Pina in 3D is a 3D film about the German dance pioneer Pina Bausch by the director Wim Wenders. The film takes the audience on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery, drawing us deeply into the unique and inspiring art of Bausch. It must be pretty spectacular seeing dance in a 3D screen.

I have several 2 for 1 ticket passes for the Pina in 3D season which starts on 18 August. You can use the passes Mondays to Fridays during the film’s theatrical season in Melbourne at Cinema Nova and Palace Balwyn Cinemas.

If you’d like a pass, just include a comment below and the winners will be drawn randomly at the end of today. Good luck!

The Australian Ballet‘s latest production for its Melbourne-only winter season is a double bill entitled Elegy ‘A meditation on Bach, beauty and the great beyond’.

The company’s resident choreographer (and former company dancer) Stephen Baynes has devised two works inspired by Faure’s Requiem and various Bach pieces. Both show a similar aesthetic style – clean classical lines and a flowing fluidity, a sense of poetic fragility.

The production opened with a silent, eerie march of people down the stage, lending a sombre and funereal atmosphere to the shimmering darkness. Members of the Victorian Opera mingled with the black-clad dancers then retreated to behind a translucent silvery-grey backdrop, although they were integral to the effectiveness of the piece. I loved hearing the choristers during in each of the segments (often backlit in a ghostly aura), as the richness of their voices added a depth of emotion that a recorded version could never have replicated.

My favourite part of this work was the first pas de deux with Robert Curran and Madeleine Eastoe. I almost held my breath as the two dancers worked together to move with strength and grace in constant circles, never standing still as if propelled by an imaginary centrifugal force. It was a sweeping, passionate moment and the audience clearly found their dancing as stunning as I did, as the flow of the full work was uncharacteristically interrupted by enthusiastic applause.

My only issue was with the single middle-aged woman who would weave in and out of the dancers and occasionally react to them. I felt that it gave the allegory of life and loss an unnecessarily literal element (woman remembering her past? contemplating her future? seeking long-lost loved ones and reliving memories?) when the dancers themselves successfully conveyed the elegiac elegance of the work.

In the second act the stage had been transformed to a stylised Baroque mansion. Once again a lone female figure traversed the stage in period garb until the dancers took the stage. The waft of incense immediately transported me to the dusty Baroque churches of Europe where Bach’s work would have first been heard.

Here the logical, mathematical purity of Bach’s music was manifest in groups of dancers moving in perfect unison (something that was occasionally missing in the first act). The four male dancers leaping and almost frolicking together to the contrapunctal lines of melody were a highlight, as was the introduction of the numerous pairs of dancers one by one in a scene remiscent of the entrance of the swans in Swan Lake.

The Elegy double bill is a understated, refined production which resonates with intelligence and beauty. It is playing at the Arts Centre until 18 June and you can buy tickets here.

Thank you to The Australian Ballet for the invitation.

Elegy, The Australian Ballet, The Arts Centre State Theatre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, ,,

Equinox is a new show by Melbourne’s Retina Productions featuring National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) alumni which is running for a limited season at North Melbourne’s Meat Market from February 9 to 12.

The 65 minute show involves aerial ballet, acrobatics and contortionism and is a journey through history’s most significant times starting with Ancient Egypt and taking in Ancient China, 50s New York and inspired imaginings of a new era 2012.

Tickets are on sale online at OzTix Ph 1300 762 545 and OzTix Retail Outlets. And for one lucky reader I have two tickets for the opening night performance of Equinox on Wednesday 9 February 7:30pm! All you have to do is leave a comment below and the winner will be drawn randomly and announced tomorrow.

Update 8 February: Thanks for all your entries! The Kitchenaid of Fortune has picked not one, but THREE winners thanks to the generosity of Retina Productions – Alissa, Kate and Teeo, you each receive a pair of tickets for the opening night performance of Equinox.

I really enjoy going to see musicals but even with ample opportunity to see award-winning musical Hairspray both in Australia and overseas, for some reason I thought it was going to be too corny, too kitsch, for me to enjoy.

