Thursday 3 July 2014

Nederlands Dans Theater 1 - Sehnsucht/Schmetterling - Sadlers Wells

It is a long time since I have seen Nederlands Dans Theater 1 at Sadlers Wells.  If I remember it was still in the heady days under the leadership of Jirí Kylián.  Things have obviously moved on with this double bill from Sol León and Paul Lightfoot currently on at Sadlers Wells.  <<http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2014/Nederlands-Dans-Theater-1-Sehnsucht-Schmetterling/>>.

In Sehnsucht the staging is simple, apart from a rotating room at the back of the stage where a couple of dancers stretch and roll about.  (Too much gusset for my taste!)  Musically it's a lot of Beethoven.  I did not get over-excited by the 'trio' at the start.  I found the ensemble choreography more interesting, if not particularly innovative.  You can clearly see the classical roots of the company as well as more contemporary touches.

For Schmetterling the staging was more complex - openings focusing towards a backcloth.  Dance-wise it was much more fragmented than the first piece.  I'm not a great one for whimsy and humour in dance so there were sections that did not ignite me!

I think León and Lightfoot have some issues about gender boundaries.......in Sehnsucht most of the dancers are dressed in black trousers and black socks, with torsos bare.  This is for both the men and the women.  They then flip the coin in Schmetterling and have most of the men and women in black dresses and headscarves.  Very confusing!

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