"I have worked to instil a sense of self-responsibility in the dancers," he says, "and not ask too much of them - but to ask a lot. It is the only way to get better. It is what I ask of myself."
Stiefel's departure after just three years is a disappointment. It was obvious from the start that the position here was a golden opportunity and stepping stone for an ambitious dancer looking to the next stage in his professional life.
He says he had no predetermined length of time in mind when he moved Downunder. But the physical distance between New Zealand and New York, where Murphy is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, did take the couple by surprise.
"We had been separated before, for a couple of months at a time," he says, "and we thought this would be the same thing. But we were unprepared for the impact of being separated for six months, even though Gillian has been very generous, allowing me to take this opportunity and for making as much time as possible to come here and dance."
Family responsibilities in America have also arisen and Stiefel has come to realise that though the AD of some ballet companies can be free to take on other project work, he is "cognisant and respectful" of this company's need for consistent direction.
New Zealand's physical isolation will always present unique challenges for the RNZB and those who come to manage it, he says. International touring is vital, to keep the company connected and in the dance world's eye. But recruiting dancers of the required high standard presents a challenge. In other cities there can be a huge pool of dancers looking for work.
"In New Zealand, everyone capable of the job is employed," he says, "and with only one company there is no crossover possible when dancers want to move on. It means a whole other level of pro-active recruiting."
No one has yet recruited Stiefel himself and, come September 1, he will be unemployed apart from some "sporadic teaching and coaching".
"I have been working in the profession since I was 16 years old," he says. "Twenty-five years later I am looking forward to taking a little time out. I have some creative ideas I would like to develop. I am also up for my fifth knee operation. It does feel strange because right now I am as busy as I could possibly be with the TV show [The Secret Lives of Dancers] and with Allegro. Then overnight, nothing!"
Allegro will open with the Balanchine piece Allegro Brillante, a work the master choreographer once described as demonstrating, in 13 minutes, everything he knew about ballet. Murphy will take a virtuoso role in the first cast.
Second up is Les Lutins, a technically demanding showpiece for two men and one woman choreographed by Johan Kobborg, who worked alongside Stiefel on the company's recent Giselle. Les Lutins will be performed to a live violinist, Michael Hill competition winner Benjamin Baker, and pianist, company rehearsal player Michael Panster.
The last two items on the programme are American choreographer Larry Keigwin's Mattress Suite (for three dancers and a mattress) and Megalopolis, a maniacally structured exposition of human society's similarity to an ant colony, set to an eclectic mix of music from Jim Reich and M.I.A. - and guaranteed to "blow the roof off", according to Stiefel.
Keigwin successfully ruptured the ceiling with his RNZB commission Final Dress in the NYC season, when he was impressed enough by the company to allow them to be the first outsiders to perform his Mattress Suite.
Sandwiched between the strictly classical and Keigwin's pumping contemporary works is Daniel Belton's newly commissioned Satellites.
Belton, a dancer, choreographer and video artist, has a high reputation in Europe for his dance films: three of his Line Dances, meditations on and celebrations of space, inspired by Paul Klee, are currently exhibited at Zentrum Paul Klee, in Bern, Switzerland.
Stiefel was introduced to Belton two years ago and in turn introduced him to kinetic sculptor and sound engineer Jim Murphy, cousin of Gillian and completing his PhD at Victoria University.
They hit it off immediately and Stiefel, keen for the RNZB to provide a platform for other New Zealand artists of suitable standard, came up with the commission.
The result is an energetic, lyrical and cosmic abstract of what it means to be human, its choreography and film projections exploring elliptical orbits, arcs and trajectories while a huge silvery sculpture reflects movement.
The soundtrack is by Jan-Bas Bollen.
"I have loved the night sky, the Hubble telescope and looking into the cosmos since I was a little boy," says Belton. "We made the work in just two weeks. It had been wanting to manifest for many months."
Performance
What: Allegro, with the Royal NZ Ballet
Where and when: Aotea Centre, Auckland, July 30-August 2; Founder's Theatre, Hamilton, August 5, and touring to Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Invercargill, Dunedin
