Last Friday Lucent Dans Theatre in The Hague hosted a renown dance company from Arnhem - Introdans, with their three piece tribute to the work and memory of Igor Stravinsky - Strawinspiratie. They invited three acclaimed choreographers to create a varied programme, which premiered in February 2011.
Thierry Malandain is responsible for the first part of the programme - a 12 minute duet Enter Deux on Stravinsky's Concerto in D. French Malandain, trained as a classical dancer, started choreographing for the Paris Opera. In the 80s he set up his own company, which after changes is now called Malandain Ballet Biarritz. He accomplished about seventy ballets, which are characterised by a strong technique and a modern spirit. "Priority is given to the dancing body, to its strength, its virtuosity and it sensuality. Whether the form is abstract or narrative, Man and Dance are at the heart and in the body of Malandain Ballet Biarritz" [1]. Enter Deux is a short but telling dance, which exemplifies the main characteristics of Malandain's style. It is a story about a man who returns from war and is reunited with his woman. The movement is energetic and expressive, it departs from traditional ballet convention not only in costumes and lack of stage scenery, but also in portrayal of anxiety in fitful kicks, as well as passion of the couple in suggestive rhythmical pulling and shoving.
The second part of the programme was Psalmsymfonie by an American postmodern choreographer Lucinda Childs, whose language is known for minimalistic vocabulary, yet complex transitions based on repetition. She was one of the members of the influential in the 60s Judson Dance Theatre in New York, and become famous for her dances to the music of Philip Glass and an opera Einstein On The Beach. She cooperated with Introdans before on three other productions since 2006. Childs choreography to Stavinsky's Symphony of Psalms was originally created for Maggio Danza from Italy, and it is supported by an impressive geometrical stage design by Roland Aeschlimann - nine magnificent elliptic white tubes made of delicate threads stretched from the floor to the ceiling in two rows at the back of the stage. The design fits in perfectly with the geometrical floor pattern of Childs. The tubes, seen from different angle by each spectator, obscure and cover the disappearing dancers in shadows at different levels of visibility. This impressive work includes all eighteen dancers of the Introdans ensemble, with an additional part for two duets. In the group scene the dancers are performing very limited movement on a very intricate transition pattern. This reminded me of the influence Cunnigham has had on contemporary dance - limited yet set amount of classical based postures and use of chance procedures in determining their sequence. Although I can not tell whether Lucinda Childs use chance procedures in determining the final effect, she definitely does not share Cunningham's view on the relationship between dance and music. Every movement, even though seemingly stiff, and every group transition was perfectly synchronised with the music, which made the dance much more accessible to the regular audience than her previous post-modernistic work. The costumes, designed by Joshie Wada were the same for men and women, with the except of a wider cleavage for the latter. Unitard - style single piece costume with straight leg, entirely of black velour for all dancers on one hand helped the audience focus on the overall choreography, on the other hand, the fluffy fabric illuminated dancers' bodies as the light fell on them at different angles, exposing the muscles and creating a sort of magical, fairy tale-like impression as if the dancers were paste over a two-dimensional screen. The movement design reveals the dancers' physical excellence and mental endurance.
After the pause Introdans performed the notorious Le Sacre Du Printemps, of which 1013 premiere by Vaclav Nijinsky caused riots. This time the Dutch Nils Christe, who has been working with the group for nearly thirty years now, did not disappoint his public. Christe started with Nedrlands Dans Theater and later made works for Scapino Ballet, The National Ballet, as well as for numerous foreign ballet companies and operas. Le Sacre for Introdans was extremely powerful in its simple, yet detailed movement design. Outburst of energy mark the impressive sections created for the entire ensemble. The stage design adds to the mysteriousness of the dance - with green and black illuminous forest enclosing the scene. Considering the entire programme, Introdans created an interesting and powerful programme for the audiences of all ages and experience.
The second part of the programme was Psalmsymfonie by an American postmodern choreographer Lucinda Childs, whose language is known for minimalistic vocabulary, yet complex transitions based on repetition. She was one of the members of the influential in the 60s Judson Dance Theatre in New York, and become famous for her dances to the music of Philip Glass and an opera Einstein On The Beach. She cooperated with Introdans before on three other productions since 2006. Childs choreography to Stavinsky's Symphony of Psalms was originally created for Maggio Danza from Italy, and it is supported by an impressive geometrical stage design by Roland Aeschlimann - nine magnificent elliptic white tubes made of delicate threads stretched from the floor to the ceiling in two rows at the back of the stage. The design fits in perfectly with the geometrical floor pattern of Childs. The tubes, seen from different angle by each spectator, obscure and cover the disappearing dancers in shadows at different levels of visibility. This impressive work includes all eighteen dancers of the Introdans ensemble, with an additional part for two duets. In the group scene the dancers are performing very limited movement on a very intricate transition pattern. This reminded me of the influence Cunnigham has had on contemporary dance - limited yet set amount of classical based postures and use of chance procedures in determining their sequence. Although I can not tell whether Lucinda Childs use chance procedures in determining the final effect, she definitely does not share Cunningham's view on the relationship between dance and music. Every movement, even though seemingly stiff, and every group transition was perfectly synchronised with the music, which made the dance much more accessible to the regular audience than her previous post-modernistic work. The costumes, designed by Joshie Wada were the same for men and women, with the except of a wider cleavage for the latter. Unitard - style single piece costume with straight leg, entirely of black velour for all dancers on one hand helped the audience focus on the overall choreography, on the other hand, the fluffy fabric illuminated dancers' bodies as the light fell on them at different angles, exposing the muscles and creating a sort of magical, fairy tale-like impression as if the dancers were paste over a two-dimensional screen. The movement design reveals the dancers' physical excellence and mental endurance.
After the pause Introdans performed the notorious Le Sacre Du Printemps, of which 1013 premiere by Vaclav Nijinsky caused riots. This time the Dutch Nils Christe, who has been working with the group for nearly thirty years now, did not disappoint his public. Christe started with Nedrlands Dans Theater and later made works for Scapino Ballet, The National Ballet, as well as for numerous foreign ballet companies and operas. Le Sacre for Introdans was extremely powerful in its simple, yet detailed movement design. Outburst of energy mark the impressive sections created for the entire ensemble. The stage design adds to the mysteriousness of the dance - with green and black illuminous forest enclosing the scene. Considering the entire programme, Introdans created an interesting and powerful programme for the audiences of all ages and experience.