How wrong I was. I LOVED Hairspray. I can even safely say that it’s the best live performance I’ve seen in a recent memory. That includes Sydney Theatre Company’s Uncle Vanya (with Cate Blanchett, John Bell, Richard Roxborough, Hugo Weaving) and Bell Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night.

Hairspray is a big, bold and colourful show full of boppy, toe-tapping tunes. The dancing was sharp and joyous, the singing was superb, I liked the early 60s costuming and the interactive, cartoonish set and you could really tell that the performers loved their jobs. It touches on issues like discrimination, segregation and racism, but it’s never earnest – it’s 2.5 hours of rollicking good fun that will have you smiling and feeling good when you leave.

I’ve not seen the movie of the same name (starring John Travolta) but I can’t imagine it topping the magic of live theatre. Sometimes a cast is able to feed off the positive energy of the audience and I really felt this two-way communication at the matinee performance I attended. The love in the room was palpable and as the= performers took their bows you could see that they were moved by the emotion in the room. I really think the enthusiastic audience encouraged the cast to give 110% of themselves into their singing and dancing and it really made the performance special for me.

Particular mention must go to the pitch-perfect performance of Jaz Flowers as big-hearted lead character Tracy Turnblad.  The 22-year old from Gippsland has a story straight from A Star is Born – her professional debut was only in 2009 and Hairspray is her first lead role. She was charming, sweet and a girl with a big voice. A sensation.

One final note. The cheap seats are not bad seats in the Princess Theatre! I paid $50 (the cheapest seats) for a restricted view seat in the stalls (S11) and had a brilliant view. The pole obscured the tiniest bottom corner of the stage where none of the performers went and I could see pretty much the full set. It’s a bargain.

Read the reviews from The Age and Herald Sun.

So I was very excited to see that one of the free events being held as part of State of Design 2010, Victoria’s design festival, was a screening of The Red Shoes. Not just at any cinema though – a screening held in the wunderkammer workshops of shoemakers Preston Zly, where everyone was invited to wear their red shoes.

We arrived at the dimly lit workshop via a nondescript carpark off Smith Street and was greeted by the smell of popcorn. Each guest was given a paper bag of popcorn, a glass of pink sparkling and a little chocolate – so cute! We were all asked to take a full –length photo with our red shoes – mine were red suede pumps by Georgina Goodman which you may have seen before. All red shoes worn to the event will form part of a photographic installation.

Inside the workshop red shoes abounded in the cabinets, on the walls and resting eerily on silenced shoe-making equipment – very Victorian Gothic.

Being early birds, we claimed the best spot – front row of the seats, behind the big mattress and cushions set out for the latecomers. My low easy-chair even had a granny crochet rug, a necessity after a while in the winter night chill.

As for the movie itself, many of you may be familiar with the classic 1948 film so I won’t delve into details – but if you’ve not seen it, get it out on DVD! The acting is a bit OTT compared to naturalistic modern methods but it’s still a lovely journey into my favourite place in the whole wide world – the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden – and the dream of ballet.

On leaving, we were all presented with a gift bag – a pair of luxurious Leona Edmiston opaque tights and a gift voucher of $100 towards a pair of Preston Zly shoes form The Signet Bureau on Gertude St. Time for some more red shoes perhaps?

Tonight is the last screening of Preston Zly and The Red Shoes – there may still be seats so RSVP at info@prestonzlydesign.com or call +61 3 9417 2176.

• Preston Zly and The Red Shoes, Preston Zly Studio, Rear 219 Smith St, Fitzroy +61 3 9417 2176

Today’s HOT Chat is with the Short + Sweet DANCE’s Festival Director, Alister Smith. Thanks Alister!

Alister, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to be the Festival Director of the Short + Sweet DANCE?

I have my own Theatre production house called REDROOM.THEATRE.COMPANY of which I have been artistic director for the last 6 years. I have created, produced and directed many shows that focus on the musical theatre and cabaret genre.

In 2008 I entered a piece that I wrote and directed into the inaugural Short Sweet + Cabaret Festival which was lucky enough to win and that is how the organisation became familiar with my work. So, combining that and my very long relationship with dance I was offered the role of Festival Director of Short + Sweet DANCE Melbourne.

