unlimited, Kate Martin School of Dance, Maximum Dance Zone, The Rose Academy, Whanganui Ballet and Dance Academy.

N A P I E R / Dance Central Taupo, Diana Shand Dance Studio, Heather Brunsdon School of Dance, K Studio.

C H R I S TC H U R C H / Agape Dance Academy, Anna Lee School of Dance, Convergence Dance Studios, Levings School of Dance, Linda Simons School of Dance, Silhouette Studios NZ, Southern Ballet, St Andrew’s College Ballet Academy, The Ballet Academy.

I N V E R C A R G I L L / La Muse

D U N E D I N / Dance Wanaka, Dunedin School of Ballet and Dance, MLB Ballet School.

A U C K L A N D / Dance Avenue (Tauranga), Gayle Prescott Dance Studio, Limelight Dance Academy, Mount Eden Ballet Academy, Philippa Campbell School of Ballet.

P E R F O R M I N G I N H A N S E L & G R E T E L

Thank you to those ballet schools and teachers who have assisted with rehearsal facilities for our Hansel & Gretel children:Bennett School of Ballet and Jazz (Dunedin)

Heather Brunsdon School of Dance (Napier)

La Muse (Invercargill)

Maximum Dance Zone (Palmerston North)

Philippa Campbell School of Ballet (Auckland)

Southern Ballet (Christchurch).

RIGHT / Flapper (Act I), design by Kate Hawley

Described by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand as ‘A creative tour de force’, Loughlan Prior is an award-winning Aussie/Kiwi choreographer and film maker based in Wellington.

After graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance he joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2010 and began creating small works for the company, becoming the first recipient of the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand’s Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award in 2015 for his ballet Eve. He received Creative New Zealand’s Tup Lang Choreographic Award in 2016 and travelled to Toronto to stage his work Curious Alchemy at the Assemblée Internationale.

Prior was appointed to the position of Choreographer in Residence at the RNZB in 2018 and has been the Creative Director of Prior Visual, a project-based film collective, since 2014.

His stage work has premiered in Australia, Germany, Canada and the United States, and he has presented work for a diverse range of Kiwi companies and creative partners, including iD Fashion Week, Te Papa National Museum, WGT LUX Light Festival, Tempo Festival, Zambesi ‘Show’ Wellington and TV3’s Dancing with the Stars.

His dance films have enjoyed screenings at the New Zealand International Film Festival, the Film Society of Lincoln Centre, #60secondsdance Denmark, San Francisco Dance Film Festival and the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival.

This year Loughlan will premiere The Appearance of Colour, a new commission for Queensland Ballet’s innovative contemporary programme Bespoke, as well as Hansel & Gretel, his first full length production, for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

In 2020 he is set to create an exciting new ballet for Singapore Dance Theatre as part of the company’s international Passages programme.

Claire Cowan is at the forefront of composition in New Zealand. Her talent was acknowledged early on in her career by significant commissions and awards from orchestras such as the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the NZSO National Youth Orchestra whilst still a student at University. She graduated top of her class and has since gone from strength to strength as an extremely versatile composer for stage and screen, winning a prestigious Silver Scroll for her first television series soundtrack Hillary and being awarded the APRA Professional Development Award for Film and Television Music in 2017. In 2019, Hansel & Gretel will be the first full length ballet score ever commissioned from a female composer in New Zealand. Her classical concert work is unique in that it seamlessly merges art music and popular idioms in a way that is both natural and accessible. As a result, her music offers a very strong connection to audiences.

As a performer, Cowan’s expertise lies in strings and keys, often incorporating percussive and folk techniques into her classical string scores. She directs the Blackbird Ensemble - a vagabond chamber orchestra who create highly visual and theatrical musical experiences in non-traditional spaces. Recent highlights include the violin concerto Stark for Amalia Hall, commissioned by Orchestra Wellington, music for the World of WearableArt and an orchestral collaboration with singer Marlon Williams (A star is born).

Claire would like to thank her orchestration assistants Louisa Nicklin, Lewis McCallum, Mark Baynes and Rachel Grimwood, together with music engraver Andreas Häberlin.

LOUGHLAN PRIOR | CHOREOGRAPHER

C L A I R E C O WA N | C O M P O S E RBiographies

Loughlan has been supported at the RNZB by

IMAGE / Photograph of Loughlan Prior and Claire Cowen by Garth Badger. Make-up by Kiekie Stanners for M.A.C.

B I O G R A P H I E S

The feature film credits of costume designer Kate Hawley recently include The Call of the Wild, directed by Chris Sanders for Fox, and Chaos Walking for Doug Liman. She also designed the costumes for Guillermo del Toro’s gothic romance Crimson Peak, Suicide Squad for Warner Brothers, Doug Liman and Christopher McQuarrie’s Edge of Tomorrow designs for Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton through Warner Brothers. Kate also collaborated with Guillermo del Toro on the Warner Bros / Legendary action / sci-fi production Pacific Rim and again with him on Warner Bros / New Line Cinema’s production of The Hobbit. She concepted with Peter Jackson on his untitled Squeaky Wheels project and design on his 2009 film, The Lovely Bones. Her other motion picture credits include director George Miller’s Justice League (as Costume Supervisor), Gaby Delall’s On A Clear Day with Peter Mullan and Brenda Blethyn and The Ride.

Her extensive theatre and opera credits include productions of The Trial of the Cannibal Dog for the New Zealand International Arts Festival; Lucia di Lammermoor at New Zealand Opera; The Love of the Nightingale for West Australian Opera; The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead for Auckland Theatre Company; Alice in Wonderland, presented at Venice, Italy’s The Danielli; Blithe Spirit at the Salisbury Playhouse; and La boheme, at the Wexford Opera Festival. Additionally, Hawley served as costume and production designer for La Tête, presented at the Royal National Theatre Studio and as production designer for Albert Herring, at the Aldeburgh Festival.

K AT E H AW L E Y | D E S I G N E R

Hawley’s designs have also been presented at numerous exhibitions. Her costumes for both Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim featured in Guillermo Del Toro’s At Home with Monsters, which was exhibited at LACMA, AGO Toronto and Mexico. Her costumes have also been exhibited at FIDM, Los Angeles. Designs for her theatre and opera work have been exhibited as part of the Motley Theatre Design Exhibition at the Royal National Theatre in London, the František Zelenka Exhibition at Central St. Martins (London), the International Scenofest Exhibition in Prague and at The Barbican in London.

Her awards include nominee for Best Costume Design for Crimson Peak, Saturn Awards, Empire Awards, UK, Gold Derby Award, Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Period film. Kate has also been given the Gold Key Award from the Břetislav Film Festival for her designs for the Channel 4/BBC production of T Dance, the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Award for Opera Studies; the Prague Quadrennial 99 Award for Emerging Young Artists; and the Television New Zealand Young Achievers Award. Hawley was educated at the Wellington School of Design where she earned a degree in Graphic Design, attended London’s Motley School of Theatre Design on a Television New Zealand scholarship award and completed training in stage drafting at the Royal Opera House in London.

Kate Hawley would particularly like to thank Miriam Silvester (POW Studios) and Seth Kelly for their creative contributions to Hansel & Gretel together with RNZB Head of Costume Donna Jefferis.

POW Studios is a sound editorial house and production studio located in Wellington, the heart of New Zealand’s creative industry. POW works across a wide range of genres and productions, from shorts and television to documentary and large-scale feature films.

Under the direction of costume and set designer Kate Hawley, POW created the visual effects and animation for the projections in Hansel & Gretel.

POW is committed to providing sustainable employment for film professionals in Wellington and advocating for diversity in post-production. POW has found success partnering with international film clients on large projects while remaining in staunch support of the local screen industry, putting their expertise behind emerging local talent.

Jon Buswell has designed lighting for well over 100 productions in the UK, Europe and Australia. A graduate of Croydon School of Art in the UK, Buswell initially worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company before becoming a freelance designer in 1997, working across all disciplines of the performing arts.

Jon was Technical Director of West Australian Ballet from 2008 – 2015 and is currently the Technical Director at The Australian Ballet. He designed set and lighting for the Helpmann Award-winning Aurum for The Australian Ballet. Recent lighting designs include The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet for the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Dracula, The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, and La Sylphide for West Australian Ballet.

His most recent engagement with West Australian Ballet for La Bayadère was described in Limelight magazine as ‘a backdrop of a seemingly three-dimensional sunset through which light bursts out into the theatre – is indescribably beautiful’.

This year, in addition to his commitments as Technical Director, Jon returns to the Royal New Zealand Ballet to light Hansel & Gretel and re-designs lighting for Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker for The Australian Ballet.

P O W S T U D I O S J O N B U S W E L L | L I G H T I N G D E S I G N

New Zealand-born conductor Hamish McKeich has forged an impressive international conducting career alongside a passionate loyalty for developing the repertoire of contemporary and experimental music. He has established an acclaimed partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and is currently their Associate Conductor. Among the many projects he has curated, the NZSO Shed Series’ featuring a redefined way orchestras interact with the audience, has met with critical acclaim for its concept and innovative programming.

McKeich has performed in New Zealand, Australia, China, the Netherlands, Italy, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Armenia and Lebanon. Working regularly in Europe, and with all the major orchestras in New Zealand and Australia, he has given over 100 world premieres of new works and is also chief conductor of the contemporary ensemble Stroma. He has worked with many orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Asko Ensemble of Holland, Metropole Orkest, Tasmanian Symphony, Stroma Ensemble, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Adelaide Symphony, Armenian Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Lebanese

H A M I S H M C K E I C H | C O N D U C TO R | W E L L I N G TO N A N D A U C K L A N D

Philharmonic Orchestra, Queensland Symphony, West Australian Symphony, 175 East, Elision Ensemble, Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony, Dunedin Symphony and the EX Orchestra, amongst others.

