Paloma Herrera

It's dans: season, and I really wanted to watch some of the performances. Dunas was one, and An Evening with Paloma Herrera was the other. Growing up I often, and in my even younger days, always, watched dance with my Mum. And this is something I hope to keep up, even though now I'm busier cos I'm working, a wife, and a mother myself. Still, I think it's definitely worthwhile making time to be with Mummy, just the two of us, going for a dance performance, spending time together.

Pre-performance we went for dinner at the Peranakan restaurant at Esplanade. Guess who we had dinner with? PM Lee! :) He was at the next, next table. Ok lah, that's quite close already. We were wondering why there were so many people waiting outside when the restaurant looked like it still had capacity. PM and Mrs Lee sat in a corner of the restaurant, and seemed very comfortable there. That was something my Mum and I observed - nobody really hounds our politicians and celebrities in Singapore. Both categories of people can go out and live a decently normal life even though they have technically high-profile jobs. And that is something I appreciate about Singapore. Why make a big fuss over these people? It was nice to see Mrs Lee being comfortable enough to even take off her shoes under the table ;) As they left, they quietly waved and greeted everyone on their way out :) Perhaps they were there to watch the performance as well.

Anyway, back to Paloma. She is the principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, and has garnered accolades from, well, everywhere. It was a mixed bill, and dancers from other companies performed as well. Paloma herself did only 3 dances.

My take? Perhaps I expected too much from her, but I felt disappointed. She did not live up to the hype. I suspect, though, that she really is as good as everyone says she is, but the dances that were chosen to be performed did not show off her technique and flair that well. She seemed very good, but not inspiring and moving.













In fact, it was another dancer that inspired me more - Iana Salenko, a principal dancer with Staatsballett Berlin (the Berlin State Ballet). She a had grace and spirit that filled the theatre, and which, I felt, connected with the audience.











I love this pic!







At the end of the day, the other thing I realised - I don't really enjoy watching mixed bills. They are too disjointed for my liking. I'll stick mainly to full-length performances from now on.

Dunas

My mum kindly agreed to help watch Asher tonight while Terrence, Sharon, Jon and I went to watch Dunas, a collaboration between flamenco dancer María Pagés and Belgian-Moroccan contemporary choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Held at the Esplanade Theatre, it was the world premiere of the performance. And it did not disappoint! There have been few performances where I felt this moved, and the message of the dance so clear and resonant!

Dunas basically refers to the sand dunes, and in this performance the two dancers explore their heritage and the interconnection between their Spanish and Moroccan cultures, as well as the history that the two countries share.

I thought that there was excellent and a most innovative use of media in the performance. At one point, a moving image of lines being drawn was shown in the background. These lines were harmoniously in synch with the movements of María. It was only after a few moments did I realise that the lines were being drawn by Sidi Larbi, and he was doing so on piece a glass, under which a video camera was placed. And it took a few moments more before I realised it was sand that he was using to draw on the glass! Basically there was a pile of sand, and he used his fingers/hands to draw images in the sand. It was dynamic and riveting because after an image was drawn, he'd sweep the sand across the surface and draw another image. Each time, developing the story further. His drawing was also impeccable! Truly, it must be experienced to really feel the awe of the moment.

Besides media, the use of stage props was very good too. It was simple, yet marvelously effective. There were large swathes of cloth hanging from the ceiling, and these they used at times to portray the separation between them, and at times to portray the binding connections between their cultures. At the end, the cloth envelopes their bodies and showed, I thought, the image of perfectly smooth, undulating sand dunes - the title inspiration of the performance.

The exploration of the themes was also deep and comprehensive. They went through how coming from their own cultures there were boundaries to navigate in discovering a new culture, there were new elements that they were not used to, the stepping out of boundaries. There was the historical element of subjugation under Spanish rule, and then the rising of Moorish influence. Then there is the eventual intertwining and inseparability of the two cultures, that ends in the iconic image of the sand dunes, which to me signified the continuing change and evolution of the relationship between the two cultures, just like how sand dunes are not static, but always moving and changing.

And then there was the dancing! Oh, the dancing! María Pagés is absolutely riveting to watch. Her passion effuses from her and penetrates the soul! Her footwork, her technique - perfect! To me, Sidi Larbi was less exciting a dancer to watch, but I think his main contribution to this work was the use of media, and the modernising of the collaboration. Together, though, the unlikely pair create a beautiful and stirring work, worth every cent, and worth another watch. Even Jon was all praises for the dance, and that speaks volumes!

Scottish Dance Theatre

Shan, Ben, Jon & I went to catch the Scottish Dance Theatre's (SDT) performance at The Place, a contemporary dance school. The SDT is the same group that ran the workshop I went to a couple of days before. I had heard that the dance tenderhook was "very beautiful" and was keen to watch it. It was actually the dance on which the workshop was based, but they didn't teach the choreography during the workshop, just the techniques.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with tenderhook. The reviews were so good, and the mental images conjured in my mind after the workshop were very different from how the actual dance looked like. It's a dance that's supposed to explore relationships between people, and I thought it would evoke more emotions and be much more stirring. The music was so good! Unfortunately, it seemed more like a series of movements to me. I knew the significance behind them, since they explained it during the workshop, but I thought there'd be more to it, more blending of movements; instead they took the elements and pieced them together. That's what I thought at least, though they had some interesting use of props. I guess it's just cos I expected so much more. But that's just how it is usually right? When you expect too much you tend to get disappointed.

