RDB at Aarhus Festival

[Syrene Hvid]

The RDB was invited to open Aarhus Festival tonight (last night, I suppose, seeing as we're past midnight) and I attended their performance at our local music theatre. It was a very mixed bill in the style of (and also called) Hübberiet - the usual outreach performances that Hübbe stages a couple of times a season. The programme called it a gala - I'm not sure I'd take it that far, but it was very interesting and I had an amazing view.

Hübbe himself was the host throughout the one and a half hour long performance. The evening started out with him singing (yes, singing) a well-known revue tune about Aarhus, accompanied by the pianist which really lifted the atmosphere amongst the audience. If you were wondering... No, Nikolaj Hübbe isn't the next pop star, but his voice wasn't horrible either and he certainly gave it his all and showed lots of humor about it, too.

The programme (dance-wise) was dominated by the women of the RDB, the cast including 9 of them (most notably Amy Watson and Holly Dorger who both had PDDs) and only one gent, Jonathan Chlemensky who, according to the programme that hadn't been updated, seemed to be filling in for Alban Lendorf in tree different segments.

After Hübbe's lovely opening, the first segment was with Jonathan Chlemensky dancing a solo from Come Fly Away. He is a brilliant dancer, e really is, but paled a bit in this choreography. September of My Years. Maybe it was the lack of scenography or live orchestra or he simply hadn't had the time to develop the dance (as far as I know, this is the first time he dances that particular role, correct me if I'm mistaken), but it wasn't the best of introductions, unfortunately.

Then followed a segmenent featuring Carmen Linares, a world-renowned flamenco dancer and singer. Linares herself was beyond her dancing years and sung throughout their performance. First alone, accompanied by a pianist who would then sing, too. Honestly, I found her voice horribly grating and would rather have listened to his - but then the flamenco dancer entered and suddenly Linares' voice made sense. It was intense and captivating and I had goosebumps a couple of times. Flamenco is raw girl power embodiment, I tell you!

Afterwards followed a sort of mime demonstration/rehearsal situation of La Sylphide - the scene where James is left alone and the Sylph enters through the window and the entire PDD that comes after. Amy Watson danced the Sylph (like she did last season) with Jonathan Chlemensky dancing James, another role that was new to him, although it worked in this segment because it gave Hübbe more opportunities to instruct him. First they went through the first part of the PDD with Hübbe kind of translating the mime word for word "I you love", "I for you have shed tears", etc. to show people the true drama of the dialogue. It was interesting and fun and people obviously liked it. After that, they danced the entire scene. I kind of missed Bournonville school-trained Danes in this, bit everything considered - Watson and Chlemensky did very well. They were appealing and seemed really nice. I noticed that although Watson's technique has improved since February (recovering from her injury finally?), she still seems quite earth-bound and not light like a dancer such as Susanne Grinder, for example. However, she had an amazing interpretation of the character, adding something quite dark and demonic to it. My gf straight out called her "scary". Chlemensky was a very demure James, but he was wonderfully musical in his movements and emphasised even the littlest gestures. I'd like to see him dance the full ballet some day.

After this, we heard two poems performed by performance poet, Bianca Fløe. She was young and came in on bare feet, with her long and blonde hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Everything about her screamed: Rebel! It was really something and her poetry was so inspiring. I was impressed, usually I don't like contemporary, Danish poetry at all.

Then, the White Swan PDD danced by Holly Dorger and Chlemensky. I noticed certain, subtle changes to the choreography - probably to accommodate that Chlemensky didn't have that long to take over from Lendorf who's danced the part before. For example, at the trust falls when Dorger releasea Chlemensky's grip and falls backwards on one foot, he steps around her and catches her with two hands around her waist rather than one supporting arm. The first time, I thought it was simply a mistake, but when he did it the second time as well, I guessed it was intentional. Dorger gets better and better for each time I see her as Odette. This time, she not only expressed deep feelings for Siegfried, but had also added a very nice fluidity to the lines of her arms and legs that showed true despair and pain. I really hope this girl is promoted to principal once Bojesen retires... Chlemensky was a good support for Dorger and they looked extremely good together. I think they's make a good pair in the future.

Then there was a mini concert (three songs) with 80s band Laid Back who became world famous for Sunshine Reggea. It was fun, but also loud. Several peope actually left during this.

Finally came one of the things I'd been waiting for most! The world premiere of Gregory Dean's "On The Feeling Of Light" set to a rearranges version of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons. It is a piece created for ladies only, Amy Watson being the leading figure, but the ensemble including Dorger, Alexandra Lo Sardo, Femke Slot, Lena-Maria Gruber, Caroline Baldwin, Hilary Guswiler, Emma Håkansson and Louise Østergaard. It was absolutely amazing. I love Dean's style and here... There was a lot of synch dancing, very rapid travelling across the floor and a wonderful play with light. At times, pirouetting around the stage so fast that the eye could barely follow, the dancers looked like leaves on a gust of wind. Perfect for the music and a clear testament to the strength of the RDB. I hope it stays in the repertory.

