Entity
Random Dance, Sadler’s Wells
Paradoxical as it might sound, ballet’s rebirth is happening thanks to (and within) modern and postmodern choreography. Over the past 20 years, classical dance, considered by many to be a dead art, has attracted the interest of many non-classical dance-makers. While some have successfully revised and reinterpreted the narratives of the classical repertoire, others have opted to tackle more directly the classical vocabulary, which remains a fertile and apparently inexhaustible source of inspiration and choreographic material. The British dance rebel Wayne McGregor belongs to the latter category, even though both his approach to and uses of the classical idiom differ greatly from those of William Forsythe — allegedly the first to challenge and revisit ballet’s vocabulary and syntax — and his numerous followers.
McGregor does not quote the principles of the classical techniques; neither does he develop his own distinctive vocabulary from an adaptation of ballet’s tenets. In his most recent choreography, ballet seems to be both a point of departure and a point of arrival for many of its splendidly non-balletically conceived choreographic phrases. Indeed, such a treatment of classical dance was one of the winning ingredients of Chroma, the mesmerising 2006 creation for the Royal Ballet — for which he is now resident choreographer.
In Entity, his newest creation for Random Dance, presented at Sadler’s Wells last week, the utilisation of classical canons is even more evident, though never in an intrusive, trite way. So is what could be referred to as the ‘cyclical’ structuring of his dance phrases, which begin at a classical starting point and conclude with another classical pose. Classical poses, adopted with great precision by the stunning, classically chiselled bodies of Random’s dancers, thus signal the beginning and the end of the numerous different and varied sections, whether short ones or not.
More articles from: Giannandrea Poesio | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
The Family Reunion
Donmar
Chicken
Hackney Empire
August: Osage County
Lyttelton
Lakeview Terrace
15, Nationwide
Summer
15, Key Cities
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Royal Opera
Der fliegende Holländer
Barbican
It all started earlier this year, when my friend Chris managed to get four tickets for the first Leonard Cohen concerts at the O2.
The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions
Metropolitan Museum, until 1 February 2009
Triple Bill
Royal Opera House
So today's the day Alistair Darling will confirm that Gordon Brown's current fiscal rules are to be scrapped. Now, the rules have always been more of a fiddle than a useful economic tool. But the worry is that if those fiscal rules failed to constrain Brown, what will he be able to achieve under a more "flexible" framework?
Mariinsky Ballet
Sadler’s Wells
Tiago Guedes: Various Materials
The Place: Robin Howard Dance Theatre
Compagnie Beau Geste
Parsons Green
Toilet Tango
Bathstore, Baker Street
Stephen Petronio Dance Company
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Australian Ballet
Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Manon
Royal Opera House
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Barbican
Swan Lake
Royal Opera House
Scottish Ballet
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Build your own Sky package online. Sky TV, Broadband & Talk only £17.
Subscribe to Sky from £16 a month. Get free equipment and free broadband - Join Now. Sky HD - be amongst the first to have it - order now.
Build your own Sky package online. Sky TV, Broadband & Talk only £17.
Subscribe to Sky from £16 a month. Get free equipment and free broadband - Join Now. Sky HD - be...
PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique
ROME and PARIS: over 350 holiday rentals apartments listed: visit www.romanreference.com and www.parisreference.com or call +39 0648 903612.
Goldsmiths by Design Welcome to Ruffs! You have found a company of Goldsmiths that specialises in the manufacture, amongst other
Spectator Business | Apollo Magazine
Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2008 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved