CriticalDance Forum

choreographer & ex-dancer, australian simone clifford writes a bold and provocative review of her former company,the australian ballet, and of jiri kylian, her former director when she danced at NDT, and of forsythe's 'the vertiginous thrill of exactitude':<BR> <A HREF="http://www.danceinsider.com/f825.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.danceinsider.com/f825.html</A> <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><U>Flash Review, 8-25: Pilgrimage in Search of a New Simplicity - From the Sublime to the Tacky at Oz Ballet</U> <P> MELBOURNE, Australia -- In Melbourne last night, the Australian<BR> Ballet's Trilogy 1 program opened to a full house at the Victorian<BR> Arts Centre's prestigious State Theatre. <P>I came home from the theater with my soul burning, and I thought of<BR> the passage in the Bible where Moses stands in front of a burning<BR> bush, and it was spirit or God talking to him. Why I am being<BR> so...spiritual? Why is my soul so on fire? Let's see if I can unfold<BR> my thoughts and feelings as I write this Flash Review. - - -<P>Jiri's work opened the evening and whilst I watched his "Bella<BR> Figura," I breathed a sigh of relief to once again be in contact,<BR> albeit as a spectator, with the world of the subconscious, the inner<BR> trappings of the mind and the constant questions it asks of us to<BR> us. There is a beauty to be found here and I think it comes from a<BR> deep and isolated source from within. Who of us dares to go<BR> there? Of course it is the creators. - - -<P>So last night, once again, we saw Jiri's creative genius manifest<BR> the "stuff of the subconscious" into form. He finds his inspiration,<BR> and lets us contact our own. - - -<P>During the intermission, I did meet briefly with Jiri. We spoke first<BR> of his "Bella Figura," and then I mentioned Billy's "The Vertiginous<BR> Thrill of Exactitude." I couldn't help but say to him that I found that<BR> particular work of Billy's just brutalizing. Jiri told me that Schubert<BR> was a countryman of his (Czech) and that this Symphony No. 9<BR> was written in response to a great tragedy that had occurred in his<BR> country. Suddenly it all made sense: Billy had gone against the<BR> grain of the music, the intention of the composers voice and it<BR> SHOWED. This work really stinks, it's a mockery in all aspects --<BR> the work appears farcical, but for the wrong reasons. Sorry, all you<BR> Billy fans (I am one too, with a lot of respect for the man), but<BR> there's no going back on this one. Oh, but what I will share with you<BR> from the program notes is that this ballet was voted BALLET OF<BR> THE YEAR in San Francisco, so the really worrying question is:<BR> 'WHAT'S GOING ON IN SAN FRANCISCO?'<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><p>[This message has been edited by grace (edited September 02, 2000).]

Sounds like a great programme. One passage caught my eye:<P><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>She manages to capture precisely the quirky character of Forsythe's body shapes, and makes the huge technical demands look easy as she traverses them at dazzling speed. A momentary slip - a patch of perspiration on the stage wouldn't have been surprising - did nothing to mar her memorable dancing on opening night. In artistic terms it was still worth gold - which may be the difference between art and sport.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>A very good point. It is depressing when experienced ballet goers and even critics single out a single error from a performance. <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited September 26, 2000).]

Watching Forsyth's “In the middle, somewhat elevated” is like walking in to a glass menagerie. The dancers are supposedly poised "In the middle" as if never quite on balance and at the same time everything they execute requires they dance almost over the ground "somewhat elevated." When a dancer captures this feeling (which very few Australian Ballet dancers did during the premiere) the audience is drawn in, finally understanding the wit and athleticism of the choreography. If that dancer then falls, hence loosing the "somewhat elevated" feeling she held throughout the piece, the audience plunges briefly with her. This is why the critic used this so-called "flaw" to make a point in her review. The very fact that the dancer regained her "somewhat elevated composure" tells us she's a mighty fine artist. <BR><P>------------------<BR>[This message has been edited by Jennifer]<BR>