What’s a typical work day for you?

Early Rise. Coffee and The Age. Check work email account and flag and respond to anything that need urgent attention. The day can then be spent doing any number of things from designing art work for promotional material, emails, drumming up interest in for the festival and for any of other my other shows, emails, meeting with colleagues and my production teams, emails, scheduling, emails, time lining, emails, sorting logistics of productions, emails, many many phone calls, emails, pitching ideas and brainstorming, emails, then down to my favourite café Orange for some creating and writing…..emails.

What do you enjoy most about working at the Short + Sweet DANCE?

Helping first time choreographers realise their visions by putting their creations on stage.

What are some of the most interesting or challenging projects that you’ve worked on in your career?

Last year’s inaugural SS+D festival was one of the most challenging process. Kicking off a brand new festival in Melbourne, the capital of arts festivals is no easy feat especially when I only had three months to do so…… but this was one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of my life.

What is it about Short + Sweet DANCE that makes it different to other dance events?

What identifies this festival is simple….. be 10 minutes or less in length!

We are searching for every style. Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Physical theatre, Burlesque basically if you could dance it we want to see it. We want the best of the best. Push the boundaries be creative, be original, be under 10 minutes in length and you were in.

With the S+S festivals the audience only needs to come along to one venue to see all the pieces, you don’t have to worry about making it all over the city to a multitude of venues to see the pieces you want. We throw them all together under one roof for a night of non-stop brilliance!

Last year’s event was a big hit! What can audiences expect at this year’s festival?

BIGGER & BETTER!! is all I can say….. I’m programing a festival that is fast and furious! We have more variety and everyone is pushing the boundaries… they are being brave and daring with their art forms. There is definitely  something there to challenge and excite everyone from jazz to contemporary to Hip-Hop……

Finally, what are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

• Orange (126 Chapel St, Windsor +61 3 9529 1644) …. best coffee in town!
• Porgie & Mr Jones (291 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn +61 3 9882 2955)…. Melbourne’s best breakfast!
• The Local Tap house (184 Carlisle St, St Kilda East +61 3 9537 2633)…. The best beer!
• The Butterfly Club (204 Bank Street, South Melbourne +61 3 9690 2000)….. Best cabaret in Australia (and best mojitos!)
• Hoo Haa Bar(1/105 Chapel St, Windsor +61 3 9529 6900)…. Super Parma!!

Short + Sweet DANCE will be held at Chapel off Chapel from June 16-27 2010. For a full festival program go to www.shortandsweet.org.

Firstly, the positives. Some of the dancing was really exciting – vigorous and energetic and sharp. Many of the movements incorporated acrobatics/gymnastics and muscle-heavy hip hop choreography, which worked most effectively when the dancers moved in unison. I was particularly impressed by the dynamism and physicality of petite Aboriginal dancer (and joint artistic director) Dalisa Pigram. Finally, the production’s exploration of cultural history, multi-racial cohabitation, deportations and forced removals through a melding of contemporary and indigenous dance, live music and spaghetti-Western video was reasonably effective.

Now, the negatives. I felt that some of the dancers were amateurish in their movements – their limbs lacked tension and intention and I felt like I was watching a person off the street following an aerobics instructor. Some theatrical devices didn’t really work – bubble blowing, Japanese dancing, the final tango number. Finally, it was too long – after about three-quarters of the way through I stopped anticipating what the next vignette would be and just started wondering about how it would finish.

• Burning Daylight, Marrugeku, Meat Market, Arts House 5 Blackwood Street North Melbourne 3051 +61 3 9329 9966. Until Sunday 22 November.

The rich, lush film brings to the screen the rags-to-riches autobiography of Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin (who now lives in Melbourne). It switches back and forth in time and location, between his childhood poverty in Shandong Province, his rigorous training at the Beijing Academy of Arts and his first steps onto Western soil and exposure to American ways as a guest student of the Houston Ballet.

Basically, the premise of the film is a classic adventure story. It’s about the journey of a person who starts off in one place, emotionally and physically, and ends up somewhere else.  It’s a story of great contrast, between poverty and wealth, East and West, discipline and adulation.