The dancers got a roaring applause and came forward six or so times before the lights went up. I think Hübbe definitely won over some "jyder" with this.

[Helene]

I wish I could have seen it -- thank you so much for describing it in so much detail!

[Syrene Hvid]

Oh. I forgot to mention that the general theme of the festival is "light" and Hübbe said that it was the tie between the segments. I can see it for La Sylphide which was a rehearsal of the window scene where Hübbe emphasised the notion of the Sylph floating into the room on a beam of light. Fløe also had some mention of light in her last poem and Laid Back performed "Sunshine Reggae", not to mention that Dean's work was directly inspired by this theme. Other than that... Maybe a bit of a stretch, but it was definitely a good evening.

[sandik]

Honestly, I found her voice horribly grating and would rather have listened to his - but then the flamenco dancer entered and suddenly Linares' voice made sense. It was intense and captivating and I had goosebumps a couple of times. Flamenco is raw girl power embodiment, I tell you!

Flamenco singers have a really distinctive and raw sound -- I love it, but it does demand something from the listener. "Girl power" and boy power too, depending on who you see!

Oh. I forgot to mention that the general theme of the festival is "light" and Hübbe said that it was the tie between the segments. I can see it for La Sylphide which was a rehearsal of the window scene where Hübbe emphasised the notion of the Sylph floating into the room on a beam of light.

That reminds me of the photos that were circulating of the alternative production of Sylphide earlier this year (last year?) with the very austere first act set and the intense white light putting the Sylph into a kind of silhouette when she enters the room.

Thanks so much for the great report about the program -- this is something I'll likely never see, except through other people's eyes.

[Helene]

Old school Flamenco singers have that quality. A lot of Nueva Flamenco singing is toned down, with the edges smoothed out, especially when amplified and/or orchestrated, and a lot of what sounds flat and unmelodic about many of the older and/or puro singers is sung more melodically by contemporary singers.

My Flamenco teacher grimaced when I told him that I loved Agujetas' singing. He said it was too raw, which is the quality I like best about it.

[Anne]

I was there too, and I agree with you, Syrene, that the common thread allegedly running through the programme was a bit thin. But like you I enjoyed what I saw and heard (or most of it...), only was I very disappointed about the set-up as such: The event had been sold as a "Hübberiet", a concept which Hübbe has run for many years in Copenhagen. The idea of the concept is to invite people from different areas of cultural life to discuss all kinds of themes, ranging from "prejudice, racism, vanity to sexuality" – these were examples presented in the advance publicity. I have never been to a "Hübberi" in Copenhagen and looked very much forward to experiencing it. But this had nothing to do with a "Hübberi", it was just a colourful mix of entertainment with Hübbe as a compére reading aloud from a manuscripte between the numbers.

But these grumblings of mine are of very little interest to people outside Aarhus, and I will therefore turn to the actual programme instead, concentrating on the ballet excerpts:

Like you Syrene I liked the ballet by Gregory Dean "On the feeling of light" very much and would be happy to see it again some day. It had an appealing freshness, and the 8 soloists brought a crisp and springy quality to the steps. Dean used Max Richter's recomposition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which is really interesting to listen to.

The Swan Lake pdd was not so much to my taste, mostly because I'm not so fond of Holly Dean Dorger. To me she has too much the air of a healthy and enthusiastic college girl to really fit the elegiac and enigmatic character of Odette/Odile. She is a technically very secure dancer, but still this pdd calls for all her concentration (for most young dancers it would), leaving a vacant expression on her face for much of the time. I saw Jaime Crandall in the live cinema transmission this spring, and though I don't think she is the ideal Odette/Odile either, she had more to give to the role, partly because she is a more experienced dancer. It is a matter of taste, really, what you like best, but with 6 dancers cast for the role, and most of them new to the role, none of them get a chance to develope in the role, neither technically nor characterwise, as they typically get only a few performances each (Hübbe's casting strategies stay a mystery to me).

As Syrene wrote, Jonathan Chmelensky had sprung in to replace Alban Lendorf, who had been announced as one of the stars of the show. No-one bothered to communicate this, though, neither from the stage or by any written announcement. Well, I like Chmelensky very much and was thrilled to see him, so I didn't mind the change so much. He is a very elegant dancer with beautiful, harmonious lines and an amazing abilty to get straight into the air without preparation, and with the softest of landings – you don't hear a sound, I love that! But he didn't fit well into Twyla Tharp's solo "September of my years" from Come Fly Away, which should have been preformed by Lendorf, who also did it when they ran Come Fly Away last year. Chmelensky's style looked too clean and ballet-like, but like Syrene points out, he has probably not done this solo before and has sprung in with short notice.

