High fashion meets iconic fairy tale in this darkly delectable retelling of Snow White imagined by acclaimed French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj.
SNOW WHITE
Aotea Centre, Auckland Live, Auckland
11/03/2020 - 15/03/2020
Production Details
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?
Ballet Preljocaj’s bewitching transformation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is a boldly seductive global hit. Its fresh and sexy take on the timeless conflict between young Snow White and her jealous stepmother, the Queen, is both strikingly sensual and blazingly contemporary – and courtesy of costumes by the legendary fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, an incredible visual spectacle, too.
Masterminded by acclaimed French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, this ravishing concoction of dance, design and wearable art has reawakened the classic story’s themes of beauty and envy for a new age. Combined with towering sets and the monumental symphonies of Gustav Mahler, Snow White is dance on a truly visionary scale.
Contains partial nudity
Recommended for ages 12+
Watch the trailer here
Costume designer Jean Paul Gaultier talked to NZ Herald’s VIVA about designing the costumes for Snow White. Read the interview here
“Utterly beguiling… Preljocaj’s choreographic imagination steals you over.” The Guardian
“Preljocaj’s choreography took my breath away.” The Washington Post
“Snow White is spectacular… [It] will change the way you view this classic fairy tale.” Australian Stage
“Deliciously dark… modern and gripping, Ballet Preljocaj’s Snow White is a must-see production.” Limelight
Credits
Choreographer Angelin Preljocaj
Music Gustav Mahler
Costumes Jean Paul Gaultier
Set Design Thierry Leproust
Bookings & Ticket info: https://www.aucklandfestival.co.nz/events/snow-white/
Contemporary dance , ,
1hr 50mins
Parental guidance may be necessary
Review by Raewyn Whyte 13th Mar 2020
Noirish violence and passionate sensuality feature in Snow White, presented by the French company Ballet Preljocaj at the Aotea Centre this week. The somewhat gruesome ballet is based on the 1812 Grimm Brothers fairytale, and if you only know the Disney version of the story, parental guidance may be necessary.
The ballet centers on a series of episodes involving a beautiful young woman, Snow White (Mirea Delogu) from her birth to her wedding day. Leading characters are the prince who has fallen in love with her (Antoine Dubois); and her evil stepmother (Lea de Natale), who is so jealous of her stepdaughter’s beauty that she crams a poisoned apple down her throat to kill her. There are hunters who kill a deer yet let Snow White slip away; seven cliff-dwelling miners who welcome Snow White into their lives, and 25 or so people who live in and around Snow White’s castle.
The lush soundscore comprises atmospheric storms mixed with lilting melodies and tone poems from several Mahler symphonies, helping to establish settings which range from a palace ballroom to a shadowy forest, a rock face riddled with mines, and a tower room filled by a giant mirror.
The dancing is closely tied to the moods and rhythms of the music and provides the necessary contrasts for each story to have its impact and the leading characters are convincingly portrayed. Highlights include the despairing duet where the Prince seeks to awaken Snow White, and several of the more gruesome interactions of the evil stepmother.
Costumes designed by John Paul Gaultier wrap, drape and reveal the bodies in conventionally suggestive ways, with binding and strapping and extra moulding for emphasis. The dominatrix-styled evil stepmother is a hard-edged contrast to the silk tunic clad Snow White..
Technological special effects add some magic touches. The evil stepmother consults a vast mirror in an ornate golden frame about the location and health of the “fairest of all” Snow White; the thrones in the throne room rise and fall at will, and those punishing heated iron slippers seem to sizzle when placed on the wicked stepmother’s feet at the very end.
[This review was written for NZ Herald and appeared behind their paywall .
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