Friday, October 27, 2017

da:ns 2017 :: Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project

Since our friends were going, we joined them at Benjamin Millepied's 'L.A. Dance Project'part of Esplanade's da:ns festivalThe performance comprised of four diverse works in a short 90-minute performance (inclusive of a 20-minute interval). The man didn’t know anything about the performance except that ‘it’s the dude from that film Black Swan’, so his eyes brightened when he scanned the program and realized the chosen music included compositions by Philip Glass and Bryce Dessner (of The National).

Duets paying tribute to American modern dance icon Martha Graham (1894-1991) opened the evening. It’s made up of six dancers doing eight minutes extracted from Martha Graham’s ‘White’, ‘Star’ and ‘Moon’The third work before intermission is 'Murder Ballades' by Justin Peck, resident choreographer at the New York City Ballet. The music for 'Murder Ballades' is composed by Bryce Dessner and played by Eighth Blackbird, and that treatment is very different.

The second and fourth works are choreographed by Benjamin Millepied and set to music by Philip Glass. 'Closer' is set to 'Mad Rush' on the piano; and 'Hearts & Arrows' commissioned by Van Cleef & Arpels (part of the ‘Gems’ trilogy) is set to 'String Quartet No.3 (Mishima)'. Strong dancing, versatile and interesting choice of collaboration in the works presented. The very young five-year-old contemporary dance ensemble is certainly promising. Naaaah, of course Benjamin Millepied wasn’t in town, and neither was his multi-talented wife. 😉

I loved ‘Closer’! The music was so perfect for the duet. Janie Taylor and David Adrian Freeland Jr. were magnificent. Such strength and effortless grace as they traversed the stage. Many many lifts. More so, the man was thoroughly enamored with the dancers, and how the movements were so easily set to Philip Glass’s ‘Mad Rush’ as a simple piano haunting tune. Okaaaaay...I don’t usually ask the man along to watch dance performances. Hahahaha. He was gushing about it all the way, and in the car and even at home all the way till bedtime, he Spotified the entire playlist to Philip Glass’s pieces.

Happy Anniversary, darling. I bought you the ticket as a gag gift, but didn’t expect that you actually enjoyed it so much. 😬

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