He was also a bit of an alien to James in the short rehearsal-like interlude with La Sylphide together with Amy Watson. I don't know if Hübbe plans to cast him as James when the ballet comes up later this season (– maybe we are going to see another 3 new James'es this season ...).

I kind of missed Bournonville school-trained Danes in this, bit everything considered - Watson and Chlemensky did very well. They were appealing and seemed really nice.I noticed that although Watson's technique has improved since February (recovering from her injury finally?), she still seems quite earth-bound and not light like a dancer such as Susanne Grinder, for example. However, she had an amazing interpretation of the character, adding something quite dark and demonic to it. My gf straight out called her "scary". Chlemensky was a very demure James, but he was wonderfully musical in his movements and emphasised even the littlest gestures. I'd like to see him dance the full ballet some day.

I wasn't aware that Watson has been injured - I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't notice her being any different, however. Lightness was never one of her main virtues, but she has the "light-footed-ness", or speediness, called for in the Bournonville repertoire, which in my opinion suits her very well. I think she has adapted the Bournonville style almost to pefection. At any rate, she is a lovely dancer who has grown more interesting with every year. Her sylph was definately an interesting one and not a very pleasant one, with an almost poisonois sweetness to her red-lipped white face. Scary might be the right word and it fits well into the morbid character of Hübbe's production, which comes on tour to Aarhus in January.

[Helene]

Amy Watson will be guesting with Oregon Ballet Theatre (Portland) in October in Act III of Napoli. We rarely get to see RDB dancers in the Pacific Northwest. I think the last time was two or three years ago as Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier in the Goh Ballet's "Nutcracker" in Vancouver.

[sandik]

Amy Watson will be guesting with Oregon Ballet Theatre (Portland) in October in Act III of Napoli. We rarely get to see RDB dancers in the Pacific Northwest. I think the last time was two or three years ago as Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier in the Goh Ballet's "Nutcracker" in Vancouver.

And just when I had told myself I wasn't going to be able to get to Portland to see this rep...

[Syrene Hvid]

Helene. To my understanding, Watson suffered a severe injury during the US tour last winter and it's taken her a long time to recover. When I saw her in La Sylphide in March, she was clearly not at the top of her game and Eva Kistrup, as far as I recall, mentioned in her review that she couldn't do Odile's fouettes in Swan Lake, the choreography having been completely redone for her - so it seemed that she has struggled a lot. What I saw Friday was definitely the best I've seen her in a long time, especially in the Dean piece... Which makes me wonder. You may have seen her in more parts than I - do you have a favourite role for her? Everything I've seen her in (mainly Hermia in Midsummer Night's Dream, Prudence in Lady of the Camellias, Spanish princesse in Swan Lake and the Sylph) has fallen flat for me personally, but considering the life she brought to On the Feeling of Light, it's making me think I should either try see her in more contemporary choreography or instead try catching her in the big classics like La Bayadere and Swan Lake. With Don Quixote coming up this season, it might be worth a try!

[Syrene Hvid]

And by Helene, I meant Anne. It's too late here...

[Anne]

I have seen Amy Watson in many major roles over the last decade, but I didn't really warm up to her until I saw her as Anita in Robbins' West Side Story Suite back in 2011, where she revealed a gorgeous temperament. She danced with a hot fury, which you, or at least I, wouldn't have thought her in possession of. She did it again, though in a more subdued and subtle manner, as the glamorous Babe in Come Fly Away, where she was a worthy partner to Lendorf's Sid. Shortly after that she danced the Señorita in Gudrun Bojensen's staging of "La Ventana", where I marvelled at her playful and seemingly effortless rendering of the Bournonville style. It was not the first time I saw her doing Bournonville but she never until then appeared to me to be more than just pleasant and charming but nothing special. She is not actually a favorit of mine but I have come to like her very much, and after her performance last Friday I thought it would be very interesting to see her Sylph in a full perfomance.

Some dancers get more interesting with increasing years, and this can, in the end, be a very frustrating experience: You suddenly discover a quality in a dancer you didn't see in him or her before, and gradually you learn to appreciate what makes this dancer special, then trying to get to see as many perfomances as possible, and whoops, next thing you do is buying a ticket for his or hers farewell performance. And you keep asking yourself: Was I blind before, or is this dancer one of those precious "late bloomers", where all the qualities suddenly melt together and hint at the sublime? I know it is banal, but I'm always surprised how fresh the pain is every tíme you say goodbye to a dancer. You never get used to it!