Hamish McKeich studied conducting with legendary teacher and pedagogue Professor Ilya Musin and also prominent conductors Valery Gergiev, Sian Edwards and Peter Eötvös. McKeich was a finalist of the Gergiev Festival Conductors Masterclass, under the guidance of Professor Ilya Musin and Valery Gergiev. He started his career as bassoonist and at aged 19 became Associate Principal Bassoon with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and thereafter working with orchestras in Britain and Holland. Highlights of Hamish McKeich’s immediate upcoming engagements include concerts and recordings with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Opera and Stroma, Auckland Philharmonia, Sydney Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. In 2012 Hamish McKeich was awarded a Douglas Lilburn Trust citation for services to New Zealand music.

Hamish was appointed as the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Principal Conductor in October 2019.

B I O G R A P H I E S

Orchestra Wellington have been performing for the Wellington region for more than 70 years. They present a six-concert season at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington each year, as well as great concerts for children and families. And of course, they also accompany the Royal New Zealand Ballet and New Zealand Opera in their world-class productions. To truly be Wellington’s orchestra, they take the music out of the concert hall and into the streets, performing in iconic Wellington locations such as Cuba Street, the waterfront, the Botanic Gardens and Government House. Orchestra Wellington has a comprehensive Music-to-Schools programme that brings lively and engaging music programmes to thousands of children who have little access to quality live music. And they are proud to continue their partnership with Arohanui Strings – Sistema Hutt Valley, a visionary movement which transforms the lives of children through music.

Orchestra Wellington’s final concert of 2019’s EPIC Season HOUSTOUN/TRIUMPH! will take place on the 30th November, featuring a new work by taonga pūoro artist Rob Thorne, Michael Houstoun performing Barber’s Piano Concerto, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 all ahead of the Orchestra’s recently announced 2020 Season ‘The Great Romantic’.

Keep up to date with all things Orchestra Wellington at orchestrawellington.co.nz

O R C H E S T R A W E L L I N G TO N

RIGHT / Madeleine Graham and Kihiro Kusukami (obscured) in rehearsal with Loughlan Prior. Photograph by Stephen A’Court.

B I O G R A P H I E S

Patricia Barker was born in Richland, Washington, USA, where she received her early ballet training. She later studied on scholarship at Boston Ballet School and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. At age 17, she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet, under the directorship of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, and quickly rose to the rank of Principal Dancer.

During her 27 year career, she performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America in many of the great full-length classical ballets and contemporary works by renowned choreographers. She appeared as a guest artist with national and international ballet companies and performed in many galas throughout the world. Barker danced the lead role of Clara in Nutcracker the Motion Picture, and starred as Titania in the BBC’s film, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a celebratory re-opening of the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. She graced the covers of Dance Magazine, Danser, Pointe Magazine, Dance Australia, Dance Teacher, Dance Pages, Ballet Review and Dance International.

Barker, along with Jiří Kylián, was co-artistic advisor to the Slovak National Ballet from 2006 to 2010. She has staged works for the Balanchine Trust for companies including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Slovak National Ballet and Hungarian National Ballet.

Barker became Artistic Director of Grand Rapids Ballet and Director of the Grand Rapids Ballet School in 2010. She curated a compelling and

Lester is one of New Zealand’s most experienced performing arts managers, having worked in New Zealand, Australia and the UK in a career that spans over thirty years. From 2007 – 18 he was General Manager and then Chief Executive of Auckland Theatre Company. During this time the company grew to become a flagship cultural organisation for Auckland. He also spearheaded the campaign to build the 675-seat ASB Waterfront Theatre, which now welcomes over 120,000 patrons annually.

While most of his career has been in theatre, he has also presented and toured dance, concerts and commercial entertainment in venues across Australasia, and into the United Kingdom and United States. He was Theatre Development Manager at The Edge (now Auckland Live) from 1996 to 2001, and worked on the re-opening programmes for the Auckland Town Hall and The Civic after they were refurbished. He also worked with the major performing arts hirers of these facilities including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and New Zealand Opera. While at The Edge he also managed and promoted performances by a range of international artists including: Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, soprano Kathleen Battle, The Australian Ballet’s production of Manon, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Between 2001 and 2006 he was Senior Producer at International Concert Attractions Pty Ltd (Melbourne) and managed tours for Soweto Gospel Choir, the Treorchy Male Welsh Choir, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Pete Postlethwaite in Scaramouche Jones and Amanda Muggleton in Masterclass.

PAT R I C I A B A R K E R | A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R L E S T E R M C G R AT H | E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R

dynamic repertoire ranging from full length classical ballets such as Petipa’s Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, to neo-classical masterworks including Balanchine’s Serenade and Four Temperaments, Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs and Taylor’s Company B.

Barker also commissioned several full-length classical world premieres including Bruce Wells’ Cinderella and Val Canaparoli’s The Nutcracker with sets and design by award-winning children’s book author Chris Van Allsburg and Emmy award winning set designer Eugene Lee.

Contemporary full-length commissions include A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Olivier Wevers, Dangerous Liaisons by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Alice in Wonderland by Brian Enos and Luis Grane, and Black & White, Beethoven and Romeo and Juliet by Mário Radačovský.

In 2011, Barker conceived the contemporary dance series MOVEMEDIA for which over 30 works have since been commissioned from some of the leading contemporary chorographers. Notable choreographers include Brian Enos, Olivier Wevers, Robert Dekkers, Sagi Gross and Mário Radačovský. MOVEMEDIA’s dual purpose was also to prominently feature works by female choreographers such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andrea Schermoly, Susan Jaffe, Gina Patterson, and Princess Grace Award winners Robyn Mineko Williams and Penny Saunders, Grand Rapids Ballet’s resident choreographer since 2014.

Under Barker’s direction, Grand Rapids Ballet renewed its commitment to touring nationally by performing in Detroit, Saint Louis and Seattle. In addition, Barker led the Grand Rapids Ballet School with an enrolment of nearly 400 students; an expansion of two additional campuses, planned for the 2017-18 season, will double the student body. She also oversaw the Outreach Programme serving over 600 public school students annually, the Dancing with Parkinson’s Disease programme, the Explorer Dance for children with Down Syndrome classes, and the Open Division Adult Ballet classes.

Barker staged several works for the Balanchine Trust and is an active educator. She has adjudicated faculty, is a frequent guest teacher and lecturer, and judges at competitions, most notably at Youth America Grand Prix over the last ten years. She is a member of numerous boards including Pointe Magazine and the Tateuchi Center, a performing arts centre in Bellevue, Washington State.

Barker was appointed as the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Artistic Director in June 2017, taking on the role from Francesco Ventriglia. She is the RNZB’s 12th Artistic Director and the second woman to hold this position in the RNZB’s 65 year history, after Una Kai first held the position from 1973 - 75.

in Don Quixote, roles in Dear Horizon and Passchendaele, and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2016, her last year as a performing member of the company, she performed with distinction in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, took on solo roles in Francesco Ventriglia’s The Wizard of Oz, including Glinda, Good Witch of the North and appeared as both Myrtha and Bathilde in Giselle. Her last appearances onstage were as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in Hong Kong and Wellington.

Clytie joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s artistic staff in January 2017. In addition to her role at the RNZB she has recently undertaken secondments to Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet, working alongside former RNZB Ballet Master Greg Horsman to stage a new production of La Bayadère.

Clytie is supported by

B I O G R A P H I E S

Clytie Campbell joined the RNZB in 2005, returning from eight years dancing in Europe. Starting at the age of five, her entire ballet training was at her mother’s school, the Philippa Campbell School of Ballet in Auckland. At 17, Clytie joined the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin, where she danced for more than six years, before moving to Vienna’s Staatsoper Ballet.

Clytie danced many lead roles with the RNZB including Kitri in Don Quixote, the Sylph in La Sylphide, Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis in Giselle, the grand pas de deux in The Nutcracker, and Carabosse and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as solos in many contemporary works.

Clytie received critical acclaim for her lead roles in 2011’s European tour of From Here to There. Highlights include the Fairy Godmother and the Tall Step Sister in Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella (2012), and the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Nephew’s Wife in A Christmas Carol (2014). On the RNZB’s 2014 US tour, critics praised her ‘technically and expressively strong and appealing’ performance in Javier De Frutos’ Banderillero. 2015 saw Clytie perform as the Queen of the Dryads and Mercedes

Laura McQueen Schultz was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she started her ballet training at age seven at the Grand Rapids Ballet School. She was a member of both the Junior and Senior Professional Trainee programmes at Grand Rapids Ballet in which she performed alongside the professional company. She also studied on scholarship with the Houston Ballet Academy, San Francisco Ballet School, and the National Ballet School of Canada. She joined the Grand Rapids Ballet as an apprentice for the 1999-2000 season and spent the following year dancing under Lindsay Fischer at the National Ballet of Canada in the postgraduate training programme.

In 2001, Laura was invited to join the St. Louis Ballet under Gen Horiuchi. She returned to Grand Rapids Ballet in 2003 where she danced numerous leading and principal roles in such ballets as Four Temperaments, Who Cares?, Alice in Wonderland, Black and White, Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda Pas de Dix, Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and

C LY T I E C A M P B E L L | B A L L E T M A S T E R L A U R A M C Q U E E N S C H U LT Z | B A L L E T M A S T E R

many other iconic classic works. Laura has also worked with contemporary choreographers such as Robyn Mineko Williams, Penny Saunders, Mário Radačovský and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Laura has often appeared as a guest artist in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia for companies including Ballet Bratislava, Long Beach Ballet, Farrell Ballet Theatre, Whim W’Him, and Olympic Ballet Theater. Laura has also staged works for Grand Rapids Ballet as well as with the National Ballet of Brno. Laura was the Associate Artistic Director of Young People’s Ballet Theatre in Flint, Michigan from 2012 until 2016. From 2012 until 2017, Laura and her husband Nick were the Choreographers and Stage directors for Children’s Opera Workshop, during which they taught and created all the stage direction and choreography for each opera. Laura joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as Ballet Master in January 2018. Together with Nick she staged the RNZB’s recent production of Black Swan, White Swan.

Nicholas Schultz grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He began his dance studies at Grand Rapids Ballet School, under the direction of Charthel Arthur and Robert Estner, when he was seven. He was a member of both the Junior and Senior Trainee divisions, performing numerous productions alongside Grand Rapids Ballet. Nicholas also studied with the Joffrey Ballet for three summers, as well as under the direction of Sergio Stefanski at the National Ballet of Canada for a summer.

