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Cathy Marston
'Licking good...' | |||||||
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She has been writing for Ballet.co since 2000 and still finds time to dance as well, currently with ARC.
Link to previous column.
Link to later column
As I'm packing to make another trip up north I promised Bruce I would write a few words… so, what's going on? Well, since I wrote last time I've created ballets for Northern Ballet Theatre and The Royal Ballet. I'll go in chronological order… Last time I mentioned that I was planning a challenge for myself with Northern Ballet Theatre - to make an abstract ballet for a group of twelve (I don't often get the chance to use so many dancers and don't often do abstract), on pointe and in leotards, which is a first for me! I had chosen to work with Martinu's Double Concerto, which is a fantastically exciting, rhythmic, dramatic score for two string orchestras, piano, and timpani. It seemed ironic that I had chosen to make an abstract work on a company known for it's story-telling skills, however, I didn't know any of the company, there was a very small design budget and I thought that it might be a good change for all of us! The ballet - Dividing Silence - is to premiere in Leeds on the 9th June, however, I think the commission has already proved successful because of the wonderful time we all had working together. I was with the company for three weeks and found them welcoming, enthusiastic, excited to do something new and very engaging with me. David Nixon and his staff were, also, all of the above, and by the end I was really hoping that this is just the 'beginning of a beautiful relationship'… we'll see. David's work demands strong partnering skills so he's really got the boys trained up and there was not a word of complaint when as we were trying to fix a horizontenal presage, the girls went up and down endless times. I could tell they are used to creating work and it was great fun to come in to rehearsal with an idea, give them an image that I was after and then have it taken far further than I had planned. I was quite strict, though, with the music, which is very syncopated and tricky to count. I wanted to work with it closely though, and very often had everyone crowding around my little brown notebook, looking at my very individual 'picture notation' in order to work it out. The piece is currently being cleaned (I hope!) by my ballet master, Dave, but even when I left I could tell it's going to be quite a roller coaster of a ballet. Although the speed and dynamics shift there's no stop until the end. I've put an emphasis on 'line' and there are beautiful shapes that fold in and out on one another like a kaleidoscope. That said, I'm sure at the end of the day the piece will not only speak to the eye; the music is intensely emotional and with the dancers of NBT I expect little stories will unfold within the form to surprise you. One of the moments that made me laugh in rehearsal with NBT was when I had a couple in a rather odd position in front of me and I called across the studio 'OK - now lick him!' This produced - naturally- a confused look from the girl and surprised giggle from everyone else in the room… I had to laugh too as I realised that I'd used one of my own movement terms that any dancer who has worked with me before can translate but of course NBT couldn't at that point! I didn't mean lick with the tongue at all but rather do a sort of turned in curling motion with the leg - I always call it a lick for some reason! When I got back to London to work on my new pas de deux for Lauren Cuthbertson and Edward Watson of the Royal Ballet I again had to smile because I really what a special language we speak together. I've worked with Ed and Lauren so much now that many words or inclinations of the head or hands that I give get transformed into the desired movement without any thought at all. The piece I'm making for the Royal Ballet for their Diaghilev celebration in the Linbury. It's an eight minute duet to a commissioned score for saxophone and counter-tenor by Judith Bingham. Our original idea was to make a Venetian Requiem for saxophone quartet and two singers but as there wasn't enough money for this we've made a part of what could be the full ballet - a self-contained duet to the lachrymose text. For those of you who don't know (why would you?), Diaghilev is buried in Venice where he died. It was his favourite city in which to relax despite his fear of water. Although Ed is not playing Diaghilev himself, the duet could have a sub-title, Death by Water. The Diaghilev evening in the Linbury premieres on the 23rd June and will have only four performances. For those who need more temptation than the thought of seeing Edward and Lauren dance together again after their recent Romeo and Juliet debut, John Harle will be playing the saxophone and I am told he is the best saxophonist around…
I could go on but unfortunately need to do household things before I'm off again, so this will be continued next month!
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