Paper_Hanger’s Weblog
Performances, movies and book reviews …Archive for Contemporary Dance
New Zealand School of Dance Choreographic Season 2009
Last night I went to the opening night of the New Zealand School of Dance Choreographic Season 2009 – “In a Space”. I was quite looking forward to this: I had not been to a dance performance for a while, the astronomy theme would combine my interest in dance with my interest is space and the School’s marketing manager had ’sent’ me two reviewer tickets !
I got there nice and early to pick up my complimentary tickets from Rebecca Galloway (the marketing manager, who was on the ticket pick-up desk) and wandered about the Te Whaea Plaza.
The Plaza had been artfully transformed into a theatre foyer – with a temporary bar and covered tables that looked like they were permanent fixtures. On the wall that the Plaza shares with the Te Whaea Theatre, some art was on display – or more correctly projected. Short dance clips were projected above a series of small backlit panels. Each panel explained an item of choreography we would be seeing in the performance. Everything was low light and backlit where necessary for viewing – building the space theme very effectively.
There were nine choreographed works and four interludes, which made for 13 dances:
- Transient Matter – Gina Andrews
- I’m Present (v) – Robbie Curtis
- Jess(ica Jeffereies and) Claire (Hughes) Interlude
- Traveller in the Dark – Nicola Leahey
- Bright Young Things – Lucy Marinkovich
- Challenging Life – Jana Castillo
- Jing(wen Xu and) Robbie (Curtis) Interlude
- Wo de Ying Zi – Jingwen Xu
- Relentless Pull – Florian Teatiu
- Gina (Andrews) Interlude
- Venus – Claire Hughes
- Florean Interlude
- Cosmic Collision – Jessica Jefferies
The Theatre was laid bare – no curtains to creat wings and no backdrop.
The show opened with a video clip of Lucy Marinkovich and a friend projected onto the back wall. They introduced the evening from a men’s toilet (tiles visible in the background)! The images occasionally stopped and/or repeated (a la Max Headroom) – as if the video was being transmitted from a long way away and subject to interference – very sc-fi.
Transient Matter set the scene for the evening – minimal lighting and dancers’ shadows projected deliberately onto walls. Nice sequence where one of the dancers uses a mirror to reflect light that has already passed through his fellow dancers back onto them.
The interludes threw me a bit, as I was trying to keep track of the choreographed works. But I was able to reconstruct the order and place the works afterwards from the programme (in discussion with the other members of my party). Someone needs to come up with a way of introducing dance works – as they are set out in the programme – without intruding into the individual work.
I was a little lost as to which work was which until Relentless Pull came on: Florian Teatiu choreographs the way he dances – full of energy and pace. Also. his Pacific origins were visible in the choreography (e.g. hand gestures while sitting cross legged) and audible in his choosen music.
I am in two minds about the tissu sequences in Challenging Life. This work explored a species’ evolutionary path to walking upright, and the tissu seemed to be some form of suspended egg, from which the species gets deposited. The use of the tissu was restrained; Jana Castillo avoided the tempation to have a prolonged aerial sequence, but then why use it at all? Still, good to see someone willing to explore the concept of dancing in the air.
I enjoyed Venus; the work was very lyrical and soft (I guess I am just a hopeless romantic at heart) and technology had been used to place the dancers on stage twice. Much of the lighting was provided by a back projection showing the three dancers dancing in low light, illuminated by the reflections from their bare backs, complementing their movements on stage.
Venus expanded on the concept introduced by the Jing and Robbie Interlude, where Jingwen dances with a projection of Robbie.
I found the Gina Interlude very clever. Gina Andrews dances in front of three tall mirrors. You could see all sides of her at once – like an animated cubist painting.
I found the Jess Claire Interlude most thought provoking. What did the standing around in the spotlight, rising on a cable and drinking a can of drink mean?
