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The Zurich Ballet

Mozartina

Ends tomorrow night with presentation of Goldberg Variations

Hong Kong rarely sees ballet programmes that are purely about dance. The public tends to see  'story ballets', which are more like narrative plays with dancers, and the last time a great abstract ballet performance was seen was when the Kirov Ballet brought their magnificent production of Balanchine's Jewels more than a year ago.

So, bravo to the Hong Kong Arts Festival for staging two pure-dance ballets.

Renowned Swiss choreographer Heinz Spoerli directed the Zurich Ballet in its welcome debut  on Wednesday with the two-act Mozartina.  Goldberg Variations will follow tomorrow.

Mozartina, set to a medley of Mozart's music, is a delightful ballet lasting  two hours. Spoerli's ingenious and fluent classical choreography sets the ballet in a  flurry of activity.

The trio for male dancers in  Act 1 was lively. Spoerli's ensemble dances were particularly inspired, musical and witty. The dance for women with hoops in Act 1 was fun, and an ensemble dance for eight red-clad men in Act 2 was most exhilarating.

Providing  contrast was a fascinating double duet in the beginning of Act 2. However, the three duets for three  couples later  were not sufficiently differentiated, and somehow lacked emotional weight.

At the heart of the ballet is a male dancer who loosely represents Mozart and dominates the proceedings. Francois Petit was superb in this demanding role and dazzled with his virtuosity. He was breathtaking in his many split jumps and multiple pirouettes.

Yen Han and Dirk Segers also deserved praise. Florian Etti's grey metallic set was enhanced by a conveyor belt which helped   dancers exit and enter the stage.  Etti's costumes were sumptuous, ranging from the 18th century  in Act 1 to  the contemporary  in Act 2.



Ingenious choreography lifts abstract ballet