THE FIREBIRD/THE FOUR SEASONS
Created by James Kudelka
The National Ballet of Canada
Presented by Alberta Ballet
Sep 16 & 17, 8pm
Jubilee Auditorium
Tickets: $18.10 - $58.10, 451-8000 or ticketmaster.ca

Make no mistake: in the world of ballet, Rex Harrington is Canada’s Prince Charming.

Of course, he’s also been The Nutcracker prince, the Swan Lake prince and the Sleeping Beauty prince, with room for Romeo and Apollo on the side. After pairings with ballet’s A-List ballerinas (Karen Kain, Evelyn Hart, Carla Fracci and Susan Jaffe, to name a few), a performance before Her Majesty herself and a recent appointment to the Order of Canada, how does a retiring dancer raise the bar?

"A star on Canada’s Walk of Fame!" jokes Harrington.

Then again, he still doesn’t have one.

"It’s surreal for me to look back. Some nights I get cold sweats thinking about what I am going to do. But by no means is it over."

That’s for sure. For starters, Harrington recently made his musical theatre debut in Robin Hood at Toronto’s Winter Garden ("It’s the first time I heard myself open my mouth," he cads). As he breaks into film acting, he’s graduated to coach and instructor at the National Ballet, the same institution that leavened his twenty-year career. In town to mark the occasion with The Four Seasons, Harrington’s about to reprise what he and many Canadians consider his landmark role–not as Prince, but as Everyman.

A fresh approach

Set to Vivaldi’s famous score, The Four Seasons is an abstract, modern ballet depicting the cycle of life, one of few that critics proudly label a "masterpiece." To creator James Kudelka, the acclaim is a well-earned nod towards his artistic direction at the National Ballet itself, a fresh approach of renewed promise for the Ballet’s international reputation. For Harrington, it’s a toast to his audience, and to the golden role that earned him a Gemini for the film version. Furthermore, the tour’s westward swing takes place on the cusp of autumn, which just happens to be Harrington’s favourite season.

"There’s something about it that’s comforting to me," he says. "The mornings are cool, there’s a feeling of change in the air. Part of it is having grown up in Vancouver and part of it was living on a farm [Harrington recently bought and sold Stone Orchard, former home and future burial site of writer Timothy Findley]. Most of all, fall has always been touring season, so it all fits."

The Four Seasons is accompanied by Kudelka’s one-act creation The Firebird, a Russian fable under incessant re-invention since first presented in 1910 by the Ballet Russes. Kudelka’s version, accompanied by 40 dancers, has received more mixed acclaim than The Four Seasons, mainly due to his return to Stravinsky’s lengthy, original music score.

Unlike The Four Seasons, which favours a bare stage over bulky sets, The Firebird displays the vivid craftsmanship of set and costume designer Santo Loquasto, in a Mayan-influenced atmosphere cross-blending aboriginal cultures. David Finn’s lighting is equally impressive, particularly in The Four Seasons, where it comes in handy in the much-heralded summer pas de deux between Harrington and dancer Greta Hodgkinson.

"The sets are projections," Harrington describes. "The scene has got a lot of dangerous partnership, with overhead lifts and fast turns, like the music itself. It’s very sexual, and the backdrop just goes bright red."

Changing partners

Sexuality and sensuality are critical in The Four Seasons. In each season, a different woman, played by a different principal dancer, embraces Harrington’s character. Although he has eased gracefully into the role, he admits that shift in dynamic between so many dancers is still a challenge.

"Fortunately, I’ve danced with them before," says Harrington. "But each one has a different emotional context, and yes, that keeps me on my toes."

As the circle comes full circle in The Four Seasons, the parallels to Harrington’s dance career are indeed surreal. It is rare for Canada to raise its pedestal for a male ballet dancer, and even more rare for it to idolize one. Harrington is aware of his ballet "groupies" (illicit or otherwise: there’s even Web stuff devoted to him). He’s also aware of the qualities his critics’ deem worthy ("charismatic," "mercurial," "athletic," "moody"). Yet at the heart of it all, says Harrington, is dedication.

"I’ve tried never to hold back on stage," he explains, "and to not leave anything in that dressing room. A lot of people are great in the studio and crap on stage. I learned that from Eric [Bruhn] and [Rudolf] Nureyev. I tried to emulate that. One was this ice cold, Nordic god and one this raw sexual animal on stage. That’s so rare to do".

Harrington’s star on Canada’s Walk of Fame will surely come soon enough. And with his degree of devotion, he’s must have some words of encouragement for future stars.

"Get out while you can!" quips the dancer. "I don’t know–unless you love it, you just can’t do it. For me, it’s what I needed to do, that need to express myself."