KEY POINTS:
The night was sultry, expectation lit the air, and the women were uniformly gorgeous in swishy skirts and the barest of tops. And that was just the audience.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet's biannual tour is always huge fun, and has a special frisson of excitement as it makes its way around the country, performing in new venues and to a wider range of audiences.
There is something for everyone in the 2007 programme and the North Island troupe (the other half of the regular company have headed south) make a splendid night of it.
They present everything, from the gloriously romantic 19th century Pas De Quatre, featuring four lovely ladies in long pink tutus with wreaths of rosebuds in their hair, to the company's newly commissioned explosive complexity, Equilibrium, with passion and style.
The excellent dancing by the men illustrates how much the Company has bolstered its male ranks in the past two years, with the unfortunate inequality of girl v boy power that marred performances in 2004 now a thing of the past.
Qi Huan shows off his great elevation and control in the Raymonda Variations; Brendon Bradshaw creates cool and tensile magic with Chantelle Kerr in the Concerto Pas De Deux where the lifts and careful placement of a partner are crucial; Huan, Eliot Rudolph, Paul Mathews and Geordan Wilcox hold the spotlight in new choreographer Andrew Simmons' Theme and Deviations, a lyrically reflective study for four male dancers; and Simmons and Jacob Chown join their colleagues for an equally sterling showing in Equilibrium, choreographed by the exceptional Cameron McMillan.
Chantelle Kerr shines with her glorious extensions and control in her duet with Bradshaw and again in the almost violent trio with Simmons and Bradshaw in Equilibrium.
Promising new face Abigail Boyle, in her second year with the Company, had her moment of fame alongside Huan, in Raymonda. She danced beautifully but didn't quite nail the fiery passion required of the role.
Lucy Balfour was her usual powerhouse of perfect technique and presence in Equilibrium and showed she is also a ballerina at heart, in the opening Pas De Quatre.
Accolades all round.
Wonder how they are doing in Twizel?