There are various storylines about his initial awkwardness towards Western culture, his love affair with an American ballerina and his decision to defect to the US despite possible repercussions for his family. Within those storylines director Bruce Beresford has weaved dance excerpts choreographed by Graeme Murphy. I loved the dancing. The dances emphasised and expressed the emotions of the protagonists at a particular point in time and the excerpts never felt like a contrived intermission in the story. It was more like a shorthand way to telling the story, especially as the scenes always showed the reactions of the audience. The only thing I didn’t like were the slow-mo effects, as that did feel like an obvious device to heighten emotional effect.

The particular screening I attended the  film was followed by a discussion about ‘which is better, the book or the movie?’. The panel consisted of the screenwriter Jan Sardi (who also wrote the screenplay for Shine) and Brian McFarlane, Honorary Associate Professor of film history at Monash University and author of Novel to Film, An Introduction to the Theory of Adaptation.  Together they led the audience into a very revealing discussion about the work of a screenwriter. Jan had to take the 400+ page book and make certain choices about what scenes to leave in, what scenes to leave out and how to amalgamate events and characters. He said that a screenwriter’s first priority should be to the audience; it’s not about fidelity to the text. The script should create an emotional landscape so scenes should always to move the story along and make the audience care about the characters.

That’s why the film was not made with a linear timeline, as Jan realised that if he stuck to the structure of the book the first 30 minutes would have been set in China, with people speaking Chinese. I think the time-switching worked well, as it heightened the drama in the story and a provided a sense of compelling immediacy for the audience. Throughout the film you were asking Who is he?  How did he get here? Why are they treating him like this? How did his life change?

So to answer the question ‘which is better, the book or the movie’ I think Brian McFarlane made the key point – it’s not a question about whether the film is better than the book or vice versa. They are different art forms telling stories in different ways. The better question should be ‘what is exciting in this book that made the filmmaker want to adapt it into a film?’

• Mao’s Last Dancer Page to Picture, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton 3053 +61 3 9347 5331

Candy B’s self-written, autobiographical show is billed as ’a hip hop tale of a brown girl with big dreams’. I’m not much of a hip hop-er (RM recently had to explain Snoop talk to me….off the hizzle, for shizzle) so I didn’t really know whether I’d like the show or not. Which just proves why we should always try something new, for this brash show is high-energy, high-colour fun and Candy is an outspoken and bold talent.

The show starts with a humourous video of Candy giving some lip to Cate Blanchett, who has dared to ask Candy to collaborate with her. Candy says no – her solo show is going to blow the Sydney Theatre Company out of the water.

While the rest of the show involves audience call-and-response, booty shaking and a hilarious impression of Lionel Ritchie, the singing, dancing and hip hop beats are all a vehicle for Blasian (black-Asian-Caucasian) Candy to reflect on the melange of cultures in her family and express her political beliefs about the ‘whiteness’ of Australian performing arts. We all know that the Asian chick on Neighbours represents token diversity and any moment she’s going to get wacked from the storyline. When will a Sudanese family move into Ramsay Street? Why doesn’t prime time TV reflect the cultural diversity you see in Footscray, Maribynong and Campbelltown?

For me, the story that struck home the most was her describing her childhood growing up in suburban Dandenong, keenly aware of being different. Her memories and even her photographs reflected my childhood experiences – of being the standout Asian kid in ballet group photos, with dead straight black hair that would never fall into ringlets and passing as a German maid, Captain Logan’s English wife and a bushranger on stage.

Whether you agree or disagree with her politics, the show is uplifting and inspiring and happy. This is mostly due to the Candy’s humour and exuberance and the obvious passion with which she’s written and performed her story. It’s no mean feat that she’s able to hold the audience’s attention on her own for 90 minutes. And at the end of it, everyone – black, white, yellow, old and young – gets up to dance! It’s a joyful moment.

Thanks to the Arts Centre for inviting me to the show.

