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Back in time

Giannandrea Poesio

Wednesday, 20th February 2008

Beijing Modern Dance Company
Linbury Studio

When it comes to new dance, nothing sells as quickly as a multi- or inter-cultural performance. It matters little that the intercultural approach to art first came to light in the late Sixties; Western modern and postmodern dance-makers, dance-practitioners and dance-goers seem to have discovered this only recently and are having a whale of a time. Do not get me wrong; I like it too, for it is thanks to this interaction of different choreographic styles, genres and cultures, that ageing Western dance idioms have been totally rejuvenated. And, at the same time, the fusion between different vocabularies and syntaxes has broadened considerably the average notion of what dance is and can be, confronting viewers with choreography that, if taken on its own, might be impenetrable. That is why I went to see the Beijing Modern Dance Company with great curiosity and trepidation. Although intercultural processes in the performing arts have never been exclusive to the Western theatre, the intercultural stuff one tends to see this side of the world these days is far too frequently a Western product. The idea of a Chinese company dealing with cultural fusion therefore offered an opportunity not to be missed, and a rare chance to appreciate a non-Western application of intercultural beliefs. Alas, my expectations were not to be fulfilled and all the performance did was to leave me rather puzzled.

The term ‘modern dance’ is a notoriously fishy one, despite the historical baggage it comes with. In its strictest terms it indicates a historically definable dance movement and, more specifically, a number of techniques and styles that flourished in the Western world in the early 20th century and kept developing more or less till the late Seventies — some might claim that they are still developing. Yet, in the first dance, Oath — Midnight Rain, there were very few traces of any modern dance style, genre or technique. According to the note on the flimsy sheet we were given — this kind of performance surely requires a more thorough introductory note — Oath — Midnight Rain, by Gao Yanjinzi, portrays the inner quest for balance, showing how a flower, grass, a fish, a bird and an insect respond to the falling rain. Set to traditional music, the dance is mainly a series of individual numbers which remain more traditionally in line with the most typical and stereotypical traits of Chinese theatre arts.

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