An arts festival
is a platform for experimentation and creativity - in this context,
Singapore Dance Theatre's Continuum was a rather sedate
offering and, even allowing for opening-night jitters, I didn't
feel the dancers looked comfortable in any of the pieces.
Graham Lustig's Evening started the proceedings on a
sombre note. The choreography required principal dancer Chen Peng to
begin several sections with a pirouette into a held arabesque position
- a difficult move that set up an amount of dramatic tension between
the dancer and the audience. Although there were some interesting moments
and the choreography was full of poetic imagery and wistful Romanticism,
overall, the tone of the piece danced in dark costumes to a Benjamin
Britten score looked passé. It was in the realm of a repertory
piece rather than one appropriate for the opening of a festival programme.
David Dawson's A Million Kisses to My Skin to Bach's
Piano Concerto No 1 was the most successful piece of the evening
for the company - the dancers threw themselves joyfully into this
light work and showed their marvellous leg extensions and precise pointe
work. The partnering was also caring and brought the right nuance and
sensibility to this exuberant piece. The SDT women looked fantastic
in this high-energy choreography that really showed their talents and
the pale blue leotards which revealed their muscular strength and extreme
flexibility - it was refreshing to see them take charge of the choreography
and make it their own as they exploded around the stage. The men did
well but they need tighter footwork as well as cleaner turns and leaps
in order to match up to the women.
Expectations were high for Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo's
Glow-Stop. It began well but as it progressed, the energy flagged
and the company, sporting luxurious red velvet costumes, could neither
sustain the articulation of the intricate gestures nor achieve some
much-needed emotional engagement between each other and the audience.
There should have been fire and passion in this highly innovative work.
Instead, the dancers struggled to keep pace with the beautiful, complex
choreography that required a good dose of wit, playfulness and nonchalance
juxtaposed with superb technical wizardry. Glow-Stop is a piece
of the moment that captures all the elements of the new style of virtuosic
classical ballet that challenges dancers in its form and content. Audiences
have responded well to these new ballets and this is a marvellous addition
to the SDT's repertoire if they can invest time in uncovering
the intention of every moment and nail the technique.
The triple bill offered by the SDT featured strong choreography and
showed the dancers' ever-evolving technical skill and confidence.
Nothing was really fresh in the programme, however, and the company
pushed diligently through the choreography rather than transcending
it to dance with spirit. The SDT should have taken the title to heart
and truly embark on a journey of self-development. Instead, it left
the audience short-changed in terms of emotional engagement with the
performance as the company still needs more time to pull off the demands
of this programme. |
"The company pushed diligently through the choreography rather
than transcending it to dance with spirit. "
Credits
(Evening, 1989)
Choreography: Graham Lustig
Music: Benjamin Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
(A Million Kisses to My Skin, 2000)
Choreography: David Dawson
Music: Bach, Piano Concerto No 1
(Glow-Stop, 2006)
Choreography: Jorma Elo
Music: Mozart and Philip Glass
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From: The Editor (theatre@inkpot.com / Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 17:35:44)
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