In 2002, Nick joined Grand Rapids Ballet an as apprentice and was promoted to full company member in 2003. During his tenure with the company, he danced numerous leading and principal roles in ballets such as Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, and many more. Nick has danced many works by iconic choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Val Caniparoli, and Davis Parsons. During his time at Grand Rapids Ballet, he also worked with contemporary

Michael Auer, born in Vienna, Austria, studied ballet at the Vienna State Opera Ballet and on scholarship at the School of American Ballet. During his dance career, he performed with the North Carolina Dance Theater, Eliot Feld Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 1984, he created the role of the Nutcracker Prince in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker by Kent Stowell and Maurice Sendak (Where The Wild Things Are). Retiring from the stage, he pursued a career in technology as a software developer and entrepreneur working with Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Boeing and McCaw Cellular, later to be known as AT&T Wireless.

In 2010 he joined Grand Rapids Ballet as Creative Director overseeing all creative production elements. In 2011 he became the creative force

N I C H O L A S S C H U LT Z | B A L L E T M A S T E R M I C H A E L A U E R | G U E S T B A L L E T M A S T E R

choreographers such as Olivier Wevers, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Mário Radačovský, Penny Saunders, Robyn Mineko Williams, and Sagi Gross to name a few.

From 2012-2016 Nick was also the Artistic Director for Young People’s Ballet Theatre in Flint, Michigan, where he staged and choreographed many works for the company. Nick was also responsible for teaching and cultivating many young dancers, of which some have continued on to professional careers.

Nick has taught for numerous schools, including the Grand Rapids Ballet School. He, alongside his wife Laura, have served as the choreographer and stage director for Children’s Opera Workshop from 2012-2017. Nick joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as Ballet Master in January 2018. He performed onstage with the RNZB as Herr Drosselmeier in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker and together with Laura, staged the RNZB’s recent production of Black Swan, White Swan.

behind MOVEMEDIA working closely with choreographers such as Mário Radačovský, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Penny Saunders, Robyn Mineko Williams and Olivier Wevers. He created projection designs for full-length productions of Dracula, Black Swan, White Swan, Romeo and Juliet and The Happy Prince as well as stage production designs for Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. In 2014, he was instrumental in GRB’s production of The Nutcracker with choreography by Val Caniparoli (Lambarena, Lady of the Camellias) with design by Chris Van Allsburg (Polar Express, Jumanji) and Eugen Lee (Wicked, Candide, Saturday Night Live). In 2016, he collaborated with choreographer Brian Enos and designer Luis Grane (Ratatouille, Hotel Transylvania) on Alice in Wonderland.

B I O G R A P H I E S

P R I N C I P A L S

A L L I S T E R M A D I N | Supported by Ann-Louise and Campbell Gower

Born in the Basque country of France and of French and Spanish ancestry, Allister Madin has joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as a Principal dancer for 2019. For the past 14 years Allister has enjoyed an extensive performing career with the Paris Opera Ballet, first studying at their prestigious School, and joining the company when he was 19.

Allister was promoted to Soloist with the Paris Opéra Ballet in 2011. He has danced a wealth of classical and contemporary roles, including working with noted living choreographers such as Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite, Alexander Ekman and Benjamin Millepied. His classical repertoire includes Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Swan Lake and La Bayadère, as well as works by Maurice Béjart, Roland Petit, Jiří Kylián, Kenneth MacMillan and Pierre Lacotte.

With the Paris Opéra Ballet, Allister has performed in leading venues worldwide, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and in Novosibirsk, Beijing, Singapore and Tokyo. As a guest artist he has performed leading roles with Saitama Dance Arts Theatre (Japan), the Estonian National Opera, 3me étage / 3rd Floor (Canada and Argentina), at Jacob’s Pillow in the USA and with Incidence Chorégraphique in Greece and Russia.

Allister has created works for young choreographers’ evenings at the Opéra Bastille and the Opéra Garnier, and for the International Dance Festival at Andros in Greece. He has also appeared in several short films. In 2016 he completed his degree in ballet teaching, and has subsequently taught in many intensive ballet programmes.

PA U L M AT H E W S | Supported by the Dress Circle and is an Ambassador for Vodafone

In his 13 years with the RNZB, Paul Mathews has excelled in contemporary and classical works, as well as creating some memorable characters onstage. Paul’s performances in 2018 highlighted his versatility as an artist, beginning with the tormented Alastair Stewart in The Piano: the ballet and continuing with striking performances in Corey Baker’s The Last Dance and Kylián’s Petite Mort. Paul appeared as one of the ‘sons’ in Danielle Rowe’s Remember, Mama, and ended the year performing the roles of Drosselmeier, the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier and Herr Stahlbaum in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

In 2017, Paul received critical acclaim from reviewers around New Zealand for his portrayal of Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. He also performed in Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31 as part of the Three by Ekman triple bill, and appeared as the Toreador in Roland Petit’s Carmen.

Since joining the RNZB from the New Zealand School of Dance in 2006, as the Todd Scholar, Paul has performed a wide variety of leading roles, including Scrooge and Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Hilarion in Giselle, Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, the Leading Man in Who Cares?, Tybalt in Christopher Hampson’s Romeo and Juliet, the Blackamoor in Petrouchka, and Hook in Peter Pan.

Paul has also performed many works by international and New Zealand choreographers including Christopher Hampson, Javier De Frutos, Andrew Simmons, Jorma Elo, Benjamin Millepied, George Balanchine, Larry Keigwin, Ethan Stiefel, David Dawson, and Liam Scarlett.

In 2014, Paul travelled to Tokyo to guest with Ballet Chambre Ouest for the creation and world premiere of Jo Funaki’s Counter-Heartbeats. 2015 roles included Gamache and the Don in Don Quixote, appearing in the original casts of both Dear Horizon and Passchendaele, and Demetrius and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2016, Paul performed in Andonis Foniadakis’s Selon désir, as part of the RNZB’s acclaimed Speed of Light programme, and as both the Lion and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He ended the year reprising both Hilarion in Giselle and Demetrius and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in both Hong Kong and Wellington.

Paul is also active as a teacher, teaching masterclasses in his home town of Auckland alongside his wife Mayu Tanigaito.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet gratefully acknowledges the generosity of those individuals, companies and trusts who support the company through our Partner a Dancer programme.

If you would like to join them, please contact Susannah Lees-Jeffries, Director of Marketing and Development, +64 4 381 9019 / susannah@rnzb.org.nz

DancersO F T H E R O Y A L N E W Z E A L A N D B A L L E T

LEFT / RNZB dancers Cadence Barrack, Katherine Skelton, Laurynas Vėjalis. Photograph by Ross Brown.

K AT H A R I N E P R E C O U R T

Katharine Precourt joined the RNZB in September 2018 and made her New Zealand debut in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker, performing the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Arabian Coffee.

Prior to moving to New Zealand, Katharine achieved the rank of First Soloist with the Houston Ballet and performed the lead roles in many classical full length ballets: Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Giselle, Manon, The Nutcracker and Paquita. Her dance repertoire also includes lead and featured roles in Ashton’s Les Patineurs, Balanchine’s Apollo, Theme and Variations, Ballet Imperial, Serenade, Symphony in C, The Four Temperaments, Jewels, Bruce’s Ghost Dances, Rooster, Forsythe’s Artifact Suite, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Kylián’s Falling Angels, Petite Mort, Svadebka, Wings of Wax, Lander’s Etudes, Liang’s Murmuration, MacMillan’s Song of the Earth, van Manen’s Grosse Fugue, Morris’ Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, Pacific, Sandpaper Ballet Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, In the Night, The Concert, Tharp’s In the Upper Room, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, and Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading.

Katharine was born in Southern California and started her dance training at the San Diego School of Ballet. She was accepted on a full merit scholarship to intensive programmes at School of American Ballet and San Francisco School of Ballet and continued her training as a scholarship student at the Ben Stevenson Academy associated with the Houston Ballet, joining the company on graduation. Katharine is a YOUNGARTS winner in ballet awarded by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She was presented in the Dance Magazine feature On The Rise.

M AY U TA N I G A I T O | Supported by the Pye Foundation

Mayu Tanigaito joined the RNZB in 2012, making an immediate impression on New Zealand audiences in Larry Keigwin’s Final Dress. 2018 was a busy year for Mayu, who appeared as Nessie in Jiří and Otto Bubeníček’s The Piano: the ballet, and in solo roles in all four works in the Dancing with Mozart mixed bill, including an extended pas de deux in Corey Baker’s The Last Dance. She ended the year as both the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

She has performed principal roles in the classical repertoire including Carmen by Roland Petit (2017), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (2017) Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle and Myrtha in Giselle (2015, 2016), and In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, all of which garnered critical acclaim. Other leading roles have included Swanhilda in Coppélia, Pas de Trois and cygnets in Swan Lake, Flower Festival of Genzano pas de deux, Carnival of Venice pas de deux, and in Balanchine’s Who Cares? and Allegro Brillante and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. She has performed works by New Zealand and international choreographers including Benjamin Millepied, Ethan Stiefel, William Forsythe, Francesco Ventriglia, Andrew Simmons and Neil Ieremia. Liam Scarlett created the role of Moth on her for his A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a role she has performed in New Zealand, and Hong Kong. At the end of 2016 Mayu was a guest artist with the Greek National Opera Ballet, performing the role of Giselle in Athens.

Mayu started dance training in Japan. In 2002, she was awarded second place in the Junior Division of the Youth America Grand Prix in Japan and then third place in the Senior Division in 2004. She was also a finalist in New York in both years. She studied full time at the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp, and at Rock School for Dance Education in the USA. Prior to join the RNZB, Mayu danced with North Carolina Dance Theater.

Outside her performing career, Mayu is active as a dance teacher, regularly presenting masterclasses alongside her husband, fellow RNZB Principal Paul Mathews.

