Impressive moment from "Le Sacre"
(Reviews from te artSMart team currently in Grahamstown
at the 2015 National Arts Festival)
Impressive double bill showcasing the considerable talents
of the company.
Renowned dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky worked for
Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The original production of his Le Sacre du Printemps/The Rite of Spring
was presented in Paris in 1913.
Years later, John Neumeier, choreographer of the Hamburg
Ballet, drew on his fascination with Nijinsky to create his own version of this
ballet. Titling it Le Sacre, it was
an interpretation that shifted attention from its original focus on a pagan
Russian rite to observe man’s capacity for aggression and self-destruction.
Several movements of Spring
and Fall were created for the Nijinsky Gala XVII in 1991.
Presented by the National Arts Festival in association with
the Cape Town City Ballet, the double bill of Spring and Fall and Le Sacre appeared
on the Main programme of the 2015 festival.
Guest producer for the Cape Town City Ballet is Victor Hughes
who has put together an impressive double bill showcasing the considerable
talents of the company.
From the opening of the double bill, there were impressive
scenes in silhouette – nervy time for dancers because this process highlights
every single move or body posture. Exciting group choreography almost resembles
chess manoeuvres with a seamless and innovative flow in changing of grouping. There
were impressive performances from principal dancers Laura Bosenberg and Thomas
Thorne.
If one was impressed with the company’s performance in Spring and Fall, Le Sacre pulls out all the stops. The feel is arcane, primeval,
aggressive and angular as opposed to the first’s piece’s elegance and
eloquence. It is well to remember that Nijinsky was a disturbed soul and spent
much time in mental hospitals.
Skin-coloured garments added to the primitive feel. A
memorable moment saw the dancers merge into a grouping that reminded one of a
massive sea anemone while another resembled a giant centipede. There is much mayhem
of flailing arms and contortions. Frenetic warlike movements build up to an incredibly
explosive and powerful scene.
If the production had stopped at this point, I guarantee the
audience would have raised the roof in tumultuous approval. These scenes had
reached such an impossibly high point that it was difficult to adapt to the
rest of the work which dealt with the sacrifice. While the choreography became
less adventurous and somewhat repetitive, this sequence was excellently
performed by Sarah Lee Chapman who handled these final moments superbly.
Working from John Neumeier’s design, the lighting for both
productions was superb. Dvorak’s evocative score (Spring And Fall) is lush and sweeping while Stravinsky’s music (Le Sacre) is powerful, explosive and
unrelenting. – Caroline Smart
The Cape Town City
Ballet is to perform Thumbelina in association with the KZN Midlands Youth
Ballet Company on July 8 and 9 at the Hilton College Theatre. Visit www.hiltontheatre.co.za
(For more information on the National Arts Festival click
on the banner advert at the top of this page or visit www.nationalartsfestival.co.za)
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