Performances in the new century
As the company stepped into the 21st century, so did the innovative and vibrant performances of the 2000s.
Dracula | 2000
Ou Lu and Pieter Symonds in Dracula, 2000, photograph by Ross Brown.
Michael Pink and Christopher Gable’s production, created for Northern Ballet, was one of the RNZB’s most successful, with a second national tour staged in 2005. ‘Go to the bloody ballet’ said the marketing campaign – and thousands did.
The beginnings of Tutus on Tour | 2001
The Road Tour, later known as Tutus on Tour, was established by Matz Skoog in 1997, with the company dividing in half to tour to dozens of small regional centres.
These posters date from 2001.
Romeo & Juliet | 2003
Christopher Hampson’s production of Romeo & Juliet, designed by Tracy Grant Lord, was commissioned for the RNZB’s 50th anniversary in 2003.
It toured New Zealand in 2003 and 2008 and was presented by the Company at Sadler’s Wells in 2004, with a nomination for an Olivier Award the following year. The production also toured to Australia in 2010.
Alex Wagner and Jane Turner in Romeo & Juliet, 2003, photograph by Bill Cooper.
The Nutcracker | 2005
Gary Harris and Adrian Burnett’s 2005 production of The Nutcracker, with designs by Kristian Fredrikson, was a new twist on the classic story, set in a hospital on Christmas Eve and featuring Jon Trimmer as the Matron of the children’s ward.
Photograph by Maarten Holl.
Cinderella | 2007
Yu Takayama as Cinderella and Alana Baird as the Fairy Godmother in Christopher Hampson’s production of Cinderella, designed by Tracy Grant Lord, in 2007.
The production, subsequently revived in 2012, is now on long-term loan to Scottish Ballet.
Don Quixote | 2008
Paul Mathews as Gamache and Jon Trimmer as Don Quixote, 2008. Dancers in the background, from left, Maree Whyte, Rory Fairweather-Neylan, Antonia Hewitt, Medhi Angot, Brendan Bradshaw (obscured), Jacob Chown, Abigail Boyle and Qi Huan, photograph by Maarten Holl.