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Looking Forward, Looking Back

Nau mai, haere mai – welcome to our 70th year

We are grateful to everyone who has been a part of the Royal New Zealand Ballet story over the last seven decades. Thank you for being there with us, whether in the spotlight, in the darkness of backstage or the still expectancy of the theatre. Please join us for the next chapter.

A message from our Principal Partner

Imagine if you could pick your favourite season – summer say – and make it last all year round?

That’s what Ryman Healthcare has done in partnership with the RNZB. We’ve stretched our seasonal sponsorship into a year-round affair by signing on as the ballet’s new principal partner.

As a company we appreciate the hard work, commitment, artistry and talent that is always on show.

So here’s to a year of great performances, one season at a time. Enjoy!

Curate your season

Choose two or more performances across the season, and enjoy our special subscriber benefits all year, with the best pricing and most flexibility.

4 MAY – 10 JUNE

Romeo & Juliet

Shakespeare’s greatest love story returns to the Royal New Zealand Ballet in May 2023, in a passionate re-telling choreographed by Andrea Schermoly (Stand to Reason, Within Without).

Exquisite sets and costumes by Academy Award-winning designer James Acheson (The Last Emperor, Dangerous Liaisons), first seen onstage in 2017 to universal acclaim, bring to life all the splendour and seduction of Renaissance Verona, swept up in Prokofiev’s exhilarating, sensuous score.

Youthful, impetuous, aflame with the glory of first love and its tragic end, this is a timeless romance that resonates down the ages.

Madeleine Graham and Joseph Skelton in Romeo & Juliet, 2017. Photograph by Stephen A'Court. Bottom left: Abigail Boyle as Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet, 2017. Photograph by Stephen A'Court.

27 JULY – 12 AUGUST

Lightscapes

IN ASSOCIATION WITH RYMAN HEALTHCARE

Ballets which celebrate the endless possibilities of light, space and the human body – the essence and wonder of dance.

A striking, and lasting addition to the RNZB’s repertoire, Moss Te Ururangi Patterson’s new work is inspired by haka and powered by the strength of the men of the RNZB.

Serenade (1934) by George Balanchine is plotless, yet somehow laden with meaning and unspoken narratives. It fills the stage with exquisite movement and deep emotion.

The second half of this generous programme features two New Zealand premieres. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa will stage her Requiem for a Rose (2009), an exploration of love, romantic and idealized, versus lasting and real.

Logos (2020) by Alice Topp is inspired by the storms that we all weather – fears, fights, darkness and demons – and ends with clarity, purpose and hope for the future.

Top left: Men of the Royal New Zealand Ballet in HINE by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson, 2019, photograph by Stephen A'Court. Top right: Requiem for a Rose, 2019, photograph of Elise Pekarek by Tony Spielberg, by permission of Ballet Austin. Bottom: Benedicte Bemet and Christopher Rodgers-Wilson in Logos, photograph by Jeff Busby for The Australian Ballet, 2020.

THE RYMAN HEALTHCARE SEASON OF

Hansel & Gretel

26 OCTOBER – 9 DECEMBER

Follow the breadcrumbs this Christmas, and venture into the fantastical realm of Hansel & Gretel for an unforgettable evening at the ballet.

Inspired by the old-fashioned magic of silent movies, this ballet will transport you to a magical world with large-scale cinematic effects, choreography by Loughlan Prior and a specially commissioned score by Claire Cowan. Laughter, tears, shivers down the spine, plenty of sugar and just a touch of spice together make a recipe for a truly happy ending and a wonderful ballet experience for all ages.

Not included in subscription

Tickets on sale from 1 December 2022

Tutus on Tour

23 FEBRUARY – 12 MARCH

A carefully curated collection of works which encapsulate the history of ballet, treasures from the RNZB’s recent past alongside works new and old that the dancers can’t wait to perform.

