In short...
Early Frankfurt Forsythe and heavy on the German avant garde theatre. You could just be in seventh heaven or find yourself waiting rather too long to see some flashes of dance inspiration from the great modern man of ballet.
Background
Three years ago Frankfurt caused a major critical stir in a newly opened Sadler's Wells and this return visit seems well overdue. To say that Frankfurt and their Artistic Director, William Forsythe, are influential is a massive understatement and many companies have some of his pieces, although he tends now to work just with his own company.
Artifact was created when he first took over Frankfurt in 1984. The programme gives very little information: "A ballet in 4 parts. Choreography, Stage, Lighting and Costumes: William Forsythe". The Music includes some Bach violin, some stark piano and some sound collages.
Plot
The cast list includes the dancers’ names (all involved), plus Person in Historical Costume, Person with Megaphone and Other Person.
The Person in Historical Costume and Person with Megaphone tend to talk a lot throughout the performance, often repeating the same phrase but slightly changed until they start to sound like conundrums. Just occasionally there is a flicker of a laugh as the independent things they say collide in some harmonious way.
I still haven't fully broken though that barrier of trying to fathom out what’s going on on stage. And when I can't I do tend to feel somewhat cheesed-off. This time I determinedly just gazed on and treated it like a plotless work and let it wash over me. Alas a tepid bath would be more fun for large chunks of time when there is not much dance.
Sets and Costumes
The stage is stripped right back so you just see the original building and nothing else I still find it an exciting look. The dancers wear nothing extraneous either and are mainly in sooty grey colours. Save, that is, for the historical costume which is rather magnificent and OTT and the Megaphone bloke who looks as if he has perhaps wandered in from a Village fete (you know: the strange man who lives down by the Mill and mutters to himself a lot...).
At one point a set does appear - a few panels of 4 by 8 painted white and with the odd doodle. They move, hide dancers and the Person in Historical Costume knocks them down. Dangerous stuff.
Choreography
I mostly enjoyed the choreography but was put off by all the sad and impenetrable amateur dramatics. Forsythe does very fast edgy exciting movement - lots of complexity and twists going on and then he blows you away with the sheer simplicity of some of his movements. There was a standing jump from the men which just looked so free, unfettered and unforced. And another when the corps (very un-pc terminology in these circles I suspect) slowly promenade across the stage, their chests pushing forward, almost swimming, and their arms trailing in their slow wake. In these moments I was reminded of just how much I enjoyed the works they brought last time.
Dancers
A company of rich variety - like Mark Morris Dance Group in that respect - revelling in dancers of all shapes and sizes. The speed at which they can move is amazing, particularly their arms - a real hallmark. At times, though, they did seem lackadaisical and uncoordinated, though perhaps with 'modern' works it’s not always clear what look the choreographer wanted. Nice, though, to see Jenny Tattersall and Mayuko Maeda from the Royal Ballet on stage with them - a great opportunity.
The leads in Part II were the diminutive Dana Caspersen and the un-diminutive Amy Raymond. They made a hell of a contrast each strange in her own way and yet wonderful athletic movers - absorbing to watch and one of the key reasons for seeing this piece I reckon.
Does it work?
As 2 hours of entertainment it struggles. As 50 minutes of dance it would be tremendously exhilarating. But Forsythe does seem to enjoy cross-pollinating Avant-garde theatre with ballet - I wish he didn't.
|