N A D I A YA N O W S K Y

Nadia Yanowsky took leave from Dutch National Ballet, where she had been a soloist since 2010, to perform as guest soloist for the RNZB’s 2017 revival of In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe. She returned as a guest with the company for the 2018 productions of The Piano: the ballet, in which she performed the role of Ada, Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Kylián’s Petite Mort in Dancing with Mozart and Strength & Grace in which she created the central role of Mother in Danielle Rowe’s Remember, Mama. Nadia joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as an artist in late 2018 and appeared as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

Nadia has performed a vast number of lead roles throughout her career. She is highly experienced in the core classical repertoire, dancing works including Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Carmen, Swan Lake, Paquita, La Bayadère, Les Sylphides, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppélia, The Rite of Spring, and Le Corsaire to name but a few. She has performed lead roles in many Balanchine works including Serenade, Agon, Symphony in C, Concerto Barocco, Symphony in 3 movements, and Violin Concerto, as well as works by William Forsythe, Hans Van Manen, Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon, John Neumeier, Maurice Béjart, Ure Scholz, Angelin Preljocaj, Rudi Van Danzig and David Dawson.

Many leading choreographers have created roles on Nadia and she has premiered works including Don Quixote by Alexei Ratmansky, Cinderella and Concerto Concordia by Christopher Wheeldon, Labyrinth by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Roulette and Consequence by Juanjo Arqués, Woolf by Dominique Dumais, Magdalene and The Eleventh Hour by Remi Wortmeyer, and Wish by Juan Eymar.

Nadia was born in Madrid and raised in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She was trained from a young age by her parents, Carmen Robles and Anatoli Yanowsky who were both members of Lyon Opera Ballet. She won the silver medal and audience prize at the Luxemburg International Ballet Competition and began her professional career with the English National Ballet in 2002 under former RNZB Artistic Director Matz Skoog.

Nadia joined the Staatsballett Berlin under the direction of Vladimir Malakhov in 2003, where she was quickly promoted to demi-soloist, then moved to Amsterdam as grand sujet at Dutch National Ballet in 2008, becoming a soloist two years later.

S A R A G A R B O W S K I | Supported by PW Dance & Sportswear

In 2017, her first year with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Sara Garbowski performed in Roland Petit’s Carmen and L’Arlésienne, Three by Ekman and Romeo and Juliet.

In March 2018 she made her debut as Ada in The Piano: the ballet. She performed in three out of four works in Dancing with Mozart and also in Strength & Grace and performed the iconic role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

Originally from Canada, Sara is a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto where she won the Peter Dwyer Award before joining the National Ballet of Canada.

In 2010 Sara joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders and was promoted to Demi Soloist in 2013. Her repertoire includes My One and Only in Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Solo Shade in Cynthia Harvey’s La Bayadère, The Kingdom of the Shades; Red Fairy and Lead Jewel in Marcia Haydée’s The Sleeping Beauty; White Couple in Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land; and First Pas de Deux in Wayne McGregor’s Infra, as well as notable roles in Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated and Approximate Sonata. In December 2016, Sara performed the pas de deux I Fall for You by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui at the Harvard Club of Belgium’s award ceremony.

K AT E K A D O W | Supported by Isaac Hikaka and Jessica Miles

Kate Kadow joined the RNZB in January 2018 and made her New Zealand debut in The Piano: the ballet, followed by solo roles in Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Kylián’s Sechs Tänze. Most recently, Kate performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Val Caniparoli’s production of The Nutcracker.

Prior to coming to New Zealand, Kate was a principal dancer at State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, California (2012 – 16), with highlights including Kitri in Don Quixote, the title role in William Soleau’s Firebird, The Shrew in Robert Sund’s Taming of the Shrew, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Tiger Lily in Alice in Wonderland and new works by Rodney Gustafson, Edgar Zendejas, Autumn Eckmann, Cassandra Newberry, and Peter Pucci.

Kate joined Barak Ballet in Los Angeles in 2016, performing world premiere works by company director Melissa Barak, including Dimitierre and Eos Chasma, and being featured on television and in music videos. In 2017 she was featured in new works by choreographers Andrea Shermoly, Nicolas Blanc and Robert Dekkers.

Kate has performed as a guest artist throughout the United States and internationally, highlights include the Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg and Friends gala in Florida, the International Ballet Festival of Miami, Grand Rapids Ballet, and a 36 city tour of China where she performed the role of Beauty in Robert Sund’s Beauty and the Beast.

Florida-born, Kate began her training in Pennsylvania and attended the Kirov Academy in Washington DC on scholarship before finished her training with renowned Cuban coach Magaly Suarez in South Florida. At the age of 14, she performed alongside dancers from American Ballet Theatre at a Stiefel and Stars summer intensive, training under Ethan Stiefel, Gillian Murphy, Amanda McKerrow, and John Gardner.

Her earliest professional engagements were with Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, touring internationally and performing roles including Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Medora in Le Corsaire, as well as Flames of Paris by Vainonen, Satanella by Mazilier, La Spectre de La Rose by Fokine, Giselle, Swan Lake and Alberto Alonso’s Carmen and with the New York-based Morphoses: The Wheeldon Company, working with choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, and Tim Harbour.

FA B I O L O G I U D I C E | Supported by Les Mills

Fabio Lo Giudice joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2014. Most recently seen onstage in the title role of The Nutcracker (2018), Fabio has also performed solo roles with distinction in Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort (2018), Romeo and Juliet (2017), Don Quixote (2015) and Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante (2014) and Divertimento No. 15 (2018). Fabio’s expressive and dramatic qualities have also inspired choreographers to create roles especially for him, most recently Danielle Rowe in Remember, Mama (2018).

Fabio was born in Catania, Sicily and started dancing at the age of ten. The same year, he joined La Scala Ballet School in Milan, moving to The Royal Ballet School in London one year later. While there, he appeared in performances by the School at the Royal Opera House and also performed on secondment with The Royal Ballet.

Fabio joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago in 2010. His repertoire with the Joffrey Ballet included Julie Adam’s Night, The Nutcracker, The Merry Widow, Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and James Kudelka’s Pretty Ballet among others.

S H A U N J A M E S K E L LY | Supported by Mark and Louise Binns

Shaun James Kelly joined the RNZB in 2014. In 2018, New Zealand audiences were privileged to see him as the Reverend Campbell in The Piano: the ballet, in both works by Jiří Kylián in Dancing with Mozart and in three works in Strength & Grace, including as one of the ‘sons’ in Danielle Rowe’s Remember, Mama. He closed the year performing the roles of the Nutcracker and Chinese Tea in The Nutcracker. In 2017, Shaun made his debut as Frédéri in L’Arlesienne by Roland Petit and Mercutio in Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet. Other highlights to date include Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, first male soloist in Johan Kobborg’s Les Lutins, the Fiddler in A Christmas Carol, solo in Jiří Kylián Soldier’s Mass, roles in all three works in 2016’s Speed of Light, including William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and Puck in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a role he subsequently reprised in both Hong Kong and Wellington at the end of 2016. Other international performances include the Wedding Couple pas de deux in Johan Kobborg and Ethan Stiefel’s Giselle, works by Andrew Simmons and Neil Ieremia, and Andonis Foniadakis’s Selon désir in the UK and Italy.

Born in Perth, Scotland, Shaun trained at the Dance School of Scotland before undertaking training at the English National Ballet School. While at the School he toured and performed with English National Ballet in a number of productions and also with Scottish Ballet

On graduating in 2011, Shaun took up a contract with the Tivoli Ballet Theatre in Copenhagen, where he danced solo roles in Bournonville repertoire including Napoli, La Ventana, Flower Festival at Genzano and Le Conservatoire. He also took the title roles in Dinna Bjorn’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier and danced the Nutcracker Prince in Peter Bo Bendixen’s The Nutcracker.

Shaun was the winner of the 2016 RNZB Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award for his work Blanc. He subsequently created Aura for Tutus on Tour 2017 and, also in 2017, choreographed a work for eight RNZB dancers that featured in New Zealand designer Andrea Moore’s catwalk show at New Zealand Fashion Week. Shaun was appointed as Choreographer in Residence with the RNZB in 2018. He created a short work, Little Red, for Te Papa’s school holiday programme in 2018, and in 2019 was commissioned to create his first work for the RNZB’s main stage as part of the Choreographic Series.

S O L O I S T S

M A S S I M O M A R G A R I A

Massimo Margaria began 2018 as George Baines in The Piano: the ballet and ended the year performing the role of the Nutcracker and Drosselmeier in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker. In between, he performed works by Corey Baker and Jiří Kylian in Dancing with Mozart, together with Danielle Rowe’s Remember, Mama in Strength & Grace.

2017 saw Massimo receive critical acclaim for his dynamic portrayal of Mercutio in Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet. He performed the central duet in Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31, featured in Tuplet and performed in Cacti as part of the Three By Ekman triple bill. Massimo danced the role of the Chief Bandit in Carmen by Roland Petit and Frédéri in Petit’s L’Arlésienne.

Massimo joined the RNZB in August 2015 and his early roles with the company included the Rustics in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and, during the RNZB tour to UK and Italy, Andonis Foniadakis’ Selon désir. In 2016 he appeared in Selon désir, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated and Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, and as both the Tin Man and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

Born in Turin, Massimo began his ballet studies as a teenager, training at the Liceo Coreutico Nuovo and at the Balletto di Toscana graduate programme. In 2010 he took up a contract at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo in Sicily, subsequently performing with Compagnia DCE in Rome and with Maggiodanza in Florence. In 2014/15 he was a member of the Balletts Augsburg in Bavaria. His repertoire includes works by August Bournonville, William Forsythe (Step Text with Sylvie Guillem), Jiří Kylián and George Balanchine.

K AT H E R I N E M I N O R | Supported by Catherine and Steven Fyfe

Katherine Minor joined the RNZB in 2014 and was most recently seen onstage as Marie in The Nutcracker (2018), rounding off an exceptional year in which she also took on solo roles in Kylián’s Petite Mort, Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Andrea Schermoly’s Stand to Reason and The Piano: the ballet.

Katherine created the role of Peaseblossom in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2015). Other early appearances with the RNZB included Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante (2014), and solo roles in A Christmas Carol (2014), Salute (2015), In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated and Giselle (2016), and Romeo and Juliet (2017).

