All pointes bulletin - latest on the Ballet

All pointes bulletin - latest on the Ballet

Saltarello, week 3

The Meridian Energy Season of Saltarello has entered the third week of its month-long national tour. Palmerston North, Napier and Auckland have already seen the contemporary triple bill, that reviewers have called: "one of the Royal New Zealand Ballet's greatest achievements" (National Business Review); "the most sophisticated [work] the company has performed for some time" (Sunday Star-Times).

* You can read the latest reviews on our website: http://www.nzballet.org.nz/news/reviews.php.

* To find out who will be dancing soloist roles in your centre, check out our casting page: http://www.nzballet.org.nz/dancers/casting.php.

* Performance images are available. Please contact the Ballet if you would like to be emailed a selection.

* Remaining tour dates: Dunedin, March 9; Christchurch, March 12-14; New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington, March 18-21.

Full house in Dunedin

Tonight's performance of The Meridian Energy Season of Saltarello has sold out in Dunedin. The last time the Royal New Zealand Ballet put the 'house full' sign outside the 1750-seater Regent Theatre was in 2000, with its season of Dracula.

Bending Library The National Library's exhibition on the history of the Royal New Zealand Ballet closes on 16 March. TUTU gives visitors an insight into the history of the company, and features photographs, moving images, and costumes. Gallery opening hours: 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, 9am-4.30pm Saturday and 1pm-4.30pm Sunday. National Library of New Zealand, Cnr Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Wellington. Phone: (04) 474 3000.

What's next? As soon as the final curtain comes down on Saltarello, the dancers will plunge into rehearsals for the company's UK tour. During April and May, the entire company of 32 dancers will tour six centres, including London's Sadler's Wells Theatre.

Christopher Hampson's passionate and dramatic Romeo and Juliet is the tour centrepiece. Described by the New Zealand Herald as "a display of explosive, lithe and lyrical excellence that brings tradition and tragedy into the 21st century", the production was first performed in 2003. Super-charged and fleet-footed, the company's contemporary triple bill features Hampson's Saltarello, Javier De Frutos' Milagros, and Mark Baldwin's FrENZy.

UK tour dates: * Manchester: Lowry Theatre, Salford, 21-24 April * London: Sadler's Wells, 27 April - 1 May * Glasgow: Theatre Royal, 4-8 May * Edinburgh: Festival Theatre, 11-15 May * High Wycombe: Wycombe Swan, 18-21 May * Bath: Theatre Royal, 25-29 May

For booking information, visit our website booking page: http://www.nzballet.org.nz/bookings/options.php

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