Rambert in Bradford -

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Rambert   Triple Bill:A Linha Curva, Ghost Dances and Goat, 16 Nov 2017 Alhambra

 One of the most memorable shows that I attended in 2017 was Rambert's triple bill at the Alhambra which I saw on Friday 16 Nov.  The company presented three works:

• Itzik Galili's A Linha Curva;
• Christopher Bruce's Ghost Dances; and
• Ben Duke's Goat.

Three very different works and it seemed to me that all had a loose connection with Latin America.

My favourite work of the evening was A Linha Curva.  I had seen it at The Lowry the year before (see Red Hot Rambert 1 Oct 2016).  I loved it then:

"Rambert's party piece on Thursday was A Linha Curva. The stage consisted of percussionists in a box above the dancers. The work began with chants by male dancers in gigantic, reflective metallic collars which was answered by calls and screeches from the women. The stage exploded into a carnival of movement fuelled by the relentless beat of the musicians. The effect was quite hypnotic and the performers' vitality and vivacity were infectious."

I loved it even more the second time round for its colour and energy. I loved the chanting, the screeching and the rhythm. Such a contrast to the other two works which, while beautiful, were much more sobering.

Christopher Bruce created Ghost Dances in 1981 when Leopoldo Galtieri held power in Argentina and Augusto Pinochet.  Both used death squads to remove political opponents.  Spooks who visited opponents in the middle of the night and spirited their victims away.  The faceless skeletons moving to panpipes could easily represent them at one level.  At another level, they could represent the spirits of the dead  in the belief systems of the Andean tribes that had been transposed only imperfectly into the religion of the Conquistadors.   At either level it was a very disturbing work reminding audiences of their mortality and vulnerability.  But at the same time it was also eerily beautiful with elegant jumps. I should like to see it again - but not in a hurry.

The last work was also disturbing.  The "goat" in this piece had two legs not four.  The human goat was chosen for much the same purpose as a scapegoat.  Duke explained in the programme notes:

“In the village where I was brought up there was a tradition on New Year’s Eve of writing on a piece of paper two things you wanted to rid yourself of – it could be something bad that had happened to you, or something bad that you had done. The pieces of paper were placed inside a can which was tied to the tail of a goat. The goat was supposed to disappear over the horizon and take our sins with it. Usually it ran for five seconds or so then stopped to eat some grass. Some years it came running back towards us…” 

There was a lot going on in this work. A running commentary from one of the dancers and dialogue from others. Some dance, of course, and a lot of singing on stage.  According to Ben Duke's YouTube clip, rehearsals started immediately after the London Bridge terror outrage. It is in thus a commentary on the role of art in the politics of the times.

Not exactly a laugh a minute but life is brief for all and insecure for many and it does no harm occasionally to be reminded of that.

Red Hot Rambert

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Rambert, Flight, Frames and A Linha Curva, The Lowry, 29 Sept 2016

One might not guess it from its repertoire or extraordinarily talented and versatile young dancers but Rambert is our oldest and in many ways our most illustrious dance company. Founded in 1926 the company has done at least as much to develop an audience for dance in the UK as any other company. The short film Unlocking The Passion expresses eloquently the qualities that make Rambert so special. This year marks the company's 90th anniversary.

I first came across the company in 1955 when my parents first moved to London. The company, which was then known as Ballet Rambert, used to perform in the open air theatre on Streatham Common. I have been a fan ever since. Now that I have returned to the North I get to see them only when they visit the Lowry which happens about once a year.

I saw them on Thursday, the 29 Sept 2016.  Perhaps because it is their 90th anniversary this year's offering seemed special.  The company danced Flight by Malgorzata Dzierzon, Frames by Alexander Whitley and Itzik Galili's A Linha Curva. These were three very different but very impressive works in their various ways.

According to Rambert's website the theme of Flight is migration:

"A moving set and multimedia projections create an ever-shifting backdrop as the dancers dramatise the mix of hope and fear that make up the migrant experience of leaving one home to search for another."

Coincidentally, the flight of migrant workers was central to Akram Khan's Giselle  which English National Ballet danced at the Palace a mile or so away (see Akram Khan's Giselle 28 Sept 2016). Set to the music of Somei Satoh and Kate Whitley the work opened with a single female dancer with her back to the audience performing an elegiac solo. She was soon joined by a single male and then a couple who emerged behind what appeared to be a wall. More couples joined them. The walls glistened and changed colour and design. Those on stage left rotated each pushed by a single dancer which seemed to reveal a room revealing brief scenes from the life of a couple, family or other group. There is an interesting interview with the choreographer in The Guardian entitled Free movement: how Rambert’s dance crosses borders 9 Sept 2016. Apparently, Dzierzon finished Flight on the day of the Brexit vote and she reminds us that Dame Marie Rambert was herself a migrant from Poland.

My favourite work of the evening was Frames. It began with the dancers dropping metal rods on the floor. with a mighty crash.  "Another reminder of Akram Khan's Giselle!" I inwardly groaned. But unlike the sticks carried by the wilis those rods were not for zapping people but for making things. All kinds of things from fences to travelling barres. Indeed the plie, tendu and port de bras was my favourite use for those rods which were eventually joined with string and hauled up to form a gigantic light fitting.  The piece was set to a score by Daniel Bjarnason. The ingenious designs were by Revital Cohen and Tuur Van Balen and the very clever lighting by Lee Curran. There is a short interview with Whitley on Dance Tabs (see Interview – Alexander Whitley, Choreographer and Director 2 March 2015).

Rambert's party piece on Thursday was A Linha Curva. The stage consisted of percussionists in a box above the dancers. The work began with chants by male dancers in gigantic, reflective metallic collars which was answered by calls and screeches from the women. The stage exploded into a carnival of movement fuelled by the relentless beat of the musicians.  The effect was quite hypnotic and the performers' vitality and vivacity were infectious. The website promised:

"the cumulative effect has audiences on their feet and cheering (once they’ve got their breath back)"

and that did indeed happen in Salford. Indeed, I was one of those who stood for the company at the end.

Altogether this was a great show which presents Rambert at its best.  We in the North forget that there is a lot more to Rambert than a contemporary dance touring company (see Join in with Rambert on the company's website). It runs workshops, masterclasses and other events throughout the country as well as regular classes in London for adult dancers including Mercury Movers for dancers of my vintage who meet on Saturdays. If ever I have to move back to London full time for work I should be tempted to join them.