Sydney Opera House presents a Sadler’s Wells production with David Hallberg 27 – 31 AUGUST Drama Theatre 1 Welcome Louise Herron AM Olivia Ansell Chief Executive Officer Head of Contemporary Performance Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House Welcome to the Australian premiere of Pure Dance What makes a great dancer? Artistry. And Natalia by one of the most distinctive ballerinas of our Osipova has it in spades. time, Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova. This Contemporary Performance at Sydney Opera House breathtaking program showcases not only her champions modern storytellers and the mavericks artistic versatility and exquisite technique, but who reinvent classic art forms. Following on from also her expertise as a curator. Contemporary Performance’s season of LEV Dance Pure Dance features six pieces – including four Company’s Love Cycle earlier this year, Pure Dance newly commissioned works – and reunites starring Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg Osipova with David Hallberg, an American Ballet with guest artists Jonathan Goddard and Jason Theatre principal and resident guest artist with Kittelberger straddles the perfect balance of classical The Australian Ballet. and contemporary choreography featuring work by some of the world’s most exciting dance makers. I would like to acknowledge Sadler’s Wells in London, and the Opera House’s commitment to From Roy Assaf’s Six Years Later and Flutter by continuing our long-standing collaboration to Spanish choreographer Iván Pérez through to present works by the world’s most celebrated Valse Triste by former Bolshoi Artistic Director and choreographers. American Ballet Theatre choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, this mixed bill of works also features Thanks also to our visionary philanthropic group a new solo by emerging Japanese choreographer The Greats and our Major Partner Etihad Airways and former Hamburg Ballet soloist Yuka Oishi. This for their invaluable support in making this season month, in keeping with the theme of showcasing possible, including bringing artists from around the women in dance, Sydney Opera House are also world to Sydney, among them on this occasion the proud to partner with Dance Australia and the marvellous Natalia Osipova. Australian Ballet to offer a choreographic residency I hope you enjoy the performance. for Australian choreographer Amelia Drummond, formerly of Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. This new initiative was formed to nurture professional opportunities for female choreographers wishing to create work with classically trained dancers. Osipova and Hallberg – whose collective credits Cover photo credit: Johan Persson include starring roles with The Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre – is a truly magical pairing that we hope you enjoy. 2 3 A note from Natalia I am so pleased to have been asked to develop this programme, Pure Dance, produced by Sadler’s Wells following our first collaboration in 2016. I want to offer the audience works that will demonstrate the power of dance to move, emote and inspire. These pieces are all created by choreographers that I greatly admire, including established icons like Tudor, contemporary artists such as Ratmansky, and emerging choreographers, whose work shows so much promise and makes the future of dance very exciting. I feel deeply honoured that David Hallberg has graciously agreed to join me on stage for this programme. He is one of the greatest artists of his generation, and will be able to flawlessly convey the essence and precious qualities of the work he performs. Dance is an amazing language, whether classical or contemporary or any other style. I really enjoy dancing and working with amazing choreographers and partners who deeply inspire me. The works in this programme reflect my personal taste, hopes and dreams for the future of the art form I hold so dear. Natalia Osipova Artistic Director and Dancer Photo credit: Rick Guest. Stylist credit: Olivia Pomp 4 5 Program of Works The Leaves are Fading Flutter In Absentia Six Years Later Choreographer: Antony Tudor Choreographer: Iván Pérez Choreographer: Kim Brandstrup Choreographer: Roy Assaf World Premiere: 1975, American Ballet Theatre World Premiere: 2018, Sadler’s Wells World Premiere: 2018, Sadler’s Wells World Premiere: 2011, Suzanne Dellal Centre, Israel Dancers: Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg Dancers: Natalia Osipova and Jonathan Goddard Dancers: David Hallberg Dancers: Natalia Osipova and Jason Kittelberger Composer: Antonín Dvořák, from string quartet Composer: Nico Muhly, Mothertongue (I. Archive II. Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer: Deefly,Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Cypresses and other chamber music for strings Shower IV. Monster) By arrangement with Chester Music Chaconne in D-minor, part 1 Beethoven, Reflections of my life by Marmalade Limited acting on behalf of itself and St Rose Music Music Editing: Reut Yehudai This performance of the main pas de deux from Flutter is a vibrant dance with a simple metaphor: The ‘absence’ of the title has two very different What event preceded this encounter? the ballet The Leaves are Fading, choreographed a jump into the abyss, stepping into the unknown. resonances. Firstly, it is a treasured moment in The knowing that a certain past eventually caused by Antony Tudor, is presented by arrangement with When Natalia invited me to create this piece for the creative process when a dancer has learnt the new encounter, will transport you between the The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust. It salutes the artistry, her and Jonathan, I felt the urge to question our a new piece. Withdrawing into himself, he is obvious present and the presumed past. vision and enduring relevance of Tudor’s work. relationship to the unknown and our desire to temporarily ‘absent,’ his stillness registering his This delicately nuanced pas de deux explores the discover new territories. I was immediately inspired intense concentration, totally absorbed in the music, We don’t know if they met, or loved, or if they reminiscence of love and the bittersweet beauty of by the exhilarating music of the composer Nico charting the movements of the choreography. hoped for more encounters. We can understand the passing of life. As summer drifts into autumn we Muhly, Mothertongue. Here, a soundscape of what happened during the six years preceding this A yet more mysterious sense of ‘absence’ emerged are reminded of the many seasons of our own lives, female voices is formed by digits extracted from moment only by what they have decided to share when we were working in the studio. Even when and how the melancholic beauty of falling blossoms addresses where Nico had lived. A kind of archive with us now. the violin filled the empty rehearsal room with and fading leaves can be seen as a greater metaphor of reminiscent memories, carrying the emotional sound, it somehow made the space seem vast and A quiet meeting, embarrassed, hushed. Perhaps of the infinite nature of life itself. resonance of his personal journey. Natalia’s desire desolate. The music intensified a sense of solitude they remember each other, maybe they are trying to to create a new work in which she may discover – The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust surrounding David: he seemed alone, wrapped in an prove that these six years were not in vain. something new about herself, through the encounter uncanny sense of something or somebody no longer of a new movement language, has been a great As their gestures are passing in front of our eyes, being there, having left, departed, gone… inspiration for this piece and for my life. each flicker of movement will either confirm what – Kim Brandstrup, September 2018 we thought or shatter our assumptions. – Iván Pérez, September 2018 – Amir Kliger 6 Photo credit: Johan Persson 7 Ave Maria Valse Triste Choreographer: Yuka Oishi Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky World Premiere: 2018, Sadler’s Wells World Premiere: 2018, Sadler’s Wells Dancers: Natalia Osipova Dancers: Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg Composer: Franz Schubert, Ave Maria, Composer: Jean Sibelius, Valse Triste Ellens Gesang III, D. 839 Barbara Bonney & Geoffrey Parsons Despite the music, this is not a religious piece. I have known Natalia from her early days at the Ave Maria is about a woman with a strength of Bolshoi when I was artistic director, and since then love and sensibility. at American Ballet Theatre, where I also worked with David Hallberg. They are both very special When I started to pick a theme, intuition told me artists, dear to my heart, and I am delighted that the to work with Natalia‘s feminine side. I had an image three of us have been reunited to work on this piece. of her dancing to a powerful yet beautiful song in a simple white dress to reflect this. Valse Triste is a short work. This “sad waltz” is by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It’s music that I believe that dance is a language which we are only I have always wanted to dance to myself, and so able to feel. Working with Natalia, I thought I might has a very personal meaning to me. And now it is be able to find a new way of phrasing a sentence or significant in a new way because it forms part of even finding a new language together. Natalia’s own project, with a name that I like very – Yuka Oishi, September 2018 much. It says it all: Pure Dance. – Alexei Ratmansky, September 2018 Photo: Alistair Muir 8 Photo credit: Johan Persson 9 Dancers Natalia Osipova David Hallberg Artistic Director and Dancer Dancer Russian dancer Natalia Osipova is a principal of Born in South Dakota, David Hallberg trained at The Royal Ballet. Born in Moscow, she began the Arizona Ballet School and the Paris Opera Ballet dancing at the age of five, and at age eight joined School before joining American Ballet Theatre in the Mikhail Lavrosky Ballet School.