This season of Giselle is dedicated to Bill Sheat, a stalwart of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. He would have been proud of this rendering of a much-loved classic.
Victoria Birkinshaw/Stuff
Gettin the tutus ready for take off: Jess Taunt, left, Paul Thomson, Jemima Scott, Patricia Barker, Paul Mathews and Mayu Tanigaito.
As the Royal New Zealand Ballet gears up for a nationwide tour, Sarah Catherall goes behind the scenes in Wellington and talks to some of the main players – both onstage and off. The stage manager
Paul Thomson has worked at the Royal New Zealand Ballet for 2½ years. I’m like the old fuddy duddy here, especially among the younger dancers. I’m the one who is the “no’’ guy – no water on stage, no food on stage, take your earphones out. I didn’t know a huge lot about ballet before I started here but I really enjoy watching it, especially the modern stuff. I have to know every production intimately. I’m thinking, “Who is coming on when, who is exiting?” – you have to know every piece as much as the dancers do but in a totally different way. We don’t need to know the dance moves, but we need to know