This rainy Saturday afternoon it was the production of La Boheme from Teatro Real Madrid. As much as I love the Puccini opera I have to admit that this outing was a disappointment. Partly because of the casting of Rodolfo, the squat and rotund Aquiles Machado, who was so far removed from my expectation of a romantic lead that it coloured my impression of his singing. Inva Mulva was much more believable as the innocently coquettish Mimi and her wan face in the final act was loving and poignant.

The other reason the screening didn’t match other shows I’ve seen was because of the sound. Somewhere between Act 1 and 2 someone hit the mute button, so the rest of the performance sounded like it was being played through a plaster wall. Which made Puccini’s soaring melodies and those high notes sound like an echo from a faraway valley.

• La Boheme, World Opera and Ballet, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9650 2100

• Melbourne Twitter Underground Brigade (@MTUB) have their monthly meeting to bring together Melbourne’s Twitterers. Softbelly Bar on Friday 18 September;
• La Boheme showing as part of the World Opera and Ballet season at Kino Cinemas on Saturday 19 September; and
• My resolution to see at least one gig a month means a trip to The Hifi to check out London singer, the ‘one man Arctic Monkey’ Jamie T on Saturday 19 September.

My love note to my home town this week is this stencil art that made me giggle. Have a great week!

• La fille mal gardee, World Opera and Ballet, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9650 2100

• live broadcast of ABC1′s Q&A on 27 August;
• filming of the ABC’s popular First Tuesdays Book Club on 28 August; and
• Chris Tsiolkas, author of The Slap in conversation on 30 August.

What else this week?

• Screening of the Royal Ballet production of La fille mal gardee at Kino Cinemas on 29 August;
• Tony-Winner Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage by the Melbourne Theatre Company; and
• NGV Members viewing of Salvador Dali exhibition at NGV International.

This week’s Melbourne love note is another Melbourne tourism ad from a couple of years ago ‘Lose Yourself in Melbourne‘. Love the locations, love the pretty girl, love the dress! Have a great week.

The dynamic dance and awe-inspiring acrobatics are very similar to Montreal’s other famous circus troupe, Cirque de Soleil, but what distinguishes this production is the youthful energy of the five cast members and the personal details they share with the audience. So in various scenes you find out different aspects of their personalities, dreams, memories and motivations. This is interspersed with skateboarding, basketball and some really spectacular circus skills, especially the tricks done by one guy on a constantly spinning giant hoop and the whole troupe leaping and somersaulting from metal poles like sticky-footed monkeys.

It’s a great show which will entertain young and old – and at $65 for a top price ticket it’s one of the better value big-name shows in town at the moment.

• Traces, Les 7 doigts de la main, Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition St, Melbourne

Zhang Yimou’s film Raise the Red Lantern was banned in China when it was released in 1991 so it’s slightly incongruous that the communist government has now endorsed a ballet production by the same director for the country’s national ballet company.

The story is quite simple – a young peasant woman becomes an unwilling concubine of a wealthy man and is effectively imprisoned in her gilded cage, competing for the affections of the master with the other concubines. In a departure from the film storyline, she begins a secret love affair with her childhood sweetheart, a Chinese opera singer, which leads to an inevitably tragic end for both of them as well, as for the first concubine who betrayed their secret to the master.

The production was marked by numerous impressive sets incorporating mah jong tables, rows of lanterns and embroidered Chinese screens, brightly embroidered silk costumes and the effective use of theatrical devices to lend emotional effect.  RM particularly liked the dancing shadows scene, which emphasised the looming power of the master over the frightened powerless young girl, whilst I thought the representation of bloody lashes on the pure white screen was shockingly evocative.  I also enjoyed the music, a meshing of Chinese operatic cymbal-clanging crescendos and Western orchestral violins. As for the dancing, overall the technique and expression were excellent, with the lead ballerina Zhu Yan particularly captivating as the innocent and tragic heroine.

