Lest We Forget

Excellence is on show at the Playhouse. Once again the Queensland Ballet has shown how far they have come in five short years under the artistic leadership on Li Cunxin. Dancing better than ever, this young company’s talent was put to the test time and time again in their latest program Lest We Forget, a triple bill of dance works themed on the effects of war.

Of the three pieces Natalie Weir’s We Who Are Left had the most emotional impact. Set during the First World War and danced to excerpts of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem Opus 66, particularly those sections which featured the poems of Wilfred Owen, it was arresting and excitingly theatrical. Weir’s fondness for using lighting for dramatic effect in her work has never been more intense than her opening when five men were lit one by one in pools of white-hot individual light. They were each joined by their women and danced as partners before embarking for the front.

What followed was a searing episode of battle which encapsulated horror, wounding and death. The most harrowing moment of the work came when Clare Morehen stood alone onstage with a pair of battered soldier’s boots at her feet. She was joined by Shane Wuerthner as the memory of the man in her life who did not survive. They slowly danced together upright, then on the floor, bodies were entwined, they almost kissed, but never once touched each other. It was a masterful choreographic moment that was full of the poignancy of loss. When the other four women entered, also with pairs of soldier’s boots, the impact was heightened.

Another powerful moment was Jack Lister’s pas de deux as “The Man Who Lived.” Britten’s music with its themes of conflict and reconciliation perfectly underscored the drama at every turn. Likewise Philip Glass’s The Hours Suite which Ma Cong brilliantly theatricalised on-stage in, In the Best Moments which opened the program. A bold work for seven couples, it was beautifully performed as a series of duets and unison ensemble work. Laura Hildago in swirling orange skirt and Joel Woellner bare-chested in brown tights were outstanding in the 3^rd movement.

The final work, Paul Taylor’s Company B was an exhilarating romp set to The Andrew Sisters recordings of the 40’s and centred on the time of America’s entry into the Second World War. Originally conceived in 1991, Taylor encapsulated every dance craze of the era from Jitterbug to the Lindy Hop, but also managed to create a depth of emotion not present in the recordings. Joel Woellner’s “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” rippled with style, Laura Hildago’s “Rum and Coca Cola” was incredibly Latina and sexy with the boys rolling around on the floor at her feet, but it was Rian Thompson and Teri Crilly’s joyous leaps and irresistible joire de vive in “Pennsylvania Polka” that exalted.

David Walters’ lighting was a star unto itself, especially his striking effects in We Who Are Left, whilst Noelene Hill’s costumes captivated in their simplicity - a quasi-military look for the boys in We Who Are Left, and Bobby-Sox outfits for the girls in Company B. It was a night of first-class ballet deserving of five stars.

Peter Pinne

Photographer: David Kelly