One giant leap: Fireworks as new leading man takes the stage
Its Bespoke triple-bill program marks the first appearance of Queensland Ballet’s new male principal dancer Jun Masuda.
Queensland Ballet’s focus on contemporary works in 2026 has showcased its artists as world-class in this vein.
Playing until October 17, Bespoke’s triple bill of world premieres is its third commissioned program presented this year, yet again highlighting the company’s passion for creative challenges and revealing even more facets of its artists’ impressive versatility and range.
Introduced as a platform for experimentation and pushing boundaries, this ninth edition of the annual contemporary season of original works goes a step further to explore the crucible of cross-artform collaboration.
Each of the three pieces is the result of an integrated creative process involving choreography, music composition and lighting design, plus costume design in two pieces.
All of the works register the benefit as a polished and balanced whole.
Despite presenting contrasting styles, themes and approaches, the quality of execution is consistently outstanding and a prime source of enjoyment across the line-up.
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Ultimately, every component is in service of producing a dance work and how effectively they realise their ideas and engage the viewer varies.
The opener, Where the Water Once Was, examines the environmental threat of water bankruptcy alongside its human impact through Claire Voss’s choreography set to composer Connor D’Netto’s String Quartet no 4. Streamlined and sustainable costumes are designed by Michelle Potts, and an ever-evolving environment is shaped by Anthony Lee’s lighting.
Voss’s movement creates some glorious fluid and sweeping imagery featuring deft lifts, which principal Lucy Green, soloist Vito Bernasconi and guest artist Jake Mangakahia make look especially effortless. These are dramatically counterpointed by the angst and despair soloist Lina Kim conveys. However, a sense of repetition dilutes the final impact.
Joining the process late as a substitution, Between the Line ironically emerges as Bespoke’s most sophisticated, scintillating and satisfying work. It reflects the extreme dynamics driving the alchemic process of transforming physicality into art through a synthesis of movement, music and lighting.
Anchored in elegant classical lines and technique, former Bejart Ballet Lausanne principal and Australian Ballet soloist Paul Knobloch’s choreography engagingly oscillates between precision and release, tension and ease, and control and relaxation in solo and group work.
The contrasts are most thrillingly encapsulated in partnering featuring a retinue of exciting lifts and transitions and dazzling pirouettes. The devastating efficiency with which principal Neneka Yoshida vaunts these in her duet with soloist Edison Manuel is an exhilarating highlight.
Audiences can expect similar fireworks when new male principal Jun Masuda makes his first appearance with QB this Thursday night (he also dances in October 10, 11 and 17 matinees and October 15’s evening show).
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The endless pursuit of perfection is both echoed and explored in the four sections of Matej Perunicic’s score, while Matthew Allan’s lighting intriguingly accentuates the movement’s themes.
Bespoke’s concluding work is its most literal, presenting a straightforward and relatable narrative of timeless relevance. Inspired by the personal experiences of Spanish-born, Brisbane-based choreographer Victor Zarallo, What Remains addresses the perennial quest to maintain individuality alongside societal acceptance.
Its striking aesthetic is the program’s most detailed, costume designer Bethany Cordwell’s creations layering organza strips – about 900 – to represent the pages of Zarallo’s story.
The individuality of the central character’s shimmering gold short tunic contrasts with the monochromatic tones of the ensemble’s long pants symbolising solid and deeply rooted structures.
The collective’s movement is also predominantly grounded and inwardly focused, its execution in unison establishing a weight of conformity that challenges the protagonist to find a balance between belonging and maintaining her sense of self.
Composer Brady Watkins’s varied instrumentation effectively captures these opposing forces and emotional states, while Anthony Lee’s lighting once again evolves with the choreography’s mood and meaning.
However, the final expression of the individual’s personal journey lacked the upbeat energetic shift I had anticipated.
All three of Bespoke’s pieces validate the reward of their collaborative process in creating original and distinctive work. What shines brightest, though, is the talent and artistry of Queensland Ballet’s dancers.
Bespoke plays Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre, West End, until October 17.
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