19 November 2002
RNZB DANCING ON YOUR DOORSTEP

© RNZB

The Royal New Zealand Ballet packs up all its tights, tutus and tiaras and hits the nation’s highways and byways with New Zealand Post Tutus on Tour, a 50th anniversary tour of small towns in 2003.

“New Zealand Post Tutus on Tour brings dance to your doorstep. We’re honouring our earliest tiki-touring tradition in a six week, 50-centre tour of community theatres, school halls and opera houses,” said Artistic Director Gary Harris.

The tour will see the company of 32 dancers divided into two groups, one to tour the North Island and one to tour the South Island. From selling the show to local presenters, firming up venue details and booking accommodation, the demanding travel itinerary has been two years in the planning.

“This tour is our chance to get back to the communities that have supported us since we were a company of just four dancers and a pianist,” said Mr Harris.

“For 50 years the Royal New Zealand Ballet has made a name for itself for pushing the boundaries, stretching the limits, and taking the art of classical ballet forward in this country. To mark our Golden Anniversary, we’ve planned a stunning programme which is sure to be welcomed by classical purists and fans of contemporary ballet,” he said.

The tour premieres Milagros, a powerful new work set to Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring from acclaimed contemporary choreographer Javier de Frutos. Once described as ‘a maverick of the dance world’, Javier’s work is noted for its exciting theatricality and unique movement style.

After restaging this year’s enormously successful season of Swan Lake, Harris will revive another gem from the golden age of classical ballet, Petipa’s ravishing and provocative Paquita to music by Minkus.

Mark Baldwin's fleet-footed contemporary ballet FrENZy will be given the greatest hits treatment. An audience favourite, FrENZy was first performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2001. Music legend and Split Enz founder Tim Finn said at the time: “the dancing was so good. Mark Baldwin's a genius…Split Enz's body of work is quite eclectic and I thought his dancing took it all on somewhere else. It's amazing" – Evening Post, 14 June 2001. Another of Mark’s works will also be performed on the tour – the deliciously sensuous Melting Moments, a lyrical interpretation of Dvorák’s American Quartet.

Elmar Toime, Chief Executive of New Zealand Post said the Ballet's tour is a wonderful opportunity for people throughout New Zealand to experience one of New Zealand's most highly regarded artistic treasures.

"New Zealand Post is a committed supporter of the community and the arts and we are pleased to help the Royal New Zealand Ballet present its wide range of world class dance to heartland New Zealand."

The company’s 2001 46-leg nationwide was the subject of an entertaining documentary, Tutus ‘n’ Town Halls, which aired on TV ONE in December that year.

New Zealand Post Tutus on Tour performs in a town near you from 20 February to 5 April 2003:

Akaroa
Alexandra
Ashburton
Balclutha
Blenheim
Christchurch
Dannevirke
Dargaville
Dunedin
Gisborne
Greymouth
Hamilton
Hastings
Hawera
Invercargill
Kaikoura
Kataia
Keri Keri
Kohimarama
Lower Hutt
Martinborough
Masterton
Nelson
New Plymouth
Oamaru
Palmerston North
Papakura
Paraparaumu
Putaruru
Queenstown
Rotorua
Taihape
Takapuna
Taupo
Tauranga
Te Kuiti
Thames
Timaru
Twizel
Upper Hutt
Wainuiomata
Waipukurau
Wanaka
Wanganui
Wellington
Wellsford
Westport
Whakatane
Whangarei
…and Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

A full tour itinerary with booking details for your community will be posted on the Royal New Zealand Ballet website – http://www.nzballet.org.nz/ – in early December 2002.
ENDS