Rhapsody

At last!  A chance to go and see some dance and some good dance as well!  This week I went to see Dansk Danseteater perform two pieces, ‘Rocking’, with choreography by Kim Brandstrup and ‘Rhapsody’, a Tim Rushton piece. 

‘Rocking’ was a series of 6 duets.  The programme notes (which I read after) said that the themes revolved around the feeling of being rocked like a baby as well as the need to set ourselves free.  Looking back, this completely makes sense.  Dancers fell back and were caught, supported each other, broke away.  It was a very lyrical piece and a good opener.

‘Rhapsody’ was a contrast, and a good one too.  I really enjoyed this, abstract and interesting piece.  I always enjoy it when the dancers form patterns and shapes that form and break apart.  The music (John Adams ‘Shaker Loops’) was, I confess, a big contributor to the joyous feel of the piece.  I was not totally convinced by the costumes, sort of Egyptian tunics for both the men and the women, and while the choreography for the most part was interesting, there were a couple of passages where the music was being interpreted a bit too literally (a sort of wobbling movement in time to the music for example).

The dancers were all in excellent form, with, for me, some new faces.  Interesting that only one of the company is actually Danish!  Tim Rushton always comes across as such a nice person – warm and modest about his accomplishments.  Dansk Danseteater is a good company which should be supported.

Next blog will be another book review. Below is a picture from 'Rhapsody'.

The Everyday Dancer

It’s been a while since I have been on this blog.  Christmas and family matters put a hold on things for a while, as well as the fact that there has been no dance to go and see.  So I thought as I get back to the blog in 2012 I would start with a book review.

I got given for Christmas “The Everyday Dancer” by Deborah Bull.  It is a very easy read (you could easily finish it on a snowy, cold winter Sunday), nicely illustrated and I think goes a long way to do what it aims to do which is give a picture of the life in the day of a dancer.  Bull structures the book around the daily schedule, weaving in descriptions of classes and rehearsals as well as some anecdotes from her own experience, from being a rat in “The Nutcracker” to her final performances as a principal with The Royal Ballet. 

I have to say that I enjoyed the book, read in little bits on my boring bus journey to work.  It give a good picture of what goes on behind the scenes (I particularly liked her comments about different costume types and wigs).  However, I do wonder who the book is aimed at?  I guess any teenage girl who dreams of being a dancer would lap it up, and I know I would have loved it if I had read it when I was 13.  As I say, I enjoyed it now too, so maybe it is aimed at anyone who has an interest in and likes dance, though don’t expect to learn anything new if you watch a lot and read a lot about dance.