<B>Rite of Spring</B><BR>Modern ballet troupe Geneva Grand Theatre Ballet to stage Stravinsky's epoch-making work. By Yvonne Zhang, Shanghai Star<P><BR>STRAVINSKY'S ballet "Le Sacre du Printemps" - The Rite of Spring - caused a riot in the theatre when it premiered in Paris in 1913. His music marked a modern milestone, but Shanghai audiences have barely had the opportunity to appreciate it. <P>The Geneva Grand Theatre Ballet, a modern ballet troupe from Switzerland, will dance "Le Sacre" in Shanghai next week. <P>The Swiss ballet will perform the dance, choreographed by John Neumeier in 1974, winner of the Nijinsky-Gala Award - Nijinsky was the first choreographer of "Le Sacre". <P><A HREF="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0509/wh28-1.html" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A><BR>

Interesting. In the past two years I notice that there seems to be more ballet companies visiting Beijing and Shanghai than Hong Kong.

Hi, Stuart, how are you ?<BR>Actually Geneva Ballet was in Beijing too, and gave a mixed bill performance on April 28.<BR>The program was:<BR>

A review from Clement Crisp gives me the chance to apologise for not responding to Xinxin's message above, which I missed last year:

Geneva Ballet Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, Geneva
By Clement Crisp for The Financial Times


The Bâtiment des Forces Motrices is a former pumping station on Lake Geneva, now housing a modern theatre. The stage is deep, forward-projecting, ideal for dance. On Friday night I saw the latest triple bill presented by the Geneva troupe: the acquisitions of Pacificby Mark Morris, Kiki la Rose by Michel Kelemenis, and Avanto, a new piece by the Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen.

This last is a bit of a problem. I have admired Uotinen's creations in the past, but this hole in the ice (which is what "avanto" means in Finnish - unsurprisingly, there is this special word for it) is too big for anything save trying to catch a whale.

Be it said at once that the Geneva dancers are strong, expressive, cleanly trained, and Avanto has a gripping first section. Nine men, torsos daubed, and outfitted with tulle jeans - unusual as winter-wear for those Nordic climes - pose, stretch, move in a misty, frozen light. The image is haunting, and one might expect some ritual, chill and mysterious, to take place.

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<small>[ 21 May 2003, 04:19 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>