ERYO and Quaywake ballet collaborate to bring dance and music alive
They performed three pieces of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker.
In a harmonious convergence of artistic brilliance, the East Rand Youth Orchestra (ERYO) and Quaywake Ballet redefined the essence of classical music with a symphonic tale of dance and music showcasing the talent of conductor Pienaar Fourie and ballet teacher Carmen Whyte.
Classical music and art aficionados packed the EJ Butler Hall at St Dunstan’s College on November 9 to witness ballet and orchestra craft an unforgettable ‘nutcracker’ experience that showed a spectacular synergy between the dancers and musicians.
“I want to expand the arts to the young people and not have dancers and musicians live separate lives. I want to bring them all together,” said Pienaar.
The orchestra took centre stage in the first half with the performance of Russian composer Pyotr Llyick’s waltz from Sleeping Beauty and a scene from Swan Lake, Dance of the Swans.
The 10-year-old pianist, Laylah van Straaten, also wowed the crowd with an incredible two-piece piano solo of Bohuslav Martinu’s The Dragon and Christmas Singing while Brady Naicker, Zandria Oosthuizen and pianist Isabel Kruger gave a breathtaking rendition of Dmitri Shostakovski’s Präludium for violin duet and piano.
The second half saw ballet and orchestra unite to create a spellbinding live performance. They performed three pieces of The Nutcracker Christmas ballet with Abigail Sandwell opening as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy before Erin Doyle, Olwethu Masina, Angelina McIntyre and Ava Meeser performed the Children’s Gallop.
The show concluded with a mesmerising rendition of the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker by Danica Adlam, Hunter Ellinas, Amy Parker, Sandwell and Chaily and Darcey Tillet.
The convergence of the two disciplines meant they had to adapt to each other in real time but Pienaar made it seamless when he wrote the music to fit the ballerinas’ choreography.
“The music was written for the dancers and was very well designed for their speed and movements,” Pienaar said.
On the challenges she faced working with live music compared to recorded tracks, Carmen explained the dancers’ muscle memory and adaptability were key.
“Recorded music is always the same because you get used to the speed and sound the more you do it. For us as dancers, it’s how the speed is going to be and obviously with a live orchestra that could change. Although sometimes you set the speed, you still have to carefully listen. You adapt.
“Pienaar also watches the dancers so the orchestra can adapt to what the dancers need. That way is nicer than recorded music because you can adapt things like the speed and sound of it,” she said.
Pienaar added, “As a conductor, I must also have a steady speed. I must have their speed exactly how they want it and must keep the orchestra right there.”
It was the first production of its kind in Benoni and Carmen hopes this attracts lovers of classical music and the arts as they look to continue it next year.
“It’s very new. It’s also good for me and the students because we use recorded music. I try to encourage music from ballet’s instruments and music for them to hear, play it live and see all the instruments that make the piece.
“It’s definitely something we would be looking at next year,” she said.
