Sheila Chisholm
EDUCATE, educate, educate are words dominating London born, Sydney based, international dancer, teacher and choreographer Ashley Killar’s conversation. But its not just the three R’s he’s talking about. Everyone agrees (R)eading, w(R)iting and a(R)ithmetic are basic education essentials for entry into the big wide learning world. What Killar is talking about is educating the soul.
“Homo sapiens only become human, in its true meaning, by studying or participating in the arts. And it is up to our generation to ensure we spread our knowledge to help folk take off blinkers, change mindsets to look beyond the three B’s...Beethoven, Botticelli and Becket, or (if you prefer) the Bee-Gees, Bowie and Buck. We need to stand back. See and reflect the reality of the world around us – particularly the miracle of nature. Then translate these into far seeing new works.”
To this end Killar has, since 1996, directed Sydney’s Ecole Ballet and Dance Theatre. There, with his wife Jane Allyn (former Capab ballerina), students receive a broad, dance, theatre and music education. A training kitting them out to slot into theatre whether as performers, choreographers, designers, directors, technicians or teachers. Monetary values have their place. But without a tapping into art cultures, wider communication is rarely attainable.”
An incident inspiring Killar to look beyond “conventional culture” took place during his tenure as ballet master with Pact Ballet. “One day, while watching a prison gang digging up a road, one (inmate) suddenly threw down his spade and started singing and dancing. Having worked mostly in Europe, I was totally bowled over by his rhythm, movement and complete abandonment to the moment. From there on I decided to learn and absorb more of his culture and, where I could, pass this on. So while with Napac Dance Company I set up a Youth Company, and Dance Forum – an enterprise winning me Nederburg and Scenaria awards.”
Another influence in Killar’s professional life proved to be John Cranko. “John, who trained at UCT Ballet School under Dulcie Howes, became Stuttgart Ballet’s director in 1961. I joined in 1962. What struck me was his unique way of looking at people then translating that into movement. My first venture into choreography came under his eagle eye. Later, studying in America, Martha Graham – the great American modern dancer and choreographer – showed me another aspect into dance language. She respected classical ballet traditions, yet explored other ways to use the body to express the psyche. Cranko and Graham had more similarity than meet the eye.”
So, after a long and illustrious dancing career, Killar is making his life mission to choreograph works that, communicate without words, or without talking down, open minds and educate to perceive dance on new wavelengths. Killar is on a fleeting visit to teach Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) four of his ballets. None which have been seen before in Cape Town. From 7 to 22 May under the title Shades of Love CTCB presents Killar’s Towards Illusion, The Miraculous Mandarin, Sarabande. At matinees a Glazunov piece replaces The Miraculous Mandarin. Killar regards them as contrasting ballets portraying varying aspects of love.
For Towards Illusion Killar has selected Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge by Benjamin Britten, to explore “the threshold between reality and stage illusion.” Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin is rather gruesome. It deals with a girl forced, by a pimp and two thugs, to lure men to be robbed. Her first two victims are penniless. The third, a wealthy Mandarin cannot die until, in the girl, he finds compassionate love. Sarabande is set to Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. Here, a solitary man is visited by past apparitions. A woman he recognises appears, and he yearns for her. All three ballets end in a duo by protagonists.
At Matinees, Ashley’s romantic Glazunov Variations for a lead couple, backed by six corps couples, replaces T he Miraculous Mandarin. Other matinee pieces Killar’s Beauty and the Beast and Robin van Wyk’s newly choreographed Romeo and Juliet balcony pas de deux. At all performances a treat is Cranko’s delightful Tritsch Tratch Polka. Set to Johann Strauss 11 this jolly trio was last produced by David Poole in 1985 with Mervyn Williams, Crystal Turner and Mzonke Jama.
Few won’t remember Peter Cazalet’s remarkable eye for colour coded costumes and set designs for past Capab Ballet and Opera productions. As a trained architect, who became a principal dancer with Scottish National Ballet and an intercontinental set/costume designer, Cazalet understands about creating costumes that show off dancers bodies. While simultaneously permitting unrestricted movement that takes into account choreographic configurations.
Cazalet and Killar’s friendship goes back 50 years to their UK dancing days, and met recently to discuss reworking The Miraculous Mandarin designs. Said Cazalet “I’m picking up on designs I crafted for Ashley’s Durban production several years ago.” Not giving away too much Cazalet said styles are “sort of contemporary. Modern day punk in leather, T shirts cut at navel. The sets are sort of an abstract version of run down tenements in a city. Important to advance the feel will be Faheem Bardien’s lighting plot.” What about the other ballets costumes? “Mervyn Williams, that wizard in CTCB’s wardrobe , is overseeing these.”
Asked to elaborate Williams mentioned The Miraculous Mandarin thugs wear beards, blue grey “tatty” jeans, sneakers topped by a knitted beanie. Towards Illusions, structured for 16 dancers, unifies everyday (ballet) classroom togs with a single colour. Look for this either in head bands, leg warmers or belts. For Saraband we are looking at skirts in silvery grey “cobwebby” fabric offsetting the men’s off-the-shoulder unitards.”
Tutu’s are not forgotten. They are there in Ashley’s romantic Glazunov Variations. As for the other ballets...wait and see!
After watching some rehearsals, immediately apparent was Killar’s extensive capacity to explore the classical ballet training to manipulate dancers bodies in marvellously innovative ways. As well as CTCB’s dancers response to his technical demands. When all aspects are put together Shades of Love becomes an intellectually creative amalgam of music, ballet and drama for everyone. At Artscape Opera from May 7 to 22.
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