• Raise the Red Lantern, The Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004

• World Opera and Ballet, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9650 2100

The ballet itself was enjoyable, with sumptuous costumes, numerous large set changes from Egyptian temples to underwater seascapes, beautiful classical Russian technique danced with pincer-like precision, laughable 19th century colonialist perceptions of foreign countries and a fairy-tale storyline. However, I’m not convinced that the footage was in HD as it really felt like I was watching a DVD on a really big flatscreen TV. The sound was also quite muted and not really up to scratch even for normal film screening, let alone one relying on symphonic grandeur. Therefore, I’d think twice about booking another session in the series, especially since there are no lack of HD opera and ballet screenings in Melbourne now.

• Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton 3053 +61 3 9347 5331

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The difference with Mayumana is that the thumping rhythm of the show is provided by the acoustic properties of the body and a series of unusual props. So much of the beat comes from the troupe drumming on plastic buckets, steel cans and wheelie bins, slapping their thighs, arms and chests, stamping their feet, breathing down long plastic tubes like a didgeridoo and even dancing and leaping with glow-in-the-dark flippers.

Much of the broad-strokes comedy fell a bit flat with me (more suitable for young uns I think) and the show’s not particularly innovative or groundbreaking – but you’ve got to admire the precision, vibrancy and evident enjoyment of the percussionists.

• Mayumana, The Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004

Movement creates music in Mayumana, a pulsating mix of beat, music and movement, intertwined with humour and joy. Direct from Israel, Mayumana is a dynamic and emotionally charged theatre experience for all to enjoy!

Touring successfully around the world in over 24 countries, Mayumana comes exclusively to the Arts Centre in July. Performing for the first time in Australia, the production draws on the skills of 10 performers from different nationalities, with each performer bringing a unique flavour to the show.  A non-stop entertainment experience that embraces a mix of performance styles such as music, percussion, physical theatre, comedy and dance, Mayumana is fun for the whole family.

If you want to join me to check out whether this production is HOT or NOT, send me an email before midday tomorrow (Wednesday 22 July) and then I’ll draw the winning name out of my Kitchenaid mixing bowl. Good luck!

The exhibition talk I attended covered all of those areas in great detail. While I thought the paintings and photographs were mildly interesting, I was most entranced by the exquisite detail of Leon Krasenstein’s Firebird costume, with each piece of fabric handpainted to look like a red feather and then twisted into a shape approximating a tutu. I also loved the smudgy charcoal drawings of Tania Mason, which perfectly captured the delicacy of the Firebird costumes coupled with the strength of the dancers in soft focus.

360 degrees is an abstract hour-long piece which is all about the kinetic force of physical movement. Sitting in the very front row meant that we had no choice but to admire the sinewy strength, flexibility and forceful dynamism of the dancers’ barely-clad bodies as they jumped, twisted and balanced in front of a silver wall which reflected every move.

I have to admit that I don’t know much about modern dance, and all that abstractness can just go over my head. However, the one thing that I find exciting about it (and really all forms of dance) is that professional dancers can express spark, tension and meaning in every part of their body, right down to their fingertips. Combine that with a pumping techno beat, a dizzying video of freeway driving and precision-timed movements in some sections of 360, and the effect was very exciting.

Initially, I was uncertain as to how much I would enjoy opera on the big screen. Now, I have to admit that watching the performance in high definition and with surround sound is really not a bad compromise to the real thing. The camera can capture every flicker of emotion in the singers’ faces, which I would never be able to see from my ampitheatre seats. Bizet’s sumptious melodies, comprising many of opera’s greatest hits, obviously helped the experience.

The ROH’s 2007 production of Carmen was superb – vibrant, earthy and perfectly cast. Dark-haired Anna Caterina Antonacci was utterly believable as the sultry and volatile Carmen who uses her sensual charms to entrap the hapless Don Jose. As well as singing beautifully, Antonacci was a fantastic actress who never hammed up her emotions and was able to convey her disdain for Don Jose with a mere sideways glance. Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, astride on his (live) horse, was proud and authorative as the toreador Escamillo. My favourite tenor, handsome Jonas Kaufmann, sang poor bewitched Don Jose, tortured with unrequited love and reduced to rags and pleading with Carmen not to leave him. Their last scene, full of tense drama and passionate physicality, had me holding my breath.

The only problem with not being at the ROH was that I wasn’t able to yell Bravo! as the curtain went down.