Scottish
Ballet, a company based in Glasgow, under the directorship of Christopher
Hampson, opened their Autumn 2016 season with a triple bill of contemporary
works, including pioneering choreographer Crystal Pite’s new work “Emergence”,
which received acclaim at its European premiere at the Festival Theatre,
Edinburgh, in August 2016.
The
ornate Theatre Royal, nestled in the heart of Glasgow’s vivacious city centre,
was the venue for the company’s performance on October 1st, where
the audience seemed captivated before the performance even began, eagerly
awaiting a choreographic extravaganza. Following
a short introduction by Hampson, the evening began with “Drawn to Drone”, a solo
danced by Christopher Harrison, and choreographed by Jack Webb. Webb, from
Dundee, recently received the Sunday Herald Culture Award for the “One to
Watch”; he created “Drawn to Drone” as part of the Anserinae Choreographic
Mentorship Scheme, inspired by Scottish Ballet’s revolutionary Swan Lake.
“Drawn to Drone” received its debut at a private showcase in Edinburgh,
following which Webb received a telephone call from Hampson, who wished the
piece to be included in the company’s current repertoire.
An
incredibly minimalistic piece, involving two carefully placed chairs, a plain,
black backdrop and a single spotlight, it began with pedestrian movements;
Harrison walking onstage, neatly positioning the two plastic chairs, one in
front of the other, then moving slowly to downstage left, to remove his shirt
and trousers, leaving only tight white boxer shorts on. Seemingly entranced in
his own world, Harrison then sat slowly, reflectively, onto the front chair,
folding forwards then inching back upright, arching back until the chair toppled
backwards, caught by the second chair. As in a vortex, he remained, sitting on
the chair, moving as though he had all the time in the world, through
dimensions and space within his own kinosphere, limited somewhat yet liberated
by his position on the chair, tipped backwards like the Earth poised on its
axis. Somewhat akin to the exploratory movements of a fetus in the womb, the
hypnotisingly slow, focussed movements captivated the audience; there was no
sudden surprise of a great leap or virtuosic turns, despite the orchestral
music ebbing and flowing, reaching its climax then dying away.
The lack
of music visualisation in the work further served to intrigue the audience, as
although the movements were sustained throughout, nothing was predictable; Harrison
could have, at any time, leapt up, alas he remained throughout the piece,
suspended on the tilted chair, standing only to receive his rapturous applause
at the culmination of the piece. The disconnection between the aural setting
and choreography seemed to connote the relationship between an artist and
society; the artist is so intensely focussed on their own work, that they
appear not to even hear the bustle of daily life around them. As risky as it is
to create a dance piece that barely moves from the spot, Webb’s venture seemed
a resoundingly thought provoking success.
The
evening continued with a world premiere, of Sophie Laplane’s “Sibilio”. Meaning
“Whistle” in Latin, Sibilio explores how “people whistle in connection with
different emotions, when they’re happy but also when they’re nervous.” (Laplane
interview, Scottish Ballet autumn season souvenir programme 2016, p12);
whistling sounds are a prominent feature of the piece, which aims to explore
the multiple facets of human nature.
Dressed naturalistically, in lilac dresses for the 4 women, and black suits for
the 4 men, the dancers began in a tight huddle, breaking out to move in a
variety of formations, contrasting symmetrical floor patterns with irregular,
fragmented movements. The electronic, repetitive music, which Laplane
collaborated with Alex Menzies to commission, prominently features whistling
sounds, particularly used to signify the end of each section. From the huddle
of dancers, a man and woman broke away to dance a duet; as they did so, their
dress and suit jacket flew away on wires, leaving the woman in underwear and
the man in trousers, a unique plot twist, drawing the audience’s attention to
the fast, quirky movements, highlighted by frequent, high pitched whistling, as
the other dancers remained still, in their symmetrical, now dimly lit,
huddle. A 2nd, more solemn
duet, followed, with darker lighting, and again, ‘vanishing’ clothes, which,
paired with slow, intense strings music, and no whistling, suggested feelings
of nakedness and exposure. Indeed, the duet seemed to suggest some form of
domestic struggle, an argument between lovers, perhaps.
The episodic, abstract work continued, with a
duet for two men, alone on stage, accompanied by guitar music with thudding,
erotic bass. The dancers displayed spectacular dynamics and athleticism in
their sincere contact work, as their movements seemed to emulate a
conversation, with clear questions and answers, whilst the absence of any
whistling in the aural setting gave a more serious feel to the work, in
contrast to the lighthearted whistling in previous sections. All eight dancers
returned to their huddled formation centre stage, as the music reached an epic
climax of whistling and vivacious strings…. Their dresses and suits fell from
the sky, as unexpectedly as a summer snowfall! Then again, Laplane’s work is
anything but predictable!
After
a short interval, the evening continued with Crystal Pite’s new work
“Emergence.” Pite thought initially about the hierarchical structure of a
ballet company, and how the concept of hierarchy is reflected in nature; she
was inspired by how complex structures arise out of simple interactions. The
piece was initially created in 2009, for the National Ballet of Canada, which
was the first time Pite had worked with a large company, collaborating with
composer Owen Belton to create a score that reflected a sense of chaos and
activity within nature.
“Emergence” commenced with a dimly
lit stage, illuminating two dancers who writhed animalistically on the floor,
to electronic music with deep bass contrasted by high pitched sounds. The
orange backdrop, printed with a series of curved black arcs to depict a flock
of birds in flight, featured a circular hole, through which the other dancers
entered the stage, giving a creative means for entrances and exits, reminiscent
of bees pouring out of a hive, or insects crawling through a crack in the
floorboards. The next movement involved the sixteen men of the company,
crawling then contrasting elongated movements with sharp, dynamic canon as the
aural setting of a marching sound added a sense of chaos. The men moved as a
corps, as the dim lighting created elegant yet imposing shadows on the floor,
soaring like starlings as they ran around the stage and smoothly exited as the
women ran on, wearing black corsets, masks and pointe shoes. In a tight huddle,
they bourreed, creating artistic shapes with their arms, moving and breathing
as one, then whispering their counts aloud for the audience to hear,
highlighting the complex aural setting and irregular phrasing. The piece explored a variety of relationships;
duets, trios, girls dancing with girls, boys dancing with boys; every movement
displayed intense energy and unity, as each section effortlessly interlinked,
never leaving the stage empty, communicating the constant sense of activity
within nature. In
a particularly thought provoking quartet, a female dancer worked alongside
three male dancers- all wearing
black trousers, with bare chests. The controversial female costume forced the
audience to question gender roles; there are no gender roles or rules regarding
‘appropriate’ clothing in nature, so why, in society is it considered
acceptable for a man to have a bare chest, but not a woman?! Also, the brave
decision highlighted the althleticism and strength of all of the dancers,
proving that women can dance with just as much strength and physicality as men
can. ‘Emergence’
reached its spectacular climax with all 36 of the company dancers on stage,
dancing sharp, repetitive, dynamic gestures, emanating conviction, unity and
strength. Although
all three works were phenomenal, I couldn’t help but find myself wondering…. If
‘Scottish Ballet’ are becoming such a contemporary company, what will this mean
for the future of British ballet? Will contemporary works eventually become
more popular than the classics? I hope not!!