I was more impressed with Dog. Though requiring less technique, I liked how they kept up the energy and showed commitment to the dance. It involved a lot of explosive movements sandwiched between segments of fluid movements. I always find that you need a certain kind of dancer to be able to pull off such contrasting textures of movement. A lot of times there isn't enough explosiveness, and the movement just looks weak, and the whole effect is lost. But I thought they did it very well, and melted easily from explosive to fluid. I actually also saw more meaning in Dog than in tenderhook. The choreographer made it clear that he didn't have any particular meaning he wanted to convey when he started choreographing the dance, but that that doesn't mean his dance has no meaning. So he urged the audience to see their own meaning in it, i.e., it is pretty much up to you. So to me, it seems like well, we're all sometimes like Dogs. Sometimes kicked around by others, loved by others, sometimes affectionate, scared, conditioned to do certain things, curious, sometimes out of control, etc., but still always very human. I don't profess to understand the whole dance. There were bits that totally didn't make sense to me, but that's the little bit I pulled out from it.

Brackets, Squirrels, and Kites

The dance workshop was great!

Not what I expected, but very interesting and inspirational nonetheless. Instead of teaching their repertoire per se, the gave insights to the thinking and creative techniques like "brackets and squirrels", "kites", "paisley" and "canon" that went behind the work. A lot of it requires improvisation and creativity, which I found great fun! We rotated with various partners, and each partner brought something else to the equation. Some of the dancers were fantastic! It was so inspirational watching them! Strength, grace, and creativity all rolled into one. Turns out that they are intending to audition for the Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) - no wonder they were going all out to impress, and it was clear the SDT dancers were impressed!

My whole body feels worked-out and stretched. We really used every inch of our bodies tonight, and I'm definitely going to ache tomorrow. How wonderful!

Dancing In London!

I've been wanting to go for dance in London, and finally went for two classes several weeks ago. The first was for a contemporary 'Graham technique' class at The Place, and the second was a jazz class at Pineapple Studios near Covent Garden. Both we great fun, and it was fantastic to get to dance again! More than anything I realised that contrary to what I had thought - that a lot of the people who attend these things are really fantastic dancers and I'll look so horrible next to them - there are many people here who go to class just to try out something new, or indulge in an interest...why worry? :) There are of course many fantastic dancers, but, who cares? :) Not like they know me. Just do it!

So tonight I'm going for a repertory class with the Scottish Dance Theatre at The Place. I was thinking of attending the Rambert Dance Company's repertory class, but decided that the work they were going to teach was probably better enjoyed as part of an audience than to learn. The Scottish Dance Theatre is going to lead the class to learn tenderhook which has been described as simply beautiful and stunning. I'm not too sure whether there is a requirement for the level of dance experience, but I'm just going to go for it and try! :) Wish me luck!

La La La Human Steps

Shan, Ben, Jon & I went to catch La La La Human Steps - Amjad at Sadler's Wells Theatre. Shan had heard that La La La was a fabulous dance group to watch, and since they were in town, we had to catch it!

The choreographer Edouard Lock constructed this performance using elements derived from the classic pieces Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. He felt that these two ballets were rare examples of dance-generated memories that has been integrated into our culture. It is this that inspired the elements in Amjad.

The stage was kept fairly empty. The only props being the side panels that was a modern art take on the forest. Lock was intrigued by the common forest theme present in both Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, and he extended the use of the forest as an allegory of the unconscious, non-rational side of human nature - the aspect that falls outside the norms of society. He attempted to pull these elements into the dance work as well.

Technically the dancers were very strong. Shan & I were particularly impressed by Xuan Cheng - when we came out of the theatre we were excitedly discussing how good she was. She had excellent technique, was very strong and controlled, but yet always exuded grace and emotion. She was beautiful to watch. Contrast her with another dancer Talia Evtushenko who although had a good physique and was a strong dancer as well, was too hurried in her movements. Even though the choreography is indeed very fast paced (one critic described it as ballet fast-forwarded), but she was overly rushed. It made me feel very kan chiong watching her.

It was a very good show. I was amazed at how strong the dancers were, I was taken with the choreography, and amazed at how they danced to the music which had no fixed rhythm, and occasionally no discernable rhythm at all. I don't believe they are counting throughout the dance...there must be some other rhythm they are following.

The bonus for me was that the music was all played live! My favourite part of the show was when the violinists, cellist, and pianist each took one corner of the stage and launched into a very powerful song that the dancers performed to. The music was stirring, powerful and moving all at once; and the choreography reflected this (or the music reflected the choreography..not sure which way it was done).

I didn't really understand what the dance was showing at times, but overall I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Cirque Wannabe

Last Friday Jon & I went to watch James Thiérrée's Au Revoir Parapluie at Sadler's Wells Theatre. One critic commented:

"An exhilarating and magical piece of theatrical invention" - Sunday Times

Really? I was sitting there with my head on my hands wondering why this guy spent all this money to put up this show. What was the point? Heh, yes, Jon joked that I was being critical ;) But really!! If you've watched Cirque du Soleil, this would pale greatly in comparison. Maybe I've an uneducated eye, but to me at least, I didn't see the point. It seemed like a wispy storyline strung together for the sake of showing off their "innovative" movements and ideas (though some seemed to be Cirque inspired), showing off what physical skills they had. Even the type of songs sung had a similar feel to Cirque's Allegria! And this singer was no where near as good!

"Acrobat and clown, poet and magician, James Thiérrée creates a world of endless invention which allows your imagination to soar."

Well, I don't think my imagination is that bad...In fact I think I've got quite a good imagination, but to me the show just plonked. Ok lah, to be fair, their physical abilities are quite impressive...they are very strong, but they lack grace when dancing. Cirque acrobats have this extra gracefulness in their movements. More polished. But of course as Jon says..how much did we pay for the ticket? Heh..compared to Cirque's price..it's like 1/3 or 1/4 the price?

So yes, I felt it was very Cirque wannabe. I must bring Jon to see Cirque du Soleil!! The REAL THING! ;)