Born in France and raised in Portland, Oregon, Katherine trained locally and at the Paris Opéra Ballet. She attended summer school at the School of American Ballet and joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 2010 before moving to Chicago in 2011.

Prior to joining the RNZB and following three years at Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Katherine spent a year with the UK’s Northern Ballet. Her notable roles with Joffrey included Cupid in Don Quixote and Clara in The Nutcracker.

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Joseph Skelton is noted for his technical flair, especially in full-length classical works such as The Nutcracker, in which he appeared as the Sugar Plum Cavalier, together with other solo roles, in 2018. He created the role of Romeo in Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet (2017) and in 2016 was warmly received as Albrecht in Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle, a role he was also invited to perform with The Australian Ballet and the Greek National Opera Ballet, the latter opposite RNZB colleague Mayu Tanigaito. Joseph created the role of Lysander in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2015), returning to the role in Hong Kong and Wellington in 2016 and also making his debut as Oberon. Other recent roles include Don José in Roland Petit’s Carmen (2017) and solos in Don Quixote (2015), Salute (2015), A Christmas Carol (2014) and Coppélia (2014).

Joseph was born in Gisborne and raised in Pukekohe, and started dancing at the age of four. He trained in the UK at the Elmhurst School of Dance and The Royal Ballet School, returning to New Zealand to join the RNZB in 2011.

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Luke Cooper was born in Palmerston North and is a descendant of the Te Arawa tribe. He started dancing at a young age and joined the New Zealand School of Dance Outreach Associate programme at the age of 12. Prior to joining the RNZB, Luke performed in the company’s productions of Don Quixote (2015), The Wizard of Oz (2016) and Roland Petit’s Carmen and L’Arlésienne (2017).

Luke joined the RNZB in 2018 after graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance and subsequently being awarded the Todd Scholarship. Along with performances in The Piano: the ballet, triple bill Dancing with Mozart and the premiere of Penny Saunders’ So to Speak in Strength & Grace, a highlight from the 2018 season was performing as Russian Caviar in The Nutcracker. In 2018’s Tutus on Tour Luke performed opposite Sir Jon Trimmer in Loughlan Prior’s The Long and the Short of It.

R H I A N N O N FA I R L E S S | Supported by Rob and Michele MacDonald

Rhiannon Fairless joined the RNZB as a guest artist for 2017’s Romeo and Juliet, and then permanently at the beginning of 2018. She was prominently featured in the 2018 documentary The Heart Dances – The Journey of The Piano: the ballet which followed the RNZB’s preparation for the ballet adaptation of Campion’s critically acclaimed film The Piano. She has performed various roles since returning to New Zealand, notably the principal girl in Raymonda for Tutus on Tour, Kylián’s Sechs Tänze and an array of solo and corps de ballet roles in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

Rhiannon joined the National Ballet of Canada as an Apprentice in 2013 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2014, performing in all the classics and also contemporary works in Canada and overseas. She was the winner of the RBC Emerging Artist Apprentice Award in 2014. Rhiannon has performed corps and soloist roles in Balanchine ballets including Apollo, Four Temperaments, Divertimento No.15 and Rubies, Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, John Neumeier’s Nijinsky and A Streetcar Named Desire, Wayne McGregor’s Genus, Ekman’s Cacti, and many more. She has also performed in Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty, Kudelka’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake, Giselle and La Sylphide. She was a part of the creation process for new works including Guillaume Côté’s A Little Prince and Will Tuckett’s Pinocchio.

Rhiannon began her ballet training at Mount Eden Ballet Academy in Auckland. Winner of several national and international competitions, she won the RAD Alexander Grant Training Award, and reached the finals of the Robert and Elizabeth Albert Scholarship and the Alana Haines Australasian Awards (2005 and 2007), the latter offering her a scholarship to the Australian Ballet School.

Rhiannon returned home in 2017 to join the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

C A D E N C E B A R R A C K

Cadence Barrack was a 2015 participant in the RNZB’s National Mentor Programme, where she was mentored by long-serving company member Yang Liu. Cadence is a 2018 graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance classical programme.

In 2016, Cadence competed in the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York, as well as the Royal Academy of Dance Genée Award in Sydney. While still a student at the New Zealand School of Dance, Cadence joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet for 2018’s Dancing with Mozart tour, performing in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, and again in the world premiere of the RNZB’s production of The Nutcracker.

Cadence was one of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s first apprentices in the apprentice programme launched this year. Cadence’s pre-professional training was at the Philippa Campbell School of Ballet in Auckland, New Zealand. She was promoted to Artist in August 2019.

A R T I S T S

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2017 and 2018 were memorable years for Madeleine Graham. She began 2018 with a once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica alongside choreographer Corey Baker, creating short film Antarctica: The First Dance which has been viewed more than one million times online. Returning to New Zealand, Madeleine performed in Dancing with Mozart, including a powerful solo in Corey Baker’s Antarctica-inspired The Last Dance, and Strength & Grace, and in several solo roles in The Nutcracker, including young heroine Marie.

2017 saw Madeleine take on principal roles in the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s classical repertoire. She performed the role of Vivette in L’Arlésienne by Roland Petit and her portrayal of Juliet in Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet garnered critical acclaim, both for her strong technique and her ability to take the audience on an engaging emotional journey.

Madeleine joined the RNZB for Giselle in 2012, becoming a permanent member of the company in 2013. In her first full season with the RNZB, Made to Move, she created a role in Javier De Frutos’ The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud. She has danced with the RNZB on overseas tours to China, US, UK and Italy and Hong Kong. Other performance highlights include the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake, Flower Festival in Genzano, Princess of Porcelain in Francesco Ventriglia’s The Wizard of Oz, Javier De Frutos’ Banderillero, Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and performing in Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and William Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated during the acclaimed Speed of Light mixed bill.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Madeleine trained at the Victorian College of the Arts and The Australian Ballet School, graduating in 2012.

K I A R A F L AV I N

Kiara Flavin joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in July 2018 and made her debut with the company in Penny Saunders’ So to Speak, part of the company’s Strength & Grace programme, and most recently performed in The Nutcracker.

Prior to her move to New Zealand, Kiara danced with the UK’s Northern Ballet, joining the company’s graduate programme in 2013 and the company in 2014. During her time with Northern Ballet, a company noted for its commitment to narrative ballets, Kiara danced many works by David Nixon OBE, including The Great Gatsby, Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dracula, The Little Mermaid, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Madame Butterfly, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Wuthering Heights as well as works by Massimo Morricone (A Christmas Carol), Kenneth Tindall (Casanova), Jonathan Watkins (1984), Kenneth MacMillan (Gloria and Concerto), Jean-Christophe Maillot (Romeo and Juliet), and Cathy Marston (Jane Eyre).

Role highlights include dancing Rosaline in Jean Christophe Maillot’s Romeo and Juliet, dancing Blanche Ingram in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre and creating the role of Helen Burns in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre. She also choreographed a short work for Northern Ballet’s Choreographic Lab entitled Mantle.

Kiara is from Kingston, Ontario, Canada and completed her training at Canada’s National Ballet School.

K I H I R O K U S U K A M I

Kihiro Kusukami joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as a guest artist for Strength & Grace in August 2018 and became a full-time member of the company that September. Kihiro’s first national tour with the RNZB was Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

Kihiro spent 2017 with Queensland Ballet’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, appearing in productions including Amy Hollingsworth’s Glass Heart, Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land, Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan. Kihiro continued to perform with Queensland Ballet in 2018, in productions including Greg Horsman’s La Bayadère, Liam Scarlett’s The Firebird and Carlos Acosta’s Carmen.

Originally from Nagoya, Japan, Kihiro was awarded a scholarship to The Australian Ballet School at the 2013 Youth America Grand Prix, training at the School from 2014 – 16 and performing as a member of the Dancers’ Company of The Australian Ballet. His roles with the Dancers’ Company included Hilarion in Giselle, and in 2016 he also appeared in Houston Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet during the company’s Australian tour.

YA N G L I U

Yang Liu joined the RNZB in 2010. Recent highlights have included performing as one of Juliet’s friends in Romeo and Juliet (2017), Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31 and Cacti as part of the Three By Ekman triple bill, and Roland Petit’s Carmen and L’Arlésienne. Other roles have included dancing as one of the Fairies in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in New Zealand and Hong Kong, and Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and William Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated as part of the acclaimed Speed of Light mixed bill.

In her nine years with the company Yang has danced a number of leading roles including the Green Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty (2011), the Duck in Peter and the Wolf and Flower Festival at Genzano in Tutus on Tour 2013; the Giselle Wedding Couple pas de deux, which she performed on the RNZB’s China tour in 2013 and Moyna in Giselle when the company toured the production to the UK and Italy in 2015 and during the New Zealand restaging in 2016. Yang showed off her fantastic sense of comic timing in the role of Mercedes in Don Quixote and in Johan Kobborg’s Salute.

Yang trained at the Beijing Dance Academy from 1996–2003, before joining the National Ballet of China. She is currently on parental leave following the birth of her daughter in mid-2018, and will return to the stage later in 2019.

M I N K Y U N G L E E

Minkyung Lee made her New Zealand debut in Val Caniparoli’s 2018 production of The Nutcracker as Spanish Chocolate and French Pastilles and in the corps de ballet.

Originally from Seoul in South Korea, Minkyung completed her dance training at Canada’s National Ballet School after winning a scholarship at the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix. While at the School she received the Peter Dwyer Award. After graduating, Minkyung joined the National Ballet of Canada as a RBC apprentice, appearing in James Kudelka’s The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella, as well as Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty.

C L A R E S C H E L L E N B E R G

Clare Schellenberg was first seen by New Zealand audiences in 2018’s Nutcracker. She took her first steps on the professional stage as a trainee at Boston Ballet and Grand Rapids Ballet. During this time, she danced corps de ballet roles in Balanchine’s Serenade, Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker, Mário Radačovský’s Black Swan, White Swan, and Brian Enos’ Alice in Wonderland and was involved in productions of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Cinderella.

A native of Michigan, USA, Clare, started her dance training at the Grand Rapids Ballet School at the age of nine. She spent summers studying on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Boston Ballet School. Clare competed in the 2016 Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City.

