decade

Performances of the 1960s

Russell and June Kerr in Prismatic Variations, 1960. Photograph by John Ashton, Russell Kerr private collection. Prismatic Variations was created by Russell Kerr and Poul Gnatt, to music by Brahms (Variations on a Theme of Haydn) in 1959. It was revised, with new designs by Raymond Boyce, in 1960, and was a frequent inclusion in New Zealand Ballet programmes for the next decade.

Prismatic Variations | 1960

The Judgement of Paris, 1961. Anthony Tudor’s 1938 ballet, to music by Kurt Weill and with designs by Raymond Boyce, was staged by Peggy van Praagh. Dancers from left, Gloria Young, Jan Goodyer, Philip Markham and Valerie Whyman. The following year, van Praagh became the Founding Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet.

The Judgement of Paris | 1961

Napoli, 1962. This was the first full-length season of the Danish classic to be staged outside Denmark – a coup for the fledgling New Zealand Ballet.

Napoli | 1962

Jacqueline Muirhead as Peter and Arthur Turnbull as the Wolf in Peter and the Wolf, 1962. This production, with choreography by Russell Kerr and designs by Raymond Boyce, to Prokofiev’s music, was originally created for schools and was subsequently restaged for public performances. RNZB Collection, PA-Coll-8050-02-54 ATL.

Peter and the Wolf | 1962

Guest artists Svetlana Beriosova and Karl Musil in rehearsal for Act II of Swan Lake, 1964, photograph by John Ashton, RNZB Collection PA-Coll-8050-05-24, ATL. This was one of the annual outdoor summer performances staged at the Festival of the Pines at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth.

Swan Lake | 1964

Alexander Grant (1925 – 2011) as Petrouchka, 1964, photograph by John Ashton.

Petrouchka | 1964

Ken Tillson, Rosemary Johnston and Alexander Grant in Petrouchka, 1964, photograph by John Ashton.

Giselle Act II, with Georgene Walker as Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, 1965. This was the first full production of Giselle to be staged in New Zealand, with staging by Sara Neil and designs by Raymond Boyce. Photograph by John Ashton.

Giselle | 1965

A lunchtime performance of Russell Kerr’s Prismatic Variations at the Lane Walker Rudkin factory in Christchurch, 1969, photograph originally from the Christchurch Star. Outdoor performances were a feature of the RNZB’s early years with performances at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth taking place almost every summer from 1959 – 67. The tradition of performances in the community continues through RNZB Education’s ‘Ballet in a Box’ and Tutus on Tour for Schools, as well as initiatives such as the annual Te Papa Whānau Day.

Prismatic Variations | 1969

Gerard Sibbritt and Janne Blanch in Children of the Mist, 1969, by Leigh Brewer, designed by Harry Baker and with an original score by Christopher Small. Photograph by John Ashton, RNZB Collection, PA-Coll-8050-08-22 ATL.

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through the decades

Performances of the 1960s

The 1960s were a decade filled with memorable and inspirational choreography and performances by the New Zealand Ballet Company.

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