Les Sylphides and The Nutcracker

A NIGHT OF DAZZLING TALENT AND CHARM

Review by Jean Sinclair

The Ballet Theatre of Queensland handled The Nutcracker and Les Sylphides with the right technique to produce a quite astonishingly successful first night last night.

It faced some frightening difficulties to do so. The Twelfth Night Theatre stage imposes limitations of space for a ballet production. And the company, composed of students from ballet studios around Brisbane, obviously works on a budget tight enough to frighten Treasurer Howard out of his wits.

But a positive approach, the appealing youth of many of its performers down to the littlest angels, and burst of dazzling talent and charm carried the night to a triumphant conclusion, complete with curtain calls usually awarded only to professionals.

The climax of the evening was the Grande Pas de Deux of The Nutcracker, when Glenda Kelly and Bill Stanfield won spontaneous applause for a series of dramatic tableaux.

But talent was spread throughout the evening. Les Sylphides was a very credible performance of a classic that is demanding of the greatest dancers.

Appealing

There was appealing solo work by Marise McGuirk and Susan McIntosh. Both are in the classic mould with very lovely line of head and arms. Susan McIntosh who was partnered by Bill Stanfield in a graceful pas de deux, achieved the ethereal quality that is essential to this difficult work.

But of all the performers, one of the most extraordinary was the very youthful Sallyanne Kay, who danced and mimed her way through the role of Clara in The Nutcracker with astonishing grace and aplomb. This child is not only an accomplished dancer, but displays a thorough comprehension of her role that is not too often seen in seasoned ballerinas.

There was some excellent corps de ballet work and miming among the polichinelle, the cooks and maids in The Nutcracker.

Soldiers

And the mice corps de ballet was delightful. The Nutcracker soldiers were good too even if they nearly dropped their Mouse King several times in getting him off stage.

The Ballet Theatre has been the cradle of Brisbane ballet talent for more than 40 years.  In this production of two tried and true classics, artistic director Phyllis Danaher, assisted by Carmel Nolan, is demonstrating the declared function of Ballet Theatre of Queensland as an association for the advancement of ballet culture and the development of the student in the classical tradition.

Congratulations are due to all concerned for this impressive marshalling of 30 dancers and 88 children.

The Telegraph, 23 August 1979