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Kirby Selchow has established herself as one of the RNZB’s most compelling performers. In 2018, Kirby garnered great praise for her powerful performances in Penny Saunders’ So to Speak and Andrea Schermoly’s Stand to Reason, both premiering in Strength & Grace. She began the year in the dramatic role of Aunt Morag in The Piano: the ballet, going on to showcase her versatility in Dancing with Mozart, in which she appeared in Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze.

Since joining the RNZB in January 2014, Kirby has performed roles including the lead gypsy girl in Don Quixote, Dear Horizon and Passchendaele, and the Fairies in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. During the company’s tour to the UK and Italy at the end of 2015 Kirby performed in Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle and all four works in the demanding mixed bill A Passing Cloud. A highlight of 2016 was making her debut as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream during the company’s Hong Kong tour and performing the role for the Wellington season as well.

In 2017 Kirby lit up the stage as the Lead Bandit in Carmen by Roland Petit as well as one of the Eight Girls in Petit’s L’Arlésienne. She performed Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and Episode 31 as part of the Three by Ekman triple bill and appeared as one of Juliet’s friends and one of the Harlots in Romeo and Juliet.

Born in Perth, Western Australia, Kirby trained at the Graduate College of Dance before being accepted into The Australian Ballet School in 2009 on the Laurie Cowled Scholarship. She performed with The Australian Ballet’s Dancers’ Company in 2012 and 2013, and graduated as school captain in 2013.

O L I V I A M O O R E | Supported by an anonymous donor

Olivia Moore made her debut with the RNZB in Tutus on Tour in Tauranga in April 2018, appearing in Petipa’s Raymonda pas de dix. In 2018, Olivia also performed in The Piano: the ballet, Dancing with Mozart, Strength & Grace and The Nutcracker.

In 2017, at the age of 15, Olivia was accepted as a full time classical major at the New Zealand School of Dance, where she had been a Junior Associate alongside her pre-vocational training at The Dance Education Centre in Tauranga. While at the NZSD, Olivia was chosen to take part in an exchange programme to further her training at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto.

Olivia won classical and contemporary sections of the Petipa International Competition in Brussels in 2015. She won the Sir John Logan Campbell Ballet Award in Auckland in 2016 and was a finalist in the Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand the same year.

L A U R Y N A S V Ė J A L I S

Laurynas Vėjalis made his New Zealand debut in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker in 2018, performing a range of solo roles including the Nutcracker and Chinese Tea.

Laurynas moved to New Zealand after three years with the National Ballet of Canada, which he joined as a member of the corps de ballet in 2015. Highlights at the National Ballet of Canada include the peasant pas de deux in Act I of Giselle and solo roles in Balanchine’s Rubies and Genus by Wayne McGregor, as well as productions including Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Onegin, The Winter’s Tale, La Sylphide, Cinderella, Nijinsky, The Concert and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Laurynas was born in Lithuania and moved to Japan when he was six. He studied ballet at the Austrian Ballet School in Tokyo and then finished his studies at The Royal Ballet School in London.

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Katherine Skelton (née Grange) is one of the RNZB’s longest serving dancers, joining the company in 2010 as the Todd Scholar. Katherine has been dancing since the age of four and trained at the Dance Education Centre in Tauranga and the New Zealand School of Dance.

In 2018, Katherine was seen in classical roles including Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and corps de ballet and solo roles in Val Caniparoli’s production of The Nutcracker. During the 2017 season, Katherine performed in Carmen by Roland Petit, Episode 31 by Alexander Ekman and the premiere season of Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet.

Katherine first danced with the RNZB while still a student, joining the La Sylphide tour in 2009. In 2011’s The Sleeping Beauty, she danced the Blue Fairy and the Orange Fairy. In 2012 she performed the role of the Short Step Sister in Cinderella, and 2013 roles included the Act II ‘cygnets’ in Swan Lake and creating the role of the Cat in Peter and the Wolf for Tutus on Tour. In the RNZB’s 2014 production of Coppélia she performed the role of Ima, including the ‘Prayer’ solo in Act III. In 2015 she performed in Don Quixote, charmed critics with her performance in Johan Kobborg’s Salute, danced in the Fairy band in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and debuted in the Wedding Couple pas de deux during the RNZB’s international tour of Giselle.

N AT H A N M E N N I S

Nathan Mennis joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in January 2018 and made an immediate impression on New Zealand audiences as Alistair Stewart in The Piano: the ballet. Nathan also played the Mouse King, Herr Stahlbaum and Spanish Chocolate in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

Nathan is from Brisbane, Australia and trained at the Eva Kohout School of Dance while receiving male coaching by Andrew Lyons, former principal at The Australian Ballet. After two years full time training at The Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, Nathan moved home to train at the Queensland National Ballet School under Artistic Director Martyn Fleming, former principal at Béjart Ballet Lausanne, English National Ballet and The Australian Ballet.

Nathan competed in the 2013 Prix de Lausanne and was a finalist in the Sydney Performing Arts Challenge. This exposure earned him a scholarship to the Houston Ballet Academy’s HBII programme under Artistic Director Stanton Welch.

C A R O L I N E W I L E Y

Since joining the RNZB in 2018, Caroline Wiley has demonstrated her versatility and flair for both classical and contemporary choreography with solo roles in works as diverse as Penny Saunders’ So to Speak, Corey Baker’s The Last Dance, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and The Nutcracker, in which she appeared as Marie.

Caroline hails from Fenton, Michigan and began her training at Young People’s Ballet Theatre in Flint, Michigan under the direction of her mother, Jennifer Wiley. At 14 she participated in the Blue Lake Fine Arts International Exchange programme and spent a summer touring and performing through Europe. She has attended summer courses at Charlotte Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Grand Rapids Ballet.

In 2013, Caroline guested with the Grand Rapids Ballet, under artistic director Patricia Barker, in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments. The following season she joined the company as a trainee and was promoted to apprentice, before becoming a company member for the following two seasons. Her repertoire at GRB was broad, including leading roles in José Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, Black Swan in Mário Radačovský’s Black Swan, White Swan and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker. She created the title role in Bruce Wells’s Cinderella and had contemporary works created on her by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andrea Schermoly, Penny Saunders and Robert Dekkers, as well as performing in iconic works by Paul Taylor and Gerald Arpino.

L E O N O R A V O I G T L A N D E R | Supported by the Agincourt Family Trust

Since joining the RNZB in 2014, Leonora Voigtlander has excelled in both classical and contemporary works. In 2018 Leonora performed in The Piano: the ballet, Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and two of the new works created for Strength & Grace. To finish off the year, Leonora performed in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker in a range of solo roles including Arabian Coffee, the Spanish Dance and the Act I comic cameo of the maid.

The highlight of 2016 was performing in all three of the works in the acclaimed Speed of Light mixed bill, including William Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Andonis Foniadakis’ Selon désir and Alexander Ekman’s Cacti.

Leonora revisited Cacti in 2017 and also performed Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31 as part of the Three By Ekman triple bill. That same year she appeared in Roland Petit’s Carmen and L’Arlésienne and in Romeo and Juliet.

Leonora’s early roles with the RNZB included A Christmas Carol, Don Quixote, and Salute. She danced roles including the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in New Zealand and Hong Kong, and in Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle during the company’s UK and Italy tour in 2015 and the New Zealand restaging in 2016.

Leonora grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Nelson, New Zealand. She started her training at the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet School and as a teenager, received scholarships to study year-round at both the School of Ballet Chicago and the Miami City Ballet School. Upon graduation, Leonora joined the Saint Louis Ballet Company.

T E A G A N TA N K | Supported by Todd Corporation

Teagan Tank graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in December 2018 and joined the RNZB as the Todd Scholar in January 2019.

Teagan was born in South Africa and grew up in Christchurch. She began dancing at the age of three and trained at the Anneliese Gilberd Academy from the age of 11. Teagan was accepted as a full time classical major at the New Zealand School of Dance in 2016 after being in the Associate Programme for 3 years, and also participating in the RNZB National Mentor Programme.

During her time at the NZSD Teagan was chosen for a four week exchange at Canada’s National Ballet School and to participate in the 2018 Prix De Lausanne Partner Schools Choreographic Project in Switzerland. In 2018, Teagan performed in the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Dancing with Mozart in the corps de ballet for Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and also joined the RNZB’s corps de ballet in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker.

W A N B I N Y U A N

Wan Bin Yuan joined the RNZB in January 2018 and has performed in The Piano: the ballet, Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze and in Strength & Grace. Bin ended the year with appearances in leading roles in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker, including the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier, and the Arabian Coffee pas de deux.

Bin is from Tianjin Province in and trained at the Liaoning Ballet School of China from the age of 12. He first heard about the Royal New Zealand Ballet when the company toured to China in 2013 and travelled to Beijing to see the show after the Tianjin performance was cancelled.

Bin joined Beijing Dance Academy in 2013 and has found great competition success including receiving the Outstanding Performance Award at the 2013 Osaka International Youth Ballet Competition, the 2015 Liaoning Ballet School Ballet Competition Gold Medal, First Prize at the 11th National Outstanding Dance Performances in 2016 and winning the Beijing Dance Academy School Gold Medal the same year.

Stage highlights include guest principal dancer for the California-based Maple Youth Ballet’s season of The Nutcracker (2015), Shanghai and Beijing performances of Swan Lake with the Hong Kong Ballet (2017), Mikhailovsky Ballet Theatre’s The Flames of Paris and Giselle (2017) and Beijing Dance Theatre’s HYPER! (2017) by Marcos Morau and Sebastian Kloborg.

G U E S T D A N C E R S

K AYA W E I G H T

Kaya Weight joins the RNZB as an apprentice after performing in the 2019 Alana Haines Australasian Awards finals. In 2018 Kaya took part in the Royal Ballet School intensive, Hong Kong and Prix de Lausanne pre-selection in Brazil. Kaya was also invited to take class at Ballet National Sodre. In 2015 Kaya began full time ballet training in Sydney, Australia. Her most recent training has been at Classical Ballet 121 with former Royal Ballet First Soloist, Gillian Revie.

