“I had a really immersive journey, growing up and watching and seeing performances and being a part of [them], and now that I get to do it as a career, it’s really special to share my passion and my experience with the national company,” he says.
This same passion has led Chynoweth to become one of the Sydney Opera House’s audience engagement ambassadors, actively seeking to connect with culture consumers at the iconic venue.
“We’ve travelled round the world with the ballet and everywhere you go, no matter what continent, everyone knows the Sydney Opera House,” he says. “So to call that our second home and our office when we’re not in Melbourne, to walk up Circular Quay, it just never gets old. You come to the Opera House and it’s not just an event, it’s an occasion, you know?
“We’ve just got a lot happening down here at the moment. We’re doing Giselle as well as rehearsing for The Dream program, but we’ve also got all sorts of other programs, so whether it’s a full evening of ballet or one of our other programs, there’s always something happening.”
As for The Dream itself, Chynoweth stars in two of the three pieces that make up the evening – as the famous trickster Puck in The Dream (based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and in the more abstract Symphonic Variations, both of which are renowned for their demanding choreography.
“[The Dream] is very fast and very challenging script-wise,” he says. “There’s lots of fast turns and huge jumps and running round the stage causing havoc, but at the same time you’ve got to be telling the story, taking everyone on that iconic journey.”
But performing two such pieces back to back? “They’re trying to make sure we don’t do both in one night, they try and split the cast so you don’t double up, but… you never know, so you’ve got to be ready for that challenge.”
Of course, overcoming said challenge makes for thrilling viewing. “It’s just a great, fun night at the ballet,” Chynoweth says. “Very musical – that’s, I think, a distinct feature of Sir Fred’s work, very clear musically. The Dream is [set] to Mendelssohn and I think people will be surprised how much they recognise the music.”
Chynoweth is clearly excited about working with such distinguished material. “There hadn’t been steps quite like that [before], or a way of telling a story quite as clearly or distinctly as in Sir Fred’s work,” he says. “Even the abstract ballets like Monotones and Symphonic Variations, they don’t really have a story as such but they have an atmosphere and a sentiment that really comes across to the audience. It’s really nice for us to be able to channel a more refined style.”
But despite the historical focus, Chynoweth is adamant that the program is both relevant and dynamic. “It doesn’t look like a museum piece and it doesn’t feel old, which is quite remarkable,” he says. “If you have no idea about these ballets or Sir Frederick Ashton, that doesn’t really matter because it’s still fresh in the way that this current generation of dancers has experienced it.
“I really hope that people come along and see how fresh and special it is.”
BY DAVID MOLLOY
The Dream will be performed from Thursday June 4 to Saturday June 13 at Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre.
