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