((Another dance post))*:.｡.:*
Alonzo King's Lines Ballet
Contemporary American company; I saw their first UK performance. Their choreography relates to music in a much different way than I'm used to; to my eye it seemed too much, the movements making too big a deal of the music, too flaily and not (self)conscious enough; of course, I must assume that for someone accustomed to that, the stuff I'm used to would seem an extreme understatement that misses half the point and feeling in the music and is afraid to show full natural expression, so.
The relation between music and choreography worked better for me in their second dance, which had live music, two people with a collection of instruments. (I guess it's expensive to take an orchestra on tour, but it's such a difference from dancing to recorded orchestral music; I think NYCB always take theirs). The visible conection between the dancers and the musicians next to them made the movements and music seem much more complimentary; it still wasn't how I'd think to relate to that music but it was obvious that it worked for everyone doing it.
In both dances I noticed happily that they mix up their partners- not just a girl and a guy, but two of either, and doing real pas de deux work (like, supported lifts, holds, and relating to eachother as a couple, not just dancing next to one another). That's something that really needs to get more into classically-styled ballet, because there are a lot of movements within the classical ballet vocabulary that ought to be done with two people of roughly equal size and strength, and it's a shame to have that all missing from choreography.
I don't think the audience was used to ballets..? They didn't clap during the dancing (some people even shushed others from clapping when the curtain first rose), and I hope the dancers weren't put off by them being unresponsive- they did give several solid minutes of applause at the end and the dancing was obviously very well received.
Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal: Água
PINA BAUSCH IS AMAZING by about ten minutes into the performance I had decided I'd come back and see it again; the next morning I bought the ticket as soon as I'd had enough coffee to type in my credit card number. That's going to be Sunday night, up close to the stage this time instead of high up with the view down onto everything.
So Tanztheater is based in dance but the performance integrates things from other art forms- drama, singing, film, etc. (felt like a bit of art philosophy lecture once or twice). I've always loved productions that use a variety of arts in one show, and this company's dancers are strong and versatile.
This piece was from the company's residency in Brasil; it was basically a perspective on some normalish scenes of life there. Was enough to get me homesick; for much of the night the stage (white floor and back, with the back being a half-circle around the stage) had rainforest video projected onto it, and the music too was not like most of what's around here- felt more like what you'd call a soundtrack than the score to a ballet. There was also a bit with people drumming projected on; I recall the image of one dancer on the white stage with her shadow on the back wall appearing to dance on top of the white drum-top projected there. Here, I didn't at all mind the not-live (except some singing) music; I think it's because rather than being a lesser version of what it would have been with live music, this performance in a theatre with recorded rainforest scenery and sound was an entirely different thing than it would have been with its dances performed in a rainforest accompanied live.
No point summarising the 'scenes' of it; it's three hours long and doesn't especially have a single narrative plot-thing. I liked this audience; they engaged and they showed it (especially in front, when dancers wandered into the audience for participatio n); they laughed. I think most of them missed some of the Portuguese lyrics, which... at times would have made for a different reaction. It will be interesting to see what changes show to show, as far as I can remember.
ugh. going to bed now, forgive incoherence as i've been awake round 30 hours. The Libertines have just reformed and played a couple shows and festivals; so far heard things went well and people videoed it all; this appears to be the Summer of Concerts in England I Desperately Want To Go To But Can't (at least some of the proms orchestras are coming up here). Above pic is from Água; there's a guy in a warm glowy light-up suit too and they blink on and off at eachother across the stage.