In the final act of a truly spectacular 22-year career at Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), legendary Artistic Director Garry Stewart has managed to save the best for last, as he prepares to bring one of his most iconic and beloved works back to the stage in all its brilliant, frenetic glory.
G – which is Gary’s no-holds-barred dismantling of the quintessential, classical romantic ballet Giselle – has returned to the Adelaide stage for a stunning five-night season with the final show on tonight November 29 at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
“I have such fond memories of G, particularly touring it through Europe and across Australia,” Gary said.
“For me, it’s incredibly exciting that G will be the punctuation mark at the conclusion of my time with this great company and hopefully a treat for our audiences both old and new.”
The origins of G stretch back to 2000 when Gary premiered his first major work for ADT, Birdbrain, a post-modern deconstruction of the popular Russian ballet, Swan Lake, which received huge global acclaim.
Eight years later, Stewart embarked upon a re-working of another iconic classical ballet, Giselle, which was a triumph of 19th century ballet technique and storytelling.
Ambitiously stripping away these traditional themes, Stewart focused upon the famous ‘mad scene’, exploring hysteria and the pathologisation of women that existed in the early 1800s, as well as themes of class, gender and the culture of classical ballet.
The feminist viewpoint expressed through G was uncanny in its prescience of the #MeToo movement which would erupt a decade after its premiere.
The end result is an explosive, vengeful, histrionic and dizzying trip set against a throbbing, electronic backdrop and with the sheer brilliance of the ADT dancers.
“G is certainly a marathon for the dancers and is one of my more demanding works as it requires so much of them both technically and performatively,” Gary said.
“It’s a thrilling ride for the audience.”
In the most elegant of exits, the closing night performance on November 29 falls on the eve of Stewart’s 22nd anniversary at ADT.
Executive Director, ADT Mr Nick Hays said he is excited to be hosting the spectacular performance.
“To finish off this incredibly momentous year with one of Garry’s most acclaimed and popular works was an obvious choice, and one that we can’t wait to share with our audiences.” Nick said.
“To celebrate Garry’s 22 years at ADT, G perfectly showcases what the company has become under his leadership – fierce, dynamic, bold and rule-breaking.”
In January, Stewart announced that he would be stepping down as Artistic Director at the nation’s oldest contemporary dance company to pursue a new direction in his artistic journey.
Gary was one of the dancers that changed the contemporary game and has been pivotal in revolutionising contemporary dance since its inception.
The finale of G will be held at Her Majesty’s Theatre on November 29.
You can purchase tickets for $40 per person here.
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