Somehow, the offerings at da:ns Festival 2014 didn't inspire any 'must-watch' feelings. Not even for 'Onegin' by Stuttgart Ballet happening in three weeks. I like Alexander Pushkin's prose, but not so much of the deeper significance behind it. I remember how Simon Sebag Montefiore's 'One Night In Winter' was also written around the Russian political intrigue. Anyway, we're dealing with these two weeks first. In the end, since I missed the entire festival last year, and because the friends flew into town to catch several shows, I decided to join them.
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
WELL. I wasn't intending to watch this. But the friends were insistent. Fine. Never mind that it's an all-male cast. The interpretation is fascinating, with loads of modern-popular-media references. Instead of ballerinas in delicate tutus on stage, I got to see a slightly more aggressive interpretation of the ballet without the flouncy costumes, and a Prince at the centre of it. British choreographer Matthew Bourne totally turned the story topsy-turvy, in a humorous commentary and had his dancers move in focused clean sweeps. More contemporary arcs in the movements than traditional white swan and black swan pas de deux. It's darker. Surprisingly, I didn't fall asleep. Might have even found it more enjoyable than a traditional interpretation of 'Swan Lake'.
Forecasting
Watched Barbara Matijević move across the stage with a Macbook Pro, interpreting amateur YouTube videos that were two-dimensional on the Macbook and sync-ed herself to them three-dimensionally. Successfully so, I might add. 1er stratagème's 'Forecasting' asked us to "consider how technology has affected our senses, our relation to objects and movement, and our understand of presence". I most certainly understood that. Loads of pointed humor at many junctures; the audience was tickled. It was more physical theatre and media display than dance per se. There must have been hundreds of videos sifted out by both Barbara Matijević and Giuseppe Chico, and painstakingly pieced together to form not a story, but a subtle satire of modern-day YouTube habits. Guns, sex, porn, surgery, DIY-stuff, cooking, quirks, pets, and all. Didn't pay attention to the music; it wasn't striking. There were more words to pay attention to.
ALPHA
Pole dance and LED lighting. Why not. 'ALPHA' is a new work, a commissioned piece by Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. It's produced by Belgium's contemporary dance company Kobalt Works, featuring Daniel Kok and Eisa Jocson. I never want to think deeper about the meaning behind the piece. I simply want to admire the strength and the lines shown in having the pole as a partner. Speed, spin and strength. Loved the lighting design. Impressive. Blurred gender lines of pre-conceived notions of pole dance. We certainly didn't mind it, or the frontal nudity of the performers. But at this show, some members of the audience walked out halfway through. Apparently this piece is going to Bangkok. I think it's next January. The company, performers and organizers might have to do some serious tweaking to suit the sensibilities of Thailand.
FAR by Wayne McGregor and Random Dance Company
It's Wayne McGregor. The man refused to attend this, even after being told he choreographed Radiohead's 'Lotus Flower'. Chehh. Roy Sydney Porter's 'Flesh in the Age of Reason'. Hence, 'FAR'. The Age of Enlightenment and self-understanding. It's more than dance. If I have to describe it, it's movement, exactly what Wayne McGregor is known for. The "distorted body". Unconventional movement that isn't formal dance. Portrayed so well by members of the Random Dance Company. The moment I realized the Icelandic influence of composer Ben Frost, I understood immediately the choice of the soundscape. The musical canvas began with Cecilia Bartoli's 'Sposa son Desprezzata' in Vivaldi's 'Bajazet', then panning out to a "synthesis of sound, lighting and movement" versus the "distillation of ideas given corporeal form." Still, Icelandic electronica or electronica anything, isn't something I'm hot about. Never mind that the performance as a whole might not be particularly coherent. Frankly, I didn't care about those LED lights on a panel as a backdrop. The stark, discordant industrial feel could be created from other sources. Those dancers were so strong on stage. That itself was a treat. So happy that I managed to catch their beautiful lines.
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
WELL. I wasn't intending to watch this. But the friends were insistent. Fine. Never mind that it's an all-male cast. The interpretation is fascinating, with loads of modern-popular-media references. Instead of ballerinas in delicate tutus on stage, I got to see a slightly more aggressive interpretation of the ballet without the flouncy costumes, and a Prince at the centre of it. British choreographer Matthew Bourne totally turned the story topsy-turvy, in a humorous commentary and had his dancers move in focused clean sweeps. More contemporary arcs in the movements than traditional white swan and black swan pas de deux. It's darker. Surprisingly, I didn't fall asleep. Might have even found it more enjoyable than a traditional interpretation of 'Swan Lake'.
Forecasting
Watched Barbara Matijević move across the stage with a Macbook Pro, interpreting amateur YouTube videos that were two-dimensional on the Macbook and sync-ed herself to them three-dimensionally. Successfully so, I might add. 1er stratagème's 'Forecasting' asked us to "consider how technology has affected our senses, our relation to objects and movement, and our understand of presence". I most certainly understood that. Loads of pointed humor at many junctures; the audience was tickled. It was more physical theatre and media display than dance per se. There must have been hundreds of videos sifted out by both Barbara Matijević and Giuseppe Chico, and painstakingly pieced together to form not a story, but a subtle satire of modern-day YouTube habits. Guns, sex, porn, surgery, DIY-stuff, cooking, quirks, pets, and all. Didn't pay attention to the music; it wasn't striking. There were more words to pay attention to.
ALPHA
Pole dance and LED lighting. Why not. 'ALPHA' is a new work, a commissioned piece by Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. It's produced by Belgium's contemporary dance company Kobalt Works, featuring Daniel Kok and Eisa Jocson. I never want to think deeper about the meaning behind the piece. I simply want to admire the strength and the lines shown in having the pole as a partner. Speed, spin and strength. Loved the lighting design. Impressive. Blurred gender lines of pre-conceived notions of pole dance. We certainly didn't mind it, or the frontal nudity of the performers. But at this show, some members of the audience walked out halfway through. Apparently this piece is going to Bangkok. I think it's next January. The company, performers and organizers might have to do some serious tweaking to suit the sensibilities of Thailand.
It's Wayne McGregor. The man refused to attend this, even after being told he choreographed Radiohead's 'Lotus Flower'. Chehh. Roy Sydney Porter's 'Flesh in the Age of Reason'. Hence, 'FAR'. The Age of Enlightenment and self-understanding. It's more than dance. If I have to describe it, it's movement, exactly what Wayne McGregor is known for. The "distorted body". Unconventional movement that isn't formal dance. Portrayed so well by members of the Random Dance Company. The moment I realized the Icelandic influence of composer Ben Frost, I understood immediately the choice of the soundscape. The musical canvas began with Cecilia Bartoli's 'Sposa son Desprezzata' in Vivaldi's 'Bajazet', then panning out to a "synthesis of sound, lighting and movement" versus the "distillation of ideas given corporeal form." Still, Icelandic electronica or electronica anything, isn't something I'm hot about. Never mind that the performance as a whole might not be particularly coherent. Frankly, I didn't care about those LED lights on a panel as a backdrop. The stark, discordant industrial feel could be created from other sources. Those dancers were so strong on stage. That itself was a treat. So happy that I managed to catch their beautiful lines.
No comments:
Post a Comment