T R I S TA N G R O S S

Tristan was born and raised in Melbourne. He began his dance career early, participating in the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He attended the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) on a full-time dance scholarship, then full time at Dance World studios in Melbourne before completing three years of ballet study at the National Theatre Ballet School under the directorship of Beverly Fry. In 2016 he joined West Australian Ballet as a young artist and in 2017 travelled to Europe to gain valuable experience, returning to Melbourne to perform with The Australian Ballet in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Sydney season of The Sleeping Beauty. Tristan joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in January 2018 and performed in many ballets with the company. In 2019 he joined Melbourne City Ballet where roles included the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and Ali from Le Corsaire. Since then he has been performing with the Victorian State Ballet in a range of classic ballets. He is delighted to work with the Royal New Zealand Ballet again.

L E V I T E A C H O U T

Levi began his ballet training at the age of nine at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle. He studied at PNB for 11 years and graduated from their Professional Division programme in 2016. While at PNB, Levi performed in the company’s productions of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Crystal Pite’s Emergence. Upon graduation, Levi began as an apprentice with the Grand Rapids Ballet under the artistic direction of Patricia Barker and was promoted to the main company in 2017. In his three years with GRB, he worked with choreographers such as Penny Saunders, Olivier Wevers, and Alejandro Cerrudo.

J A M I E D E L M O N T E

Jamie was born in Brisbane and started ballet at the age of three. When he was 14 he moved to Melbourne to train full time at The Australian Ballet School, graduating as School Captain in 2018. While a student he performed with The Australian Ballet in the corps de ballet for Coppélia and The Merry Widow. During 2019 he was a Young Artist with Queensland Ballet, performing in iconic works including Jiří Kylián’s Soldier’s Mass and Balanchine’s Serenade, as well as the company’s new choreography season for young and emerging artists, Synergy.

E L L A C H A M B E R S

Ella Chambers joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as a guest in October 2018, capping off her graduate year at The Australian Ballet School. She performed in The Nutcracker as a snowflake and pōhutukawa flower, and now joins the company as an apprentice for 2019.

Ella was born in Sydney, Australia. She started dancing at La Vive Classique in Port Macquarie, at the age of eight. From there, she auditioned for the Australian Ballet School and in 2014 moved to Melbourne to commence full time training. During her time there, her favourite role was Cupid from the second act of Don Quixote.

L A R A F L A N N E R Y

Lara was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and began dancing at the age of 3. She trained under Paula Hunt at Wellington Dance Academy and went on to join the scholars and associate programme at the New Zealand School of Dance. At the age of 15 she joined the full-time classical programme at the School. She studied at the School from 2017 until mid-July of 2019 when she joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as an apprentice.

G E O R G I A B A X T E R

Georgia was born in Australia and grew up on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. She started her dance training at the age of four and trained at En Pointe Dance Centre from the age of 11. She was accepted to Houston Ballet Academy at the age of 14 and trained in their Professional Division Program for three years.

During her time at HBA she was chosen to travel to Switzerland to represent Houston Ballet Academy in the first Prix de Lausanne Partner Schools Choreographic Project in 2018. She also performed with Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch’s Nutcracker and Ben Stevenson’s Coppélia and toured with the company to Dubai in 2018 for Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake.

A P P R E N T I C E S

V I N C E N T F R A O L A

Vincent Fraola joins the Royal New Zealand Ballet as a 2019 apprentice after performing in The Nutcracker in 2018 where his roles included the Russian Caviar trio.

Vincent was born in Myrtleford, Australia. He started dancing at a young age and trained at Projection Dance School under the direction of Tim Podesta. In 2016 Vincent was accepted as a full time classical major at the New Zealand School of Dance. Whilst at the school Vincent was chosen to take part in an exchange programme at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto and invited to perform at the 5ème rencontre internationale de danse in Tahiti.

C A L U M G R AY

Calum Gray joins the RNZB this year as an apprentice. Calum took up dancing as a hobby at the age of eight. As a teenager, he recognised his desire to dance professionally after being inspired by seeing a performance of Romeo and Juliet by Northern Ballet. Calum’s family immigrated to New Zealand from North Wales when he was just 14. He began full time dance training at 16 and subsequently entered the New Zealand School of Dance, from which he graduated in 2018.

Calum’s talents were highlighted in the School’s 2018 graduation performance, dancing Christopher Wheeldon’s acclaimed pas de deux, After the Rain.

In the following pages we offer our grateful thanks to the individuals and organisations who have made this production possible. To add your name, visit www.rnzb.org.nz/get-involved.

Love to Give.

LEFT / RNZB dancer Laurynas Vėjalis. Photograph by Ross Brown.

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If you would like to become part of the RNZB’s family of supporters and invest in bringing your national ballet company to all New Zealanders, please contact Diane Field, Corporate Development Manager, on 09 379 4004.

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Thank you to the incredible family of sponsors, trusts, funding bodies and personal supporters who contribute so much to our success. We are truly proud to be associated with you.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet is pleased and proud to acknowledge the generous support of the following individuals and organisations: Anonymous x 2, Agincourt Family Trust, Antipodes Water Company, Mark and Louise Binns, Isaac Hikaka and Jessica Miles, Catherine and Steven Fyfe, Gibson Sheat, Golden Edge Nelson Pine Industries, Ann-Louise and Campbell Gower, Les Mills, Rob and Michele MacDonald, Nautilus Estate of Marlborough, PW Dance & Sportswear, The Pye Foundation, Ryman Healthcare, Todd Corporation, The Dress Circle, The Wallace Foundation.

P A R T N E R A D A N C E R

Supporters listed here have made an invaluable contribution to the RNZB in 2019 and/or have made a commitment for 2020.

Thank you.We're grateful to our generous donors.

D I R E C TO R ’ S C I R C L E A N D PA R T N E R A D A N C E R D O N O R S F R O M $ 1 0 , 0 0 0Anonymous x 2

Mark and Louise Binns

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Catherine and Steven Fyfe

Ann-Louise and Campbell Gower

Isaac Hikaka and Jessica Miles

Amanda and Donald Horn

Michele and Rob Macdonald

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Ros and Philip Burdon

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Tim Storey Katrina Todd

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Extreme Dance

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P Fossil

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Sandra Greig MNZM

Sandra Guy

Hawke’s Bay Ballet and Dance Inc.

Les Holborow

Peter and Nicola Jeffares

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Max Kerr and Jenny Robertson

Kinajil-Moran Family

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Anita and Camille Sumpter

R C and J Turner

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Glenda L West

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Susie Wyness

F R O M $ 5 , 0 0 0Ballet Foundation of New Zealand

Ann-Louise and Campbell Gower

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In memory of Kate Meares

SKOPE Industries Ltd

F R O M $ 1 , 0 0 0Anonymous x 1

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Friends of the RNZB

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A N N U A L A P P E A L A N D S P E C I A L I N I T I AT I V E S

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Thank you.

F O U N D I N G PA R T N E R S

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T H E B A L L E T F O U N D AT I O N O F N E W Z E A L A N D

B E Q U E S T S

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Laurie Coon Foundation

Friedlander Foundation

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The James Wallace Arts Trust

Richard and Sally Jarman

Sam Neill and Noriko Watanabe

Ron and Margaret Saunders Trust

The support waiting in the wings.

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R E A L I S E D L E G A C I E S

Jacqueline Banks*

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ME McHardy*

Mrs Noelene McIlroy*

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Ron and Margaret Saunders Trust*

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N OT I F I E D L E G A C I E S

Anonymous x 5

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Anne Briden*

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Bryan Crawford

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Warwick and Leigh Kennedy

The Lynn Trust

Melissandra McDonald*

Jane Meares

Tracey and Olivia Ray*

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Ian Webster

Leonard J Wilson*

Peter Wright*

*We are pleased to recognise donors who have chosen to bestow their legacy gift directly to the RNZB.

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Friends of the RNZBJ O I N T H E

A N D K E E P O U R D A N C E R S O N T H E I R TO E S !

A D U LT M E M B E R S H I P $ 5 0YO U N G F R I E N D S $ 3 0

RNZB dancer Cadence Barrack. Photograph by Ross Brown.

Love to Learn.M A K E E V E R Y D AY A D A N C E D AY

Love to Share.W E ’ R E D E D I C A T E D T O M A K I N G D A N C E A C C E S S I B L E

RNZB Education gratefully acknowledges additional support from the Kelliher Charitable Trust, the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand, the Rātā Foundation, Foundation North, the Les and Sonia Andrews Cultural Foundation, Wellington Community Trust and Perpetual Guardian.

W I N N E R O F T H E A R T S A C C E S S A O T E A R O A C R E AT I V E N E W Z E A L A N D A R T S F O R A L L A W A R D 2 0 1 9

In 2020 we will continue to grow our ground-breaking accessibility programmes, focusing on engagement with all sectors of the community. We recognise that well-being is built through participation – we’ve got wonderful activities for everyone.

If you, or someone you know, has special access requirements when attending any RNZB performance, give us a call on 0800 4 DANCE. For an overview of how we can help, see rnzb.org.nz/access.

F O R A U D I E N C E S A N D C O M M U N I T I E S

AT P E R F O R M A N C E S / Get the most out of your trip to the ballet with free events: Warm Up, Curtain Up before some performances; post-matinee Q&A sessions and pre-performance talks. 2020 dates for all centres are listed online and in the 2020 season guide, now available at the theatre.

A L L Y E A R R O U N D / Visit the website, sign up for our e-newsletter, and follow us on Facebook for updates – including community events, open days and more. There’s something for everyone.

F O R D A N C E R S A N D D A N C E T E A C H E R S

Pursue your dreams with open classes for aspiring dancers taught by RNZB artistic staff. Ballet for Boys gives male students the chance to learn alongside their peers in classes taught by male teachers.

2020 will see the creation of new professional pathways for young dancers.

Dance teachers have the opportunity to take part in professional development seminars. Together with their students they can also enjoy the RNZB’s classes on stage, which showcase the company at work.

