gDA
Greenwich Dance Agency

gDA presents the UK premiere of
Dansgroep Krisztina De Châtel’s
Föld
part of Dance Umbrella 2006

Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 October 2006
7.45pm £12/£9 concs

Meet the Artist: Wednesday 25 October. Free to ticket holders after the performance

The piece exudes an enormous physical vitality. The dancers literally transcend human limitations
Politiken, Denmark

Föld (or Earth in Hungarian), was first produced in 1985 for the Holland Festival in Amsterdam. Considered by many as a highlight of the festival at the time, the choreography has over the years grown to be a popular and timeless classic of Dutch modern dance. In Krisztina de Châtel’s work, two worlds often collide when fragile bodies are confronted with natural elements. The setting for Föld is an elevated, circular bank created from over six tons of earth on which the dancers engage in an epic struggle. Attempting to fight their way out with enormous physical effort, the dancers’ strenuous physical exertions can be seen as a metaphor for the eternal conflict between man and nature. The choreography is set to Another Look at Harmony Part 4 by Philip Glass.

Krisztina de Châtel left her native Budapest in 1963 to study with Kurt Jooss at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany. Her career as a prominent modern choreographer began in the late 1970s. Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel’s celebrates its 30th season with this resurrection of its most famous piece. Over the years Krisztina has made more than 50 choreographies and two dance films. The performances, which are often set in unusual outdoor locations, combine dance, music and visual art, and reveal themes such as struggle, isolation, anger and sexual relations, albeit in an abstract form.

Greenwich Dance Agency, The Borough Hall, Royal Hill, Greenwich, London SE10 8RE
Box Office: 020 8293 9741

Dansgroep Krisztina de Chatâl “Föld”
Greenwich Dance Agency, 24th October 2006

Although circle dances are found in many folk cultures, due to the primary position of the proscenium arch theatre, it is unusual to find Western dance performance following this form to any great extent. Yet, in Dance Umbrella 2006, we have seen this pattern used twice: in Merce Cunningham’s “Ocean” and now, Krisztina de Chatâl’s “Föld”. Both employ a circular stage surrounded by the audience, but whereas “Ocean” features a range of dance shapes, the choreography of “Föld” rigorously follows a circular structure for almost the entirety of its 50-minute length and, perhaps because of this, provides stronger images.

When we entered GDA’s large hall we are faced with a 6-ton, circular mound of earth, like the mouth of a volcano, enclosing seven dancers, visible from the waist up. Initially scattered randomly within this boundary, the performers slowly take stock of each other, the spectators and their location. Small head turns give way to moving around the space and then coalesce into a circle inside the rim. Walking behind one another, a series of head, body and arm movements are explored and all proceeds in a formalist and pristine fashion.

Then one of the dancers hurls their body against the mound, rolling against the rim, breaking the symmetry of the surround, with the others following. The dance then expands, sometimes on top of the mound, sometimes on the outer wall, but always attacking the earth and moving it into new shapes. About two thirds of the way through, one by one the dancers become still, crouching on top of the earthwork, close together in a short arc. Although their bodies still heave with their previous exertions, this is a magical moment of relative stillness. .

The physical labour continues and in an extended sequence, cascades of earth are flung into the air, as the dancers revolve around the outside edge of the bank. As “Another look at Harmony, Part 4”, Philip Glass’s minimalist, choral work, reaches its climax, we see the final shape of the flattened mound and the dancers come to rest.

The programme notes describe “a battle for survival, attempting to fight their way out.” However, my impression was more of a religious ceremony, heightened by the cathedral aura of Glass’s music, as well as my memories of the sacred circle dances found in many societies. A second impression was of a communal, transforming mission and the power of a group acting together to achieve goals impossible for an individual. The lighting, including a circular rig over the mound, enhanced the powerful images, but the designer is not formally acknowledged. Conrad van de Ven is credited with the concept for the work and Joost Verlinden performed the doubtless taxing role of Technical Co-ordinator. Overall, “Föld” provided an enthralling and memorable evening.