Dance
Mar 15-Mar 18 | Reviewed by Catherine Bisley

Aterballetto, performing choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti, couples the grace and suspension of balletic style with the grounded idioms of contemporary dance.

The performance begins with lights held in the dancer’s hands being concealed and revealed to illuminate fragments of the body: while the aesthetic possibilities of this excited me, it was clumsily executed. My heart started to sink – the last opening to a festival show I had seen was the hollow pyrotechnical rhetoric of The Holy Sinner.

While Omaggio a Bach contains moments of impressive physicality, such as the men propelling their bodies off the floor, the striking image of women being lifted and flipped in waves of legs, and an excellent duet, it was hard to see the relationship of the movement to the music. A sense of interconnection is lacking in the rapport of the ensemble (you could tell that you were watching soloists ); even in the moments when the troupe comes together in sculptural forms at the front of the stage this disharmony persists. This is doubly odd considering Bach is the master of counterpoint, creating a sense of harmony through multiple lines and sequences.

The music of Henry Purcell accompanies the next piece, a trio entitled Songs. Purcell’s music is simple and lucid; some of the most beautiful sequences of choreography were when fluid movement without any agitation were juxtaposed against the rhythmical bass continuo. A striking moment occurred when one of the male dancer’s movements were punctuated on the repeated “wish to die” as he slowly arced into line with the two others. On the final “wish to die” the line was complete and the dancers were still. In Oh Solitude the three dancers were locked in grapple which had moments of intensity, even violence. Less effective is the choreography set to Music for a While, a song which contains subtle shifts in the mood and tone. You would have thought the transition from the still semi-tonal vocals at a low pitch which mused on the eternal bands of death to a highly ornamented emphasis on the eternal an octave higher would have provoked some sort of response. It doesn’t. However, in contrast to Omaggio a Bach, Songs does create a sense of coherence; the piece begins with dancer Macha Daudal contorted on the floor and ends with her repositioned in this awkward pose.

These first two pieces contain a lot of similar vocabulary. Arms are wrapped and unwrapped about the body, angular and tangled poses created; Bigonzetti does not restrict himself to the elegant possibilities such beautiful bodies offer (and man are they beautiful!). Other repetitions are not as successful. The old run and pause got a bit tiresome, and leg extensions into the vertical splits were an overused motif.

It is a cliché, but the Italians really do love well. Cantata, the final piece, explored this theme, striking a resounding chord with the audience. Here, the earthy singing and playing of Gruppo Musicale Assurd (who performed onstage) and the vigorous dancing combines powerfully. There are humorous sequences, kissing games, serious duels, and rejections. Moments of sword and sandal tribalism are contrasted with festive frivolity. Some of the dancer’s movements are fleeting, others sustained as they coiled and uncoiled around each others bodies. The music reflects these shifts, with fine piano accordion playing (not usually an instrument I go into raptures over) and solemn drum beats. A brief descent into a walking handstand was a little naff, something one has come to expect in a ballet or opera chorus – perhaps the reference was deliberate... At times the dancers’ move as if they are grotesque dolls: in one such sequence the women bite their hands viciously, drawing up into the bite and then relaxing. The dancing is wild, pushing the limits of physicality. Of particular mention are a tall dark haired woman’s dancing and a double pas de deux.

This review cannot end without praise for the simple costuming and stage design. It is also imperative to point out that Carlo Cerri’s lighting design is superb; the doubts I had during the opening were quickly dissipated. In Omaggio a Bach a giant rubber ball at the back is lit to create a subtle lunar image, about which light delicately wrapped in shifting degrees throughout the piece. Side lighting and cross hatched paths of light in the space above create texture and atmosphere throughout the program. Levels of intensity are also explored to augment an overall effect: the sinuous bodies of the dancers becoming canvasses for light and shadow.

» Aterballetto @ NZ International Arts Festival