R E L A X E D P E R FO R M A N C E S

An opportunity for neuro-diverse children and adults and those with other sensitivity issues or special needs to experience the world of ballet in a sensory-friendly environment.

S I G N I N T E R P R E T E D TO U R S

An NZSL interpreted behind-the-scenes tour of the home of the RNZB. See how the costumes are made and watch the dancers as they rehearse in the studios. Learn about the fascinating history of Aotearoa’s national ballet company.

P R I S O N S P R OJ E C T

Working alongside the Department of Corrections and with the support of Wellington Community Trust and the Kelliher Charitable Trust, the RNZB has expanded its dance workshop programme into men’s and women’s prisons in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. Following an outstanding response from both inmates and staff, the programme will continue, and hopefully expand, in 2020.

F O R S C H O O L S

Let us come to you! Our skilled RNZB Dance Educators offer tailor-made curriculum-linked dance workshops to primary and secondary schools throughout Aotearoa. Make the most of discounted RNZB tickets or attend special schools-only matinees. In 2020 we’ll take our very popular Ballet in a Box performances to eight centres nationwide.

A U D I O - D E S C R I B E D P E R F O R M A N C E S

Vision-impaired patrons can enjoy ballet performances enhanced by live commentary. Before the show experience a behind-the-scenes Touch Tour and learn more about the magic of ballet.

ABOVE / MOOVIT at the Vodafone Events Centre, Manakau with students from Onehunga High School, 2019, photo by Frank Sin.

To find out more visit rnzb.org.nz/education or contact Education, Community & Accessibility Manager, Pascale Parenteau: pascale@rnzb.org.nz / 021 678 521.

IMAGE ABOVE / Top: RNZB Library Storytime with mentor student Emma McWhinnie, 2018.

IMAGE ABOVE / Top: RNZB dancer Kirby Selchow at a touch tour before an audio described performance of The Nutcracker, 2018, photo by Stephen A’Court.

NZSD classical ballet student RIley-Jane Dickie Photographed by Stephen A’Court

www.nzschoolofdance.ac.nz

OFFICIAL SCHOOL OF THEROYAL NEW ZEALAND BALLET

DIRECTOR Garry Trinder MNZM

INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF BALLET

Join us in building a bright future for the RNZB and ballet in New Zealand. Include a gift to The Ballet Foundation of New Zealand in your will and help future generations enjoy the classical dance you love.

Your bequest will be invested to provide an on-going, sustainable source of support so that the Foundation can continue to nurture the growth and development of ballet in New Zealand. As you plan your legacy, you can take pride in becoming the support ‘waiting in the wings’, far into the future.

For more information on including the Foundation in your will, visit balletfoundation.org.nz or contact trustees@balletfoundation.org.nz to begin a confidential discussion.

The Ballet Foundation of New Zealand is an independent charitable trust (registration number CC47241). Patron: Lady Susan Satyanand. Ambassador: Dame Trelise Cooper. Trustees: Jane Meares (Chair), Lilias Bell, Louise Binns, Sarah Cole, Ann-Louise Gower, Melanie Morris, Victoria Muir, Ian Webster.

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Ryman Healthcare RNZB Partnered Dancer Madeleine Graham (back) with Soloists Kate Kadow (centre) and Katherine Minor (front) in Serenade by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust, 2019. Photograph by Stephen A’Court.

Patricia Barker Artistic Director

Lester McGrath Executive Director

A R T I S T I CClytie Campbell Ballet Master

Laura McQueen Schultz Ballet Master

Nicholas Schultz Ballet Master

Michael Auer Guest Ballet Master

Jessica Reese Artistic Planning Manager

Nicholas Giles-Palmer Company Class Pianist

Christine Pearce MNZM Music Librarian

E D U C AT I O NPascale Parenteau Education and Community Manager

Pagan Dorgan Senior Dance Educator

Chloe Bishop Dance Educator

Bea Lee-Smith Dance Educator

Berys Cuncannon Education Coordinator

P R O D U C T I O NAndrew Lees Technical Director

Louise Jakeway Operations Manager

Andrew Tindal-Davies Technical Manager

Paul Thomson Stage Manager

Kirsty Chandler Assistant Stage Manager

Lucie Camp Deputy Stage Manager

Antony Goodin Head Mechanist

Bridget Carpenter Deputy Head Mechanist

Daniel Wilson Head of Lighting

Alex Fisher Deputy Head of Lighting

Whare Moke Head of Audio Visual

Josh Wood Deputy Head of Audio Visual

Henry Hohaia Simon Harrison Drivers

C O S T U M EDonna Jefferis Head of Costume

Emily Barr Costume and Workroom Manager

Hank Cubitt Senior Costumier

Monique Bartosh Costume Assistant

Victoria Gridley Costume Props

Sarah Carswell Tamara Mills Kerry Robinson Jessica Taunt Costume Assistants

Amy McLennan Make-up / Wigs

Gabby Roch Grace Stephenson Elishia Ward Costume Interns

Alison Roigard Alice Wade Wardrobe Masters

W O R K S H O PGavin Underhill Workshop Manager

Kieran Gunn Duncan Perratt Carpenters

Tina Rae Carter Gemma Fieller Scenic Artists

Eva Elliot Jacob Keenan Gabriella Seager James Searle Students from Toi Whakaari

M A R K E T I N G A N D D E V E LO P M E N TSusannah Lees-Jeffries Director of Marketing and Development

Eleanor Bucher Marketing and Sales Manager

Jeremy Brick Media and Communications Manager

Hayley McCarthy Ticketing Manager

Tara Evans Ticketing Coordinator

Anna Hinderwell Marketing and CRM Coordinator

Diane Field Corporate Development Manager

Bryna O’Brien-Kiddey Philanthropy Manager

Lisa Parkes Events and Partnerships Manager

Anthony King Philanthropy Coordinator

A D M I N I S T R AT I O NJan Dunne Chief Financial Officer

Christine Hanks Director of People and Culture

Christine Dong Assistant Accountant

Jude Krautschun Finance Assistant

Jane Burke Office Administrator

Elysia Ellis Executive Assistant / HR Administrator

R N Z B S T A F F

John Avery

Lisa Bates MNZM

Toby Behan

Lilias Bell

Steven Fyfe (Chair)

Isaac Hikaka

Trish Oakley

Mary Slater

Katrina Todd ONZM

Liora Bercovitch (intern trustee)

Kylie Archer

Tracey Bridges (Chair)

Matt Clarke

Dave Gibson

Grant Guilford

Steve Maharey

Wayne Mulligan

Thomas Pippos

W R E D A B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

R OYA L N E W Z E A L A N D B A L L E T

V E N U E S W E L L I N G TO NManaged by Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WellingtonNZ), Chief Executive, Lance Walker

Warrick Dent, General Manager Events and Experiences

A R T I S T I CThe New Zealand School of Dance as official school of the RNZB. Physiotherapy services provided by CBD Physio.

P R O D U C T I O NAll lighting equipment supplied by MJF Lighting. Additional audio-visual equipment provided by Multimedia Wellington.

Thanks to Bunnings Warehouse, Fucotex GmbH & Co., KG and Mall Drycleaners.

M A R K E T I N G A N D D E V E LO P M E N TThank you to our suppliers and supporters for always going the extra mile!

Stephen A’Court, John Bannan (Blue Star Group), Bauer Media Group, Ross Brown and Match Photography, Homegrown Creative, Garage Project, Click Suite, the Tessitura Network, Barb Stone and Ange Wakelin (Media Stone), Ben Stonyer (Phantom Billstickers), Lassoo, Network Visuals, Auckland Live, Ticket Direct, Ticketek, Ticketmaster, MediaWorks, NZME.

A special thank you to the Friends of the RNZB and their volunteers around the country for their continued support.

RNZB portraits and rehearsal images by Stephen A’Court. Hansel & Gretel promotional imagery by Nicola Edmonds, design by Homegrown Creative, make-up and wig by Amy McLennan. Gingerbread house by Kate Marinkovich, tomboy.nz; other cakes by Mariah Grace, gracepatisserie.nz. Television commercial – projection by POW, videography and editing by Jeremy Brick. Rabbit toy lent by Benjamin Cookson. RNZB 2020 season campaign imagery by Ross Brown, make-up assisted by Mackenzie Boddington and Kelly Smither for M.A.C. Other images as credited.

O F F I C I A L S U P P L I E R SAntipodes Water Company, Bunnings Warehouse, Click Suite, L’Affare, Just Water, Logan Brown Restaurant and Bar, Robt. Jones Holdings Ltd., Mall Drycleaners, M.A.C, PW Dance and Sportswear, iSentia, Nautilus Estate of Marlborough.

A D V I S O R S

R OYA L N E W Z E A L A N D B A L L E T B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

Telephone 0800 4 DANCE (0800 432 623) or Wellington office +64 (0)4 381 9000 Fax +64 (0)4 381 9003

Auckland office +64 (0)9 379 4004

inquiry@rnzb.org.nz / rnzb.org.nz

AdministrationLevel 1, 5 Willeston Street Wellington 6011

P O Box 27050Wellington 6141New Zealand

Dance Centre115 Wakefield Street Wellington 6011

Legal | Gibson SheatRepresenting the RNZB Employees Union Inc. | E tu-

Audit | BDO

Information Technology | LANTech

Immigration | Malcolm Pacific

The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a registered charitable trust under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

Thanks to Pub Charity Limited, its venues and publicans, we’re able to maintain our rehearsal studios, wardrobe and offices in Wellington. In addition, Pub Charity Limited makes a major contribution to our touring costs, helping with venue hire, travel and accommodation for dancers and crew, from Whangarei and Kerikeri to Invercargill and Gore.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet would like to thank Pub Charity Limited for its generous support, helping us to serve New Zealand as a truly national company.

Thank you to everyone at Pub Charity Limited – for helping the Royal New Zealand Ballet to bring the very best in live performance to communities around New Zealand. We’re proud to have your support.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FUNDING FROM PUB CHARITY LIMITED:

www.pubcharitylimited.org.nz

WALTZ OF THE POHUTUKAWA FLOWERS, THE NUTCRACKER, 2018 PHOTO: STEPHEN A’COURT