All pictures © Warner Vision and captured from the DVD BalletAlert... Alexandra Tomalonis' website Royal Danish Ballet reviews RDB website

"Movement is life...." is Sylvie Guillem's opening phrase in Evidentia released recently on DVD. The phrase reveals a theme that threads its way throughout this production, which was conceived by Guillem and features five works by choreographers of her own choosing.

The booklet that comes with the DVD proudly boasts that this is the first time Sylvie Guillem has worked for television. Stories abound regarding the reputation of Guillem as being offish-earning her the title 'Madamoiselle Non', however rumour and conjecture aside, it is a fact is that she takes dance very seriously - it is her life and Evidentia is indeed evidence to this fact.

The viewer is introduced to the programme with Guillem playing with the camera in sharp black and white dressed in a black tutu and pointe shoes. As her pointes stab predator-like through space, dancing on a backcloth laid to the floor we see her beautiful arched feet and titanium-strength legs, and as she flows from the classical pointe work to contorted improvised movement we see a body sculpture forged by dance and polished by her life experience. Her dance philosophy is revealed briefly in the small introductions between the five works.

Guiilem in the DVDs introduction
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

Solo

The first work choreographed and performed by William Forsythe is set to the music of Thom Willems who has worked with Forsythe before in projects such as Herman Schmerman and In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Forsythe's fluency of movement is revealed as he attempts to sever the control that the mind places over the body and dissolves into pure movement. The piece features stunning camera angles of young British director Tom Balogh and was edited by Forsythe himself.

William Forsyth in Solo
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

"Dissolution, letting yourself evaporate. Movement is a factor of the fact that you are actually evaporating." Forsythe

Blue Yellow

Set to music by Kevin Volans, Blue Yellow is directed by Adam Roberts and choreographed by Jonathan Burrows, who was once called Britain's Columbus due to the explorative nature of his dance. Guillem performs the piece with her hair tied back, wearing trainers and we are offered a subtly changing view of her through an open blue door which looks voyeuristically into a yellow room. We are shown Guillem's hesitant movement clearly through the open door, she moves out of view showing us the shadow created by the sun bathed room and with intrigue building, we are taken nearer to the performer in a closer camera shot.

Sylvie Guillem in Blue Yellow
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

"As the camera moves on from the doorway, yellow gives way to blue, image gives way to memory and imagination." Burrows

Smoke

Smoke is an exploration of the relationship between two central characters, a man and a woman, performed by Guillem and Niklas Ek. The piece was choreographed by Niklas' brother Mats and is performed to a score by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The design by Peder Freiu features 3 tables of varying sizes and Ek has used the medium of television and the benefits afforded by editing to great effect. The relationship between the man and woman progresses through phases of innocence, growth, conflict and longing. The work is littered with the trademark wit of Mats Ek and features some innovative pas de deux. And the smoke?

Sylvie Guillem and Niklas Ek in Smoke
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

"The smoke which comes from their clothes & mouths is what they say to each other." Mats Ek

Movement

In a collaboration between Sylvie Guillem and director / choreographer Françoise Ha Van, Movement uses archival footage interspersed with scenes performed by dancer David Kern and actress Benedicte Loyen to explore the way in which movement is woven into everyday life. This piece does what it says on the box and exposes us to an at times surreal gallery of movement which features footage of such subjects as a cheetah, the sea, the skilled visual comedy of Buster Keaton and footage of German Expressionist Mary Wigman. The work is set to fragments of J.S. Bach's Suite No.4 for cello performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

Sylvie Guillem in Movement
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

"Movement is a dynamic process; its reality lies in the succession of states of position; it is essentially flowing. We can see in it the four elements (air, earth, fire and water)" Ha Van

In The Wind, There Is Someone

The final piece in this programme is directed by Françoise Ha Van and features dancers David Kern and Brian Reeder in an exposure of the joy of dancing. The piece is filmed in the scenery store of the Paris Opera and in various outside locations using special camera effects and features haunting solo violin music by J.S. Bach

David Kern and Brian Reeder in In The Wind, There Is Someone
© Warner Vision and captured from the DVD

Filmed in 1995, Evidentia has been previously released in VHS video format and the benefits of buying this on DVD are negligible. It contains no special features to entice the owner of the bigger boxed version apart from a simple menu and ...er.....a smaller box.

It's content is essentially contemporary dance, or more correctly contemporary movement and as such will appeal to the classical purist as much as a T-bone to a vegan. For the fan of the modern stuff however it contains some excellent thought provoking pieces. Fans of Sylvie Guillem would, I believe have preferred more of this feature devoted to the thoughts and philosophy of this remarkable dancer, sadly there are a but a few precious moments of this nature.

Those expecting a documentary portrait or an exposé of the life of Sylvie Guillem should not buy this DVD. In this area she remains, quite intentionally, an enigma.

"Vie and danse - life et/and dance - Evidentia, voilà!"