Happy 70th birthday, Royal New Zealand Ballet. Our grande dame of dance, who became a septuagenarian in June, is feeling frisky and flexing her muscles, ready to leap into the challenges of the future.
She had a humble start in life when Danish dancer Poul Gnatt launched the small “New Zealand Ballet” troupe on June 30, 1953 with a showcase of dance in the Playhouse Theatre, central Auckland. Since then, the company has steadily matured and grown in stature, adding a “Royal” to its name, settling in Wellington and working hard to earn its status as a champion of excellence, at home and on the international stage.
This year, the RNZB has
