Te Vara Nui Village

A highlight of our holiday was an evening at Te Vara Nui Village. Te Vara Nui is a traditional island village that was built to honour Mama Vara, who is now in her 80s yet was there to greet us at the entrance. The village itself had flooded earlier in the week after some very heavy rain, meaning that we couldn't take the tour but the over water show would go ahead as planned.

This is the scene that greeted us on arrival.

Entrance to Te Vara Nui Village

The tables are arranged on either side of this scene, meaning that everyone has a pretty good viewing point for the show which takes place on and around the water in the middle. Dinner was first; a huge island style buffet featuring all the usual suspects as well as a range of island cuisine to sample.

An island style buffet awaits

Since we were enjoying an island holiday, it seemed right to indulge in a cocktail. My dessert cocktail was appropriately named Island Love and was full of all the good stuff: Kahlúa, Baileys, Frangelico, Crème de Cacao, brandy and cream. With a table overlooking the water, I was all set for the show.

Island Love dessert cocktail

Now for the entertainment. As a family of entertainers, we were a bit skeptical, worried we'd be subjected to a heavily contrived performance then quickly ushered out, all the while being assured that we'd had a 'cultural' experience. What followed was a thoroughly delightful evening of music and dance that we'd highly recommend other visitors go and see.

The show tells the story of Tonga-iti, a legendary warrior whose arrival in the Cook Islands caused quite a stir among the locals many moons ago. The performers delivered a high energy celebration of this historical event through music, dance, costumes and lights. They cleverly used the 360° stage and surrounding pool so that every seat was the best in the house.

Here are a few action shots from a mesmorising evening.

Swan Lake

The  Royal New Zealand Ballet is celebrating 60 years in 2013 and on Thursday night we saw the company perform Swan Lake, accompanied by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky's masterpiece is a fitting celebration for the ballet, who are in very fine form.

Reviews are favourable and thoroughly deserved. The set is exquisite, conveying elegance, depth and mystique around the lake, which contrasts with the opulence of the palace. The costumes are a work of art themselves and work well with the highly technical choreography. (Count those jumps on pointes!)

Gillian Murphy playing the dual roles of Odette and Odile was beyond outstanding, if that's possible. It's hard to look anywhere else when Murphy takes the stage; her performance as the vulnerable Odette contrasted with the brash, self-assured Odile is truly mesmerising. Karel Cruz's legs go on forever, making every movement seem silky smooth. Rory Fairweather-Neylan delivered a strong, energetic performance as the jester and Sir Jon Trimmer appeared for a delightful cameo.

This production deviated from the traditional ending, which was a surprise but doesn't take away from the resplendent performance. Swan Lake by the Royal New Zealand Ballet really is a must see.

The Nutcracker

I adore The Nutcracker. It's my absolute favourite ballet and the score puts me in a childlike happy place each year in the crazy lead-up to Christmas.

Last night, I ticked off one of the things on my Well, I never list when I saw Moscow Ballet perform The Nutcracker in Wellington. (I kicked myself after missing out on the Royal New Zealand Ballet production of The Nutcracker a few years ago so resolved to put it right next time the show came to town.)



This was a highly technical production with the danseur playing the Nutcracker Prince deserving the highest accolades. His dancing was simply superb! The Arabian coffee soloists with their acrobatic infused routine also stole the limelight during the Land of the Sweets solos. I don't remember the mice being so sinister in the televised versions I've seen and was surprised at how ominous the model nutcracker looked before coming to life. I also expected the Sugar Plum Fairy to be pinky-purple but she was instead resplendent in white with a silver trim.

There is a good synopsis here if you're not familiar with all the characters and how they come to life throughout the ballet. Even if you don't know all of the Nutcracker Suite, you are probably aware of the muzak versions of the beautiful Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Toy Trumpets; thanks to repetitive advertising from cleaning product manufacturers. I implore you to see and hear each piece in its intended glory on a beautiful stage. I grinned for nearly two hours!

A totally magical evening and a childhood dream. Next time, I'd love to see The Nutcracker accompanied by a live orchestra.

Cinderella

My love of dance stems from learning ballet for six years during my childhood. More recently, we enjoyed watching the first two tv series of The Secret Lives of Dancers, which followed members of the Royal New Zealand Ballet while they rehearsed to go on tour. We got to know some of the dancers, celebrated their success and felt the pain of their injuries. A highlight of the 2011 World of Wearable Art Awards was the spectacular avant garde segment featuring the Royal New Zealand Ballet and accompanied by opera singers.

The cast of Cinderella

Last night, we saw the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Cinderella at the St James Theatre in Wellington. It was a real treat to see some familiar faces on stage, including the adorable Lucy Green as Cinderella and Abigail Boyle as the fairy godmother – two of our favourites from the tv show. The two stepsisters and stepmother (who were far from ugly) provided many moments of humour. Danseurs of note included a dashing prince, an exceptional grasshopper and a rare treat in the form of an appearance by ballet great Sir Jon Trimmer.

Cinderella is a delightful performance for ballet buffs and casual fans alike. The show is on for a couple more nights in Wellington before moving on to Invercargill, so there are still some chances to catch it around the country.

Dancing in the station

I saw this video on Tony Ryan's blog, Ripple Effects, this morning. Tony explains:

Antwerp Central Railway Station in Belgium on 23 March 2009. A recording of "Do Re Mi", sung by Julie Andrews, suddenly began playing over the public address system, and 200 people streamed out of the crowd and began dancing. They had practised twice. Pretty good effort for two rehearsals.

The Sound of Music (1959) is one of my all-time favourite musicals and movies (1965). I know every line and every musical piece, both from watching the movie repeatedly in my teens and also being in our school production of the musical. Somehow, for me, its appeal never dates. This dance is something I'd love to try but doubt I'll ever manage to do. The song wouldn't necessarily need to be something from The Sound of Music, so long as it was a well-known musical piece and, preferably, one which is capable of conjuring up nostalgia within the masses. A few ideas are popping into my head as I write this ...

Watch out Wellington!

Fringe Festival

8 February - 2 March 2008

The Fringe Festival begins tomorrow. It is a delightful feast of music, dance, theatre, arts, and other events by both experienced and up-and-coming performers. Wellington knows how to put on a show, and with a Fringe Addict Card you can't beat the pricing ... there are also free outdoor events.

So, I'm going through my constantly-filling-up diary and the Fringe Festival book and trying to work out:

1. when I am in town (easy)
   
2. what I want to see (slightly tricky - so many appealing options)
   
3. whether what I want to see is on when I am in town (incredibly tricky - lots of organisation required here!)
   

Bring it on!!