© Erik Tomasson 'Eden/Eden' reviews SFB 'Spring Rounds' reviews 'Spring Rounds' reviews 'Chi-Lin' reviews Maffre in reviews recent SFB reviews more Renee Renouf reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months)

Some choreographers I take on faith, suspending my bag of critical, sometimes caustic observations to let the invention float over me, sometimes enfold me in a visual embrace, occasionally, a raptuous bear hug. Spring Rounds displayed Vanessa Zahorian’s tentative, if sunny side and the competence of Garrett Anderson.

It was an interesting reading knowing Taylor mounts any commissioned work first on his own dancers before the commissioning company gets it. Taylor dancers are mostly smaller, impulse centers more earthbound, gestures strongly naturalistic except when called upon to frame dancing with the All Hail arm position Taylor uses to classical music and as symbol of celebration.

Chi Lin enjoys a singularly handsome setting, inspired by Sandra Woodall’s sojourn on Taiwan. The opening scrim displays emblems of the four directions in circles, revolving before coming together to show respective positions in the Chinese cosmos: the dragon; the tortoise; the phoenix; chi-lin. Traditionally, the dragon of the east is green; the phoenix is the red bird of the south, yang. The tortoise is entwined with the snake for the north and the tiger belongs to the west; the two yin creatures. Clearly, liberties with Chinese tradition are taken: Chi-lin is described as possessing the head of a dragon, body of a horse, scales of a carp; noted for strength, good competing spirit, great ambitions, perseverance and fame. The characterological qualities might describe Yuan Yuan Tan, but neither body nor glinting black/golden glint of her swimsuit costumed mustered resemblance to the mythical creature whose image is given to aspiring students of Chinese literary classics.

Everyone danced so well it is difficult to carp on the performance. Pierre-Francois Villanoba resembled a striking stallion more than a mythical dragon. Tiits Helimets assumed Damian Smith’s role as the Tortoise, sedate in solo, wonderful partnering Yuan Yuan Tan. Hansuke Yamamoto danced the Phoenix; Yuan Yuan Tan smiled her way through as Chi Lin. In such company, who wouldn’t?

There were some visual blips in the production, notably the scarf- waving women wafting around the Phoenix. Why not abbreviated butterfly sleeves or the standard cliche of red ribbons? While the staves with their flags made for clever exchanges amongst the four men and helped to hold Tan aloft at one moment, are they intrinsic to Chi Lin’s emblem display?

Helgi Tomasson created Chi Lin because he wanted to make a ballet for Yuan Yuan Tan to display her personal movement style. Attracted to the music of Bright Sheng, he attempted to wed portions of Sheng’s music with Chinese Taoist philosophical concepts. He succeeded in this aim admirably; I saw Muriel Maffre attempt it, and Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun was scheduled to dance it at the March 18 matinee, but the assignment changed on the web site. Maffre made a game approximation of Tan’s personal style; Pipit-Suksun might have placed her own emphasis on the work. At the core is the mythical creatures from divergent directions lack some tale of a mortal or two whose destiny are intertwined with them. The symbols impress in individual solos, but don’t cohere as an ensemble.

Tomasson should, however, be commended for respecting Chinese lore and tradition in his thematic exploration. It was an approach Balanchine never bothered to consider in creating Bugaku.

Eden/Eden’s local premiere brought the entire Wayne MacGregor roster of collaborators to San Francisco for this work premiered initially in Stuttgart in 2005. The collaborators participated in the one of the pre-performance talks at the March 13 opening.
 

The program notes discuss MacGregor’s concern with the ethnical principles of cloning, which is reflected in the images cast on the scrim in stark black and white; there was something about latitude, several mystifying formulae, plus an intriguing projection of semi circular roles in which various names ascribed to the deity appear with the names of the archangels above it.

The stage is bare save for the figure of Muriel Maffre in scull cap and bodysuit; the others are also dressed as androdyny. First to emerge near The Tree is Gonzalo Garcia, alone; he is followed successively by pairs: Pascal Molat and Dana Genshaft; Rory Hohenstein and Katita Waldo; Jaime Garcia Castilla and Hayley Farr; then Moises Martin alone. They danced singly and in partnership; it was a wonderful opportunity to observe body structure, musculature and conduct guessing games as to who claimed which body. I was entranced with the strident exercise in depersonalization. The general movement seemed a mix of classical vocabulary with contractions and the percussion which much contemporary music provokes as emphasis.
 

After a certain amount of exposition, tunics descend from the flies; each dancer takes his appointed costume, removes the skull cap, goes back to the partner, dances more; then, in reverse order, Moises Martin first, they descend via the trap door once more. I’ve forgotten whether Maffre moves off stage, or remains alone at curtain fall.

If this recitation bears any remote resemblance to Chroma, I can see why British balletomanes are excited about MacGregor’s new post with The Royal Ballet. It’s going to be a different take on ballet, for sure. Beyond what I describe, however, I can contribute little to