The Danes at Jacob's Pillow
My friend Nancy and I had a beautiful evening at Jacob's Pillow, where Dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet put on a generous program that included pieces dating from 1836 to 2007.
The 1836 piece was "La Sylphide," of which the Pillow audience saw the second act divertissement. Diana Cuni was the sylphide, and Tim Matiakis was James. The three sylphs accompanying Cuni were Christina L. Olsen, Louise Østergård, and Alexander Stæger.
The other Bournonville pieces on the program were the pas de deux from "Flower Festival in Genzano" (1858), danced by Kizzy Howard and Thomas Lund; the jockey dance from "From Siberia to Moscow" (1876), danced by Mads Eriksen and Alexander Stæger; and the third act pas de six and tarantella from "Napoli" (1842), with Diana Cuni as Teresina, Tim Matiakis as Gennaro, and the rest of the company playing various villagers.
The 2007 piece, "My Knees are Cold," choreographed by Louise Midjord, had its world premiere yesterday. The piece has three parts, each accompanied by distinctive music: The first part was performed to pieces by the Balkan composers, B.J. Nevenko and Goran Bregovic, the second to Cat Power's "Naked if I Want To," and the third to music of the Ethiopian jazz musician, Mulatu Astatke. I was surprised to find myself liking the dance, since so much contemporary ballet choreography is boring at best and ugly at worst. My friend Susan pooh-poohed it. The performers were Elisabeth Dam, Christina L. Olsen, Alexander Stæger, and Sebastian Kloborg. (Kloborg is one of the leaders of the group, along with Ulrik Birkkjær.)
The program was rounded out by a pas de deux called "Festival Polonaise," first choreographed by Harald Lander in 1942 and then reworked for TV in 1963; and "Triplex," a piece choreographed by Tim Rushton in 1999.
When I interviewed Ulrik Birkkjær by phone (he was still in Copenhagen) for a short preview article in our local newspaper, he told me that "Festival Polonaise" is a real challenge for the dancers' stamina because the 1962 version reflects the ability that TV offers to stop and start, rather than having to do the whole 10 minutes at one go. (Birkkjær partnered Gudrun Bojesen, with some hiccups during supported pirouettes.)
The choreography for "Triplex" was thin. The dancers were Diana Cuni, Sebastian Kloborg, and Alexander Stæger. When I talked to Sebastian by phone from Copenhagen, he described the dance as "fun, joyful, playful," material that the dancers enjoy performing. I have to admit that the audience responded enthusiastically, but I maintain that the dance should be dropped from the repertoire.
It is a credit to the Danes that they came across so well on the bare Ted Shawn stage. They weren't able to bring scenery with them, but all the same, they got plenty of mileage from their lovely costumes, technical mastery, and expressive warmth.
Labels: Arts
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:08 PM
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