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Sunday 7 September 2008

Back in time

Beijing Modern Dance Company
Linbury Studio

Indeed, some ideas could be occasionally read as references to historically iconic modern dance works but even then none of them is used in a truly intercultural way, which means that they look like turgid citations forcibly interpolated within a far from appropriate text. More specifically, the first solo, that of the flower, brought back a number of far too familiar images, evoking every artist who, from Loie Fuller at the end of the 19th century, has resorted to playing with a layer of veils to create a ‘modern’ effect. Similarly the ‘fish’ character, clad in traditional costume and colours, was too reminiscent of one of Graham’s heroines, while the ambiguous and rather camp ‘insect’ at the end, sporting a black corset on his slender male body, was too much of a déjà vu. Pity, for the artists move in a truly exceptional and mesmerising way, and all come across as charismatic interpreters, fully absorbed in the intricacies of their narratives.

Luckily, the interaction of two different cultural discourses was far more evident in Unfettered Journey by Hu Lei, the second and last item on the programme. This relies on the combination of new sounds, new dynamics and a clever adaptation of the Tai Qi vocabulary. The result is a fast-paced work that stands out for the breathtaking physical demands of the choreography. But after the first few minutes the dance fails to move forward or renew itself and starts dragging. As in the first piece, the artists give a splendid display of their unique skills, fascinating the audience with an engagingly contrasting game of slow- and fast-paced movements. But once the viewer adjusts him/herself to that there is little left. The company, which has toured extensively and performed on international platforms such as the Biennale in Venice, was created in 1995. According to the brief note, its aim is to integrate ‘the traditional culture of China with influences from abroad’ to generate ‘a diverse repertoire of innovative modern dance works’. The inevitable question many of us asked on the way out was what kind of ‘influences’ from abroad had the choreographers taken into account, for they surely need to rethink their idea of ‘modern dance’.

More articles from: Giannandrea Poesio | this section

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