Le Papillon and After the Rain – made almost two centuries apart – both show the intimate magic of a couple dancing together, creating a miniature world in the spotlight onstage. ‘Nobody Takes Me Seriously’ from 2001’s landmark FrENZy is a toe-tapping solo to Tim Finn’s Kiwi classic and the chance for one of the company’s men to cut loose, with style.

The programme is completed with two works each for eight dancers: the New Zealand premiere of Brian Enos’ elegantly neo-classical Cold Winter’s Waiting (2013) and Greg Horsman’s classical showpiece Holberg Suite (2009).

RNZB Screen

In 2023 we will continue to invest in digital dance, bringing live performances out of the theatre and into your living room and offering you a fresh perspective on classic and contemporary works with ballet made for broadcast. Our digital year will include free broadcasts of short works and on-demand streams of full-length ballets, available for you to watch at home. Look out for further information in 2023.

Enjoy the ballet together

A regular date night at the ballet is the perfect way to stay in touch with friends and loved ones. Create your own ballet club – like a book club – to share your passion with other ballet fans.

We have Adult and Children’s Ballet Club prices available. To book, call the RNZB Box Office on 0800 432 623.*

Not able to attend every show? We also have a Group Discount on a show by show basis. With a group of 6+ you’ll enjoy 10% off, with a group of 20+ you’ll enjoy 15% off. These special group discounts are available for both Adult and Child tickets through the RNZB Box Office.*

Make a difference

We have a range of supporter programmes to suit many special interests and levels of giving. Start your journey as an RNZB supporter by contacting Elizabeth Isaacs, Philanthropy Manager, elizabeth.isaacs@rnzb.org.nz

Communities

AN INVITATION TO ALL

Royal New Zealand Ballet alumni

As we reach our seventieth year we are delighted to announce the launch of an alumni association for former members of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. If you are a former dancer, member of the production team or other staff member, we would love to hear from you and to keep in touch in the future. We will be creating an annual newsletter for alumni and will host reunion events in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland each year from 2023. Inaugural events will be around the performances of the Lightscapes 70th anniversary programme on the evenings of 28 July (Wellington), 4 August (Christchurch) and 11 August (Auckland).

Find out more and sign up at rnzb.org.nz/alumni or send an email to alumni@rnzb.org.nz.

How to book

ONLINE

The quickest and easiest way to subscribe is online at rnzb.org.nz/subscribe

Subscription sales open 10am 7 November 2022

EMAIL

Email us at subscribe@rnzb.org.nz with details of your preferred subscription package and contact information, and we'll be in touch to confirm your booking.

PHONE

Call our subscriber hotline on 0800 4 DANCE (0800 432 623) Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

IN PERSON

Visit the Wellington Box Office in person – Level 1, Rawlinsons House, 5 Willeston Street. Or from Autumn 2023, Level 3, St James Theatre, 77-83 Courtenay Place

Images (from top): Principals Kate Kadow and Laurynas Vėjalis and Soloist Kihiro Kusukami. | Soloist Kihiro Kusukami at the Michael Fowler Centre. | Soloist Kirby Selchow. | Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Damani Campbell Williams, pictured at the Michael Fowler Centre. | Madeleine Graham and Joseph Skelton in Romeo & Juliet, 2017. Photograph by Stephen A'Court. | Kate Kadow and Simone Messmer in Serenade, 2019. Photograph by Stephen A'Court. | Shaun James Kelly and Kirby Selchow and Artists of the Royal New Zealand Ballet in Hansel & Gretel, 2019, photography by Stephen A'Court. | Graham Fletcher in a publicity image for FrENZy, 2001, photograph by Ross Brown. | Mayu Tanigaito pictured in a publicity image created for Swan Lake in 2021. Soloists Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Kirby Selchow pictured at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. | Damani Campbell Williams. | Soloist Ana Gallardo Lobaina. | Artist Madeleine Graham, photographed at the RNZB's temporary premises on Wakefield Street, Wellington, 2022. | Artist Damen Axtens, captured in motion at the Adam Art Gallery, Wellington. | Principal Laurynas Vėjalis in flight at the Adam Art Gallery in Wellington.