by Chua Wei Ling
Ballet Under the Stars returns for it’s 20th edition on the 12th of June, marking the first weekend of the 2 weekends worth of performances. Despite the dreary weather, anticipation for a night of wonderful performances was clearly in the air, for the crowd certainly wasn’t put off by the weather!
Presenting Double Contrasts, which was a neo-classical piece driven heavily by choreography of the ballet rather than having a plot, the lead pair of dancers, Rosa Park and Kenya Nakamura, were particularly delightful to watch, for while Rosa radiated charm and grace, and paired off well with Kenya’s calm and stoic expression. The theme of contrast was not only evident on the dancers, but even in the two pianos in dialogue in Poulenc’s concerto.
Rubies by George Balanchine and the African-inspired Lambarena by Val Caniparoli were interesting pieces that were presented too. Lambarena used brightly coloured and tribal looking costumes and was a great contrast away from the black or white costumes presented in Double Contrasts. The movements of the dancers in both pieces were also fluid and skilled, keeping in unison of each other in the pieces and wowing the audience.
Even though the night sky was without stars, clearly by the end of the performance, it really didn’t matter much because the real stars, were those clearly – and shining brightly on the stage instead.
The second weekend of Ballet Under the Stars will be from 19 June – 21 June at Fort Canning Green. Do get your tickets from SISTIC and enjoy a night of lovely performance!
