En Cirque (1953 - )

Stringer, Walter: John Law in Alison Lee's 'En cirque', Ballet Victoria, c.1972

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En Cirque was choreographed by Alison Lee for Laurel Martyn's Ballet Guild, receiving its premiere on 16 May 1953. The production was set to music by Nicholas Tcherepnin and designs by Ann Church. The opening night cast included Harry Leitch (Zany), Eric Brown (Clown), Alison Lee (Ring Mistress), Laurence Bishop (Black Panther), Laurel Martyn (Tight Rope Walker), Reginald Bartram (Spanish Knife Thrower), and Laurence Bishop (Strong Man).

On the day of the premiere the Age previewed the work as Lee's 'first venture into the field of choreography', describing Church's 'unusual decor in purples and blacks' and commenting on the 'striking effects [created] by putting the dancers into black tights, keeping costumes brief in front, then adding sweeping trains and bustles to give a hint of Paris in Edwardian times'. The performance was reviewed as a 'compact, witty dashing glimpse of circus folk…a ringside epitome of spirited horsemanship, of tense, perspiring performers straining to please a common humanity'. Church's set was acclaimed as a 'gem'.

En Cirque remained in the repertoire of the company through its transition to Ballet Victoria in the early 1970s.

Bibliography:

'Women in the Theatre: Circus Setting for Ballet', The Age, 16 May 1953, p. 7; 'Wit and Elan in Circus Ballet', The Age, 18 May 1953, p. 2

See also: Ballet Guild ; Bartram, Reg ; Lee, Alison ; Martyn, Laurel

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