“The Four Temperaments”, “Watch her”, “Glass Pieces”
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 28, 2009
by Denise Sum
copyright 2009 by Denise Sum
The centerpiece of the NBoC’s fall mixed program was the world premiere of Aszure Barton’s “Watch her”. “Watch her” falls into the category of what I call loosely narrative ballets. The work evokes moods instead of linear stories and revolves around archetypes rather than characters. At the same time, “Watch her” still feels coherent and purposeful, whereas other loosely narrative ballet are often just vague.
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
November 28, 2009
by Denise Sum
copyright 2009 by Denise Sum
The ballet is set to an arrangement of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s sublime “Stabat Mater Dolorosa” by Lera Auerbach. The work unfolds in a minimalist, box-like set by Yannik Larivée. The intensity of a closed-off stage with no traditional wings seems to be increasingly popular. In Toronto, we have seen similar sets for James Kudelka’s “The Contract” and Davide Bombana’s “Carmen”.
The ballet begins with a lone man sitting outside the box. There’s a small window, which he crawls through. The proverbial “fourth wall” is literally lifted as we, the audience, are invited to catch of glimpse of an inner world. We are introduced to a corps of civilians in drab greys and blues, going about their daily affairs. Intrigue lurks beneath the seemingly banality. There are three main female roles. Sonia Rodriguez is the femme fatale, predictably wearing a form-fitting red dress. She dances with the male figure from the opening scene, Kevin Bowles. At one point, he covers her mouth. He wants her to be seen, not heard. Xiao Nan Yu is Rodriguez’ alter ego, the chaste woman in a plain, grey dress. She dances with another man, Patrick Lavoie, and this time it is she who silences him by placing a hand over his mouth. Their pas de deux is conflicted, as neither seems certain of their role or relationship to one another. This is in contrast to Rodriguez and Bowles’ sensual exchange, in which their roles are clearly (but tastefully) spelt out. What the third woman, danced by Heather Ogden, represents is open to interpretation. She does not play counterpoint to anything and her role feels less developed than the other two.
The dancing was solid. Barton draws compelling and natural interpretations from her dancers. The corps work was particularly strong and unified. Barton is inventive in her vocabulary. There are many unexpected moments that work surprisingly well, such as a slow dévelopé à la seconde where the woman is supported by her partner’s forearm resting under her chin. She seamlessly combines arms that are reminiscent of “The Dying Swan”, with more colloquial gestures -- shaking heads, shrugged shoulders, and undulating body waves. It is refreshing to see a new ballet that does not rely on hyperextended positions to grab viewers’ attention. The movements are not simply pretty either (another common shortcoming in contemporary works), they create symbolic images. The leading women are ethereal beings on pointe while the men are literally more grounded. In a feat of core strength, the male corps lie in plank position and crawl across the floor, inching towards a row of unattainable women.
The ballet ends with the corps marching ominously upstage before breaking apart. Yu and Rodriguez reappear and Bowles is sitting in the window. Suddenly, above the back wall, we see the corps rise in a row -- but only their heads are visible. The eerie scene of seemingly disembodied heads is chilling and catches the viewer off-guard. The fourth wall is lowered, abruptly ending this voyeuristic experience and there is just a spectator centre stage with his back towards the audience. The theme of watching and being watched reads powerfully and is relevant on many levels: for audience members, dancers (always watching themselves in studio mirrors), and more generally, all of us living in a culture of surveillance.
The program was rounded out with “The Four Temperaments” and “Glass Pieces”. Unlike, “Watch her”, Balanchine’s ballet creates atmosphere without the use of sets or costumes, and Hindemith’s score is quite stark. The ability to convey such a range of feelings through movement alone is the mark of a great choreographer. Keiichi Hirano’s Melancholic had a sense of fatalism. Sanguinic was danced by Sonia Rodriguez and Richard Landry. She is perhaps too stylized and could use more weight in her steps, but her lightness served her well in the quick segments. Landry is adequate in the role but needs more attention to detail. Nan Wang was a cool Phlegmatic with beautiful lines and impressive control of his very long legs, although his performance bordered on effeminate. Stephanie Hutchison stood out in Choleric. She was fierce in her attack -- a technical powerhouse.
