Aaron S Watkins, in his inaugural season as artistic director of the ENB, showcases an impressive diverse repertory of classical, contemporary and neo-classical dance with three works, choreographed by George Balanchine, Andrea Miller and David Dawson to music by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Richard Strauss, under the collected title, Our Voices.
THEME AND VARIATIONS by George Balanchine
12 variations. 13 couples glitter and sparkle. Balanchine’s intention was to evoke the great period of classical dancing when Russian ballet flourished with the aid of Tchaikovsky. It’s light, it’s bright, it’s regal, it’s intricate, it’s exquisite, it’s sophisticated, it’s spotless. Smiles all round. Everybody is happy.
LES NOCES, ASCENT TO DAYS by Andrea Miller
How very different. Everybody is miserable. It’s dark, it’s brutal, it’s earthy, it’s pagan. The set is a ruined rocky amphitheatre. There’s no wedding. Instead, Miller presents a sequel to Stravinsky’s iconic The Rite of Spring. The community is torn apart. Black fabrics, small and large, are used to thrash the ground. The sound is faux-primitive, fierce and radical.
FOUR LAST SONGS by David Dawson
Richard Strauss’s song cycle, sung by Madeleine Pierard, is a poignant farewell to life. Twelve naked-looking dancers glide freely in eternity. The men are constantly lifting and carrying the women high. It’s poetic, tender, beautiful, intimate, spiritual, liberating. The dancers soar. It’s heavenly. Can this perhaps be death?
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