I felt that the pieces by Gina Andrews, Jana Castillo, Florian Teatiu and Jessica Jefferies found the mark with the overall astronomy (and space) theme. Generally, I would have liked to see more of the majestic grandeur of the universe come through.
Given the astronomy (and space) theme, I was a little disapointed that there was not a greater aerial element. I suppose there is a undefined divide between dance and circus/gymnastics, so that spending too much time off the floor is to be avoided.
The dancers did a good job of executing the choreography. And I think that those involved in the set design, lighting and use of video back projection did a fantastic job.
The opening night performance was played to a full house, and I think there was something for everyone – there certainly was for me.
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Tutus on Tour – 2009
I went to the last performance in Wellington of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2009 season of Tutus on Tour at the Opera House. Warning: plot revealed.
Every other year, the Company divides itself onto two troupes; each half tours one of the two main islands of New Zealand. Each tutus tour is different – typically a number of short works that will work in some of New Zealand’s smaller theatres. Wellington, as well as being the capital, is at the southern tip of the North Island. So this night was danced by the North Island troupe.
Play bill:
- Saltarello – originally choreographed by Christopher Hampson
- Holberg Suite – choreographed by Greg Horsman
- Throught to you – by Andrew Simmons
- Currently Under Investigation – by Gary Stewart
- Koo Koo Ka Choo – by Catherine Eddy and Brendan Bradshaw
I found Saltarello and Holberg Suite just a bit intellectual; I was unable to engage with the works emotionally. I admired the dancing, but I found my mind wander off to think about the events of my day etc.
At times Saltarello seemed like an exhibition piece to show case the skills of the male dancers – 5 dancers take off at once, complete a turn and land at once, smoothly transitioning into the next sequence. Saltarello featured an unusual move in a pas de deux, where the lady leaps past her partner and grasps his outstretched arm with both her hands and glides along with her toes above the floor, and just before she would kip to avoid touching the floor, with some unseen assistance from her partner, she pikes around her partner’s torso and ends up cradled in his arms, against his chest! They did this several times with effortless ease.
I found the choreography in the Holberg Suite very similar to that in Saltarello and so found my attention wandering. Still well executed and enjoyed by al, at times, vocal audience – members of the South Island Troupe.
In Through to You, I found the pas de duex between Michael Braun and Katie Hurst-Saxton captivating. It was like watching the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliette
I had previously seen Currently Under Investigation a few years ago at the New Zealand School of Dance’s Graduation Season. I preferred the Company’s execution – it seemed slightly more polished and graceful. True this took the hard emotional edge off the work – especially when compared to the Graduation Season (where I think the majority of dancers were contemporary specialist). Another member of my party preferred the edgier graduates version. Still – for me – it partially settles the question around classically trained dancers verses dancers trained with a strong classical base – the classical dancers are ’smoother’.
Catherine Eddy and Brendan Bradshaw are current members of the Company. Their use of Beatles music, for Koo Koo ka Choo, was inspired, and the audience was taken along for a wonderful journey – made perhaps more enjoyable by the fact that they were at a subconcious level familiar with it – such has the influence of the Beatles on contemporary music. This was a very accessible work – the re-recorded music (so that it could be danced to) retained the original lyrics. Rory Fairweather-Neylan (I think – at times it is hard to identify individual dancers) did a superb job of dancing what was effectively the overture to the work.
A nice innovation was to project short film clips in between some of the pieces. Most of the clips were of the Company and its support crew (without which it would not be possible) giving the audience a glimpse behind the scenes. Then the tilt to Abbey Road – projection of a pedestrian crossing – at the end of Koo Koo Ka Choo was just on the right side of corny. It did set up the march/walk-off by the dancers.
Overall, a well executed production with something for everyone.
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Two annoying points: the sound system – at times it could not cope; and the heat – the Opera House still has not solved the heat build-up issue up in the Gallery (aka ‘The Gods’) that caused people so much discomfort during Tutandot in the mid-90’s.
