Sol León & Paul Lightfoot:
“Shoot the Moon”
“Same Difference”
“Stop-Motion”
Nederland’s Dans Theater
The Royal Theatre
Old Stage
January 19, 2016
Over the years there have been a strong link between the Royal Danish Ballet and Nederland’s Dans Theater. The RDB has danced a significant number of works by Hans van Manen and Jiri Kylian. NDT has also guested Denmark on several occasions, but since the Kylian extravaganza “Silk & Knife” in 2007 and until this season, the relationship has been in a light coma to be awaken by León & Lightfoots’ “Short Time Together”, revised for the RDB. As a follow-up, NDT visits Copenhagen with an all León & Lightfoot program.
The program shows how well the duo mixes high driven choreography, audio-visual content and drama and makes a good argument for dance as a dramatic and theatrical contemporary art form.
However, the triple focus almost kill the evening, as all three ballets comes with a complicated décor, demanding extremely long breaks in the program.
The first ballet on the program “Shoot the Moon” follows five characters (two couples and a single man) interact through three linked rooms. They fight, they break up, they move on, they reunite etc. and they create a fascinating and ongoing drama, interpreted in an impressive choreography, uniting drama and dance. A wonderful ballet for mature dancers.
Tour de Tourette
The middle ballet “Same Difference” is for a slightly bigger ensemble. Although “Shoot the Moon” also included oral utterings, “Same Difference” comes very closely to use as much speech as steps. The main reason is that the ballet is examining the relationship between the ego and the person. The cast did an excellent job jabbing infamies and dancing simultaneously. The choreographers wanted to create a surrealistic ballet, and as the ballet is created in 2007, it must be coincidental that it shares several traits with a Danish advertising campaign for coffee, using the same references.
Reaching the Limit
The two first ballets left one in deep admiration for the choreographers talents for making modern dance with a strong equilibristic content. The dancers sold the choreography very well. However, the third and last ballet “Stop-Motion” brought the ensemble back to earth. In this ballet a significant part of the choreography are more standard classic and elegiac and demands unity. Here we saw the NDT dancers tested outside their comfort zone. This ballet also included a filmed component, but in this case, it disturbed the balance.
However, the two first ballets showcased the advanced skills of the choreographers and dancers to the max. León & Lightfoot must be applauded for insisting on a clear dramatic line in their ballets and a dedication to movements and skills. It even make me overlook the three deadly sins of the season, dancers speaking, ballet in the orchestra pit and ending a ballet with a clear view to the backstage.
Photos: Copyright (c)Nederland Dans Theater
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