“Glass Pieces” has all the ordered chaos, excitement and colour of a Shibuya scramble crossing. Along with Philip Glass’ untiring score, the choreography is hypnotic and seems built on the principle of inertia. “Rubric” is almost constant motion. A sequence in “Rubric” involves waves of dancers thrust forward, then shuffling back in lines. It is like a modern “Kingdom of the Shades” entrance. “Facades” is all stillness, with just the ticker tape corps marking time in the background. Tanya Howard and Etienne Lavigne were the soloists here. There was a serenity in their pas de deux, but it somehow felt a bit too even and calculated. The corps were excellent in “Funeral from Akhnaten”. Not only were they able to sustain a high level of intensity, they managed to then build an exciting crescendo until the end.
Photo: Sonia Rodriguez with Artists of the Ballet in “Watch her”. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
The ballet begins with a lone man sitting outside the box. There’s a small window, which he crawls through. The proverbial “fourth wall” is literally lifted as we, the audience, are invited to catch of glimpse of an inner world. We are introduced to a corps of civilians in drab greys and blues, going about their daily affairs. Intrigue lurks beneath the seemingly banality. There are three main female roles. Sonia Rodriguez is the femme fatale, predictably wearing a form-fitting red dress. She dances with the male figure from the opening scene, Kevin Bowles. At one point, he covers her mouth. He wants her to be seen, not heard. Xiao Nan Yu is Rodriguez’ alter ego, the chaste woman in a plain, grey dress. She dances with another man, Patrick Lavoie, and this time it is she who silences him by placing a hand over his mouth. Their pas de deux is conflicted, as neither seems certain of their role or relationship to one another. This is in contrast to Rodriguez and Bowles’ sensual exchange, in which their roles are clearly (but tastefully) spelt out. What the third woman, danced by Heather Ogden, represents is open to interpretation. She does not play counterpoint to anything and her role feels less developed than the other two.
The dancing was solid. Barton draws compelling and natural interpretations from her dancers. The corps work was particularly strong and unified. Barton is inventive in her vocabulary. There are many unexpected moments that work surprisingly well, such as a slow dévelopé à la seconde where the woman is supported by her partner’s forearm resting under her chin. She seamlessly combines arms that are reminiscent of “The Dying Swan”, with more colloquial gestures -- shaking heads, shrugged shoulders, and undulating body waves. It is refreshing to see a new ballet that does not rely on hyperextended positions to grab viewers’ attention. The movements are not simply pretty either (another common shortcoming in contemporary works), they create symbolic images. The leading women are ethereal beings on pointe while the men are literally more grounded. In a feat of core strength, the male corps lie in plank position and crawl across the floor, inching towards a row of unattainable women.
The ballet ends with the corps marching ominously upstage before breaking apart. Yu and Rodriguez reappear and Bowles is sitting in the window. Suddenly, above the back wall, we see the corps rise in a row -- but only their heads are visible. The eerie scene of seemingly disembodied heads is chilling and catches the viewer off-guard. The fourth wall is lowered, abruptly ending this voyeuristic experience and there is just a spectator centre stage with his back towards the audience. The theme of watching and being watched reads powerfully and is relevant on many levels: for audience members, dancers (always watching themselves in studio mirrors), and more generally, all of us living in a culture of surveillance.
The program was rounded out with “The Four Temperaments” and “Glass Pieces”. Unlike, “Watch her”, Balanchine’s ballet creates atmosphere without the use of sets or costumes, and Hindemith’s score is quite stark. The ability to convey such a range of feelings through movement alone is the mark of a great choreographer. Keiichi Hirano’s Melancholic had a sense of fatalism. Sanguinic was danced by Sonia Rodriguez and Richard Landry. She is perhaps too stylized and could use more weight in her steps, but her lightness served her well in the quick segments. Landry is adequate in the role but needs more attention to detail. Nan Wang was a cool Phlegmatic with beautiful lines and impressive control of his very long legs, although his performance bordered on effeminate. Stephanie Hutchison stood out in Choleric. She was fierce in her attack -- a technical powerhouse.
“Glass Pieces” has all the ordered chaos, excitement and colour of a Shibuya scramble crossing. Along with Philip Glass’ untiring score, the choreography is hypnotic and seems built on the principle of inertia. “Rubric” is almost constant motion. A sequence in “Rubric” involves waves of dancers thrust forward, then shuffling back in lines. It is like a modern “Kingdom of the Shades” entrance. “Facades” is all stillness, with just the ticker tape corps marking time in the background. Tanya Howard and Etienne Lavigne were the soloists here. There was a serenity in their pas de deux, but it somehow felt a bit too even and calculated. The corps were excellent in “Funeral from Akhnaten”. Not only were they able to sustain a high level of intensity, they managed to then build an exciting crescendo until the end.
Photo: Sonia Rodriguez with Artists of the Ballet in “Watch her”. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
