dirac Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Reviews of the English National Ballet in "Carmen." Bachtrack Quote Inger’s retelling of the story is based on Prosper Mérimée’s novella rather than the plot of the famous Bizet opera and, as the drama unfolds, it reflects on Don José’s (Rentaro Nakaaki) psychological state rather than simply focusing on Carmen’s (Minju Kang) numerous sexual conquests. Its setting and timescale are not specific, and thus the complexities playing out could be taking place in today's society. The theme which emerges is topical: men’s violence towards women. Inger states that he wanted to address the domestic violence that is evidenced in the book. The results are disturbing. The Standard Quote Inger doesn’t give access to Carmen’s insouciant decision-making – though Minju Kang, leading the first-night cast in her ruffled scarlet frock, gives her a sly grin and wonderfully sleek gleam. Rentaro Nakaaki’s José starts poker-faced and proper, but the soldier is soon juddering on his tippy toes, palpitating with desire until he can barely stand. Kang’s Carmen rules the group dances with a flick of the ankle, a push of the hips. José watches from the back, ignored. He and Carmen have almost nothing in common – until they dance together in twisty, expressionist movement that no one else shares. The Guardian Quote Inger likes a choreographic device, whether that’s the chorus-like figure of Francesca Velicu who stands outside the action, reflecting its hope and woe, or the ominous gang of black-clad and masked figures who sometimes manipulate the players. Among the various lovers Carmen (Minju Kang) takes, Erik Woolhouse’s Torero, soloing in front of a bank of mirrors in a sequinned bolero, might be her true match in the narcissist stakes. Woolhouse is good, hamming it up and throwing his body into the deep curves of the choreography. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 More reviews of ENB. Broadway World Quote English National Ballet present Johan Inger's 2015 production with music by Bizet, Shchedrin and Marc Alvarez, and we're promised "fiery drama" and "new resonance." I'd propose it offers a lot more than that, and most keenly - a vehicle that shows where ENB currently is: at the top of the game. CultureWhisper Quote The action may take place in Seville, a city of sunlight, sensual warmth and the scent of orange blossom, but the set of Inger’s Carmen would better suit a 1950s Soviet gulag, all forbidding metallic grey, the only props a collection of rectangular blocks that look like huge filing cabinets. The Reviews Hub Quote The ENB Philharmonic strikes up on the cue of a young girl bouncing a basketball. This curious metaphorical character serves as a motif that gains significance as the narrative unfolds. As the curtain rises, the stage reveals a stark environment dominated by brutalist and mechanical elements, setting the scene outside the tobacco factory. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 And more: The Stage Quote Inger has worked extensively with Nederlans Dans Theater and Cullberg Ballet, but is little known in this country. He certainly has a very distinctive dance vocabulary. The heightened theatricality of his emphatic expressionist movement, full of jutting angularity, twitchy scurrying, an overt, almost ugly sexuality and a lot of squat positions, brings to mind Mats Ek. It’s notable that the opening night cast is predominantly from English National Ballet’s lower ranks, with first artist Minju Kang as Carmen, and junior soloist Rentaro Nakaaki as Don José. The Times Quote He sets his ballet to Rodion Shchedrin’s arrangement of Bizet’s toe-tapping melodies but to that he adds effective new music from Marc Álvarez, which is introspective and more disturbing, taking us inside Don José’s troubled mind. The transition between live and recorded music is seamless (Manuel Coves conducting the ENB Philharmonic). The design is symbolic: nine big boxes move around the stage to suggest different settings. The Independent Quote ENB’s production is the UK premiere of Inger’s ballet, created for Madrid’s Compañía Nacional de Danza in 2015. It’s a sign of how ENB is positioning itself under new director Aaron S Watkin: a balance of classical ballet, with a bigger dash of European contemporary dance. The company dive into Inger’s style with assurance. The Daily Telegraph Quote Recasting the whole thing as a fable of ditched-boyfriend jealousy is a bold and well-intentioned move, added to which Inger does quickly establish a recurring physical vocabulary of sorts: tense, angular, fingers and wrists straight, elbows at 90 degrees, and so on. But it all feels decidedly mannered, and although we are left in no doubt that Domestic Violence Is Bad, both steps and scenario fall way short in terms of offering any insights into either its nature, causes or consequences. Meanwhile, none of this is helped by the corps’ black-clad “Shadows” that haunt both the guilty Don José and, frankly, the entire show, at one point in Act II simply rolling comically across the stage like human logs or something out of It’s a Knockout. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Minnesota Ballet presents "Snow White." TV video clip. Link to comment
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