New Zealand School of Dance: 2008 Graduation Season
I went to this year’s graduation performance by the New Zealand School of Dance. The printed programme for the 2008 Graduation Season carried on from the 2007 – 40th anniversary – season: it is printed on glossy paper and had a very well designed cover – showing a dancer in an arresting pose.
The night’s performance consisted of:
- Raymonda (Pas de Dix)
- Symbiotic
- Un Ballo
- Flower Festival in Genzano (Pas de Deux)
- We can Fight
- Concerto (Pas de Deux)
- Jabula.
I went to an evening session, Saturday the 22th of November, of the New Zealand School of Dance’s Graduation Season 2008, at the New Zealand School of Dance.
There were six pieces : three ballet pieces and three contemporary pieces, ordered to alternate.
Generally speaking it was the male dancers’ evening: they really stood out. Further the contemporary pieces really grabbed my attention. Jabula was my pick for the night.
Jabula was choreographed by Natalie Weir for the Queensland Ballet, and first performed by them in 1994. I don’t know if the original performance was from the original sound track of The Power of One, but I certainly found it powerful. The male dancers exuded energy and spirit; technique was harnessed to produce impact and this combined with the simple but effective lighting made for a very powerful finale. Florian Teatiu’s dancing just drew the eye to him.
I found We can Fight the most challenging work: the dancers spoke! I was reminded of questions regarding art that I have mulled over from time to time: should a work have a title that is made known to the audience ? What is the purpose of combining a number of disciplines ? The work struck me as a commentary on a man’s relationship with two of the main characters in his life – his dog and his wife. At times it was hard to see which he treated worse. Ultimately, one feels the dog gets a slightly better deal. Slightly depressing, due to the domestic violence.
The contemporary dance stream was well introduced by Symbiotic. Initially, the dancers cannot be seen, the stage lights are left off; they can only be heard. “Here we go”, I thought: dancing in the dark; dance as a purely pecussive work! But no, after a little while the lights came on, and the audience was treated to some sequences suggestive of organisms whose DNA was out of control.
I found the classical stream somewhat overshadowed by the contemporary works. But there were some highlights.
It was a little unfortunate that as a child of the Star Trek generation, the male dancers in Raymonda wore costumes that were very suggestive of Star Fleet uniforms. Subconciously, I expected some alien to appear and dispatch the figure in the red top. Thank goodness no alien appeared: Kyle Wood gave a wonderful demonstration of the modern male ballet dancer’s art.
Un Ballo was the ballet piece that I most enjoyed. Maybe it was the costumes – suggestive of a ballroom setting. Everyone seemed relaxed, particularly the ballerinas; and the couples just seemed to dance for the joy of it.
The evening was a well put together one. The School had obviously worked hard to make the graduation season an event: there was a photo exhibition featuring the graduating students, in the lobby; there was a small well stocked cash bar; some well appointed tables to sit at; and a well produced printed programme.
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Gravity and Other Myths et al in Civic Square
I went to Fused Productions’ 2008 version of “Gravity and Other Myths” at Civic Square. The permanent fixture suspended above the Square, a sphere composed of silver ferns, added to the atmosphere.
The main act was an evolutionary step from Fused’s 2007 work of the same name. Footnote opened the evening’s entertainment and I was disappointed – less on this later. A stand-up comedian then warmed-up the crowd for the main act: Vinyl Blank.
Vinyl had to really work, to get the crowd onside and generally relaxed. To his credit, I think he did a good workman like job. He struggled a bit to get to grips with the audience, but he got there. His sense of humour did not always sit well with everyone – there was wide range of ages in the audience; but when he started working circus moves in, the timeless ageless magic brought everyone together. He had some good diablo moves. How many people can unicycle and play the guitar !
Fused’s Big Rig was set up so that the audience was under the silver sphere or could see it over the venue – a constant reminder of ‘gravity’. Fused were up to their usual high standards: spectacular aerial work on tissu, hoop, rope and swining trapeze; and some nice hoops, juggling, strength and flexibility work on the ground. The girl-in-a-box was back too !
Fused have tweaked their work from last year and made general enhancements across the board. For me the most spectacular change is that placement of two performers on the swinging trapeze. Only one of which have a safety harness! I am told by those in the know that having two harness would actually decrease safety – as the harness ropes get tangled up. It certainly added a real wow factor. The man on a burning rope was the finale – boy it is spectatcular.
This year, things were a little more polished: there was slightly more ‘acting’ and stronger portrail of the ‘aliens studying gravity and other phenomena’ theme. Full marks for working the tricks into a theme.
Fused need to pay a little bit more attention to their surroundings: some of the fire juggling, hoop throwing and girl-in-a-box was hard to see if you were not sitting on the steps or at the front. While a stage maybe impractical, if these acts could have raised up, they would have been more visible. Maybe a temporary platform that can be worked into the theme. Fused have an entertaining product, and they need ensure that they show it off at its best.
Footnote opened, and they have made no significant advances since they air-ed their piece last month at the Fringe Festival. I am still waiting for the mature dance&aerial work – with a smooth integration of aerial elements into the general story telling or concept. Where the use of aerial moves is used because it is the best move in the toolkit to advance the story; not look I learnt this trick, and this other trick. At the moment it is a modern dance piece immediately followed by a display of aerial skills. What ever was going on in the dance portion – beaches, swimming ? – was not supported by the aerial portion.
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Dance and Circus Aerials
I went to a work that was the result of a collabooration between Footnote and Fused, put on as part of the Wellington Fringe Festival 2008.
The name of the work is a combination of the two groups: Footnote – a contemporary dance company; and Fused a collective that puts on circus aerials shows. The collaboration was in five distinct parts: some street theatre, modern dance, aerials, aerials and more aerials.
The street theatre piece was interesting and gave the audience some light exercise, as three, then six dancers lead the audience from The Bats Threatre around to the aerials rig in Oriental Terrace. The dancers danced and clowned their way around Oriental Bay – occassionally slowing traffic. Much of what they did could not be seen all of the time – especially when there were two groups of dancers on separate sides of the road! Still, it was an enjoyable walk to a mysterious location.
The location of the performance was not publically available: you had to text you SECRET to mobile number and have the starting location texted back to you. I found the process a little disconcerting, as there was a very long delay between my TXT and the answering TXT. Next time they need to make the response immediate: TXT is an electronic medium, and there should be no reason why I had to wait over an hour.
I have not watched dance outside, in a while. The setting for the dance peice was on a driveway that had a partial view of Oriental Bay; I found it very disconcerting not having a presidium arch to frame my world ! I really had to concentrate on individual dancers or tight groups of dancers, to avoid being distracted by the views. Still some interesting stuff.
Then the audience decamped from the driveway into the frontyard of a large property, where the rig – The Big Rig – holding up the aerials apparatus was set up.
The first aerial display was by two members of Fused. They was pretty good, up to the standard that I have seen Fused put on before.
The second aerial display was by members of Footnote. They were pretty good from an aerials perspective. They demonstrated that a group of people who have well trained bodies can pick-up basic and intermediate forms in 20 hours. There was even some inventiveness around two dancers on a single tissu – doing mirror shapes.
This fourth part was introduced as a work in progress. I had expectations of dance with an integrated aerial component. There wasn’t. I was a little disappointed. Still it is early days, hopefully once the dancers get over the fun of aerials they can concentrate on incorporating (grounded) dance into the aerials, and vis-a-versa.
I wait for the more mature work with some anticipation – particularly dancing in the air, that owes its origins in aerial shapes, without being a series of static shapes.
The final aerial display was a short – but cool – sequence on the rope by a member of Fused.
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