Australia Dancing - Contes Heraldiques (1946

Contes Heraldiques (1946 - )

Stewart, Jean: Corrie Lodders as the Dragon in 'Contes Heraldiques', Ballet Guild, Union Theatre, 1947

Contes Heraldiques, choreographed by Laurel Martyn, was first performed by the Melbourne Ballet Club, the company that became known as the Ballet Guild following this first season which opened at the Repertory Theatre, Middle Park, on 5 November 1946. The program consisted of four new works choreographed by Martyn, the others being Ballade, Dithyramb and Ruritania. Contes Heraldiques, or 'The Witch's Whim', was performed to a commissioned score by Dorian le Gallienne and was designed by Alan McCulloch.

The Program Notes for Contes Heraldiques include the following description:

Once upon a time there was a FABULOUS kingdom. In this kingdom there lived a Witch and her Dragon. It was their business to shut Princesses in Towers. They were, however, a very small firm and had only one tower and no Princess… this made the Dragon very sad, so the Witch, who was very fond of the Dragon, decided to go, even to the farthest corner of the kingdom, to look for a Princess – and so the story begins with the Princess Anemone and her Ladies-in-Waiting doing their after-lunch round square dance… and… waiting.

The Listener-In recorded that:

It is a witty burlesque on some of the better-known characters of medieval fiction, in which a whimsical dragon and a flamboyant witch have leading roles. Dorian Le Galliene has composed delightful music for this ballet, and Alan McCulloch’s décor and costumes were highly imaginative and colourful. Grace McLean as the Princess Anemone, Maxwell Collis as Sir Humboldt, Noel Murray as the Witch and Corrie Lodders as the Dragon danced their roles with a fresh and happy enthusiasm combined with undoubted technical ability.'

Contes Heraldiques remained in the popular repertoire of Martyn's company for the next two decades.

Bibliography:

Edward H. Pask, Ballet in Australia. The Second Act 1940-1980 (Melbourne: OUP, 1982)

See also: Ballet Guild ; Martyn, Laurel

Research Materials

Musical sound recording | Picture | Printed music | All

Other resources

Find more about Contes Heraldiques in:

Internet - Google
Libraries - Libraries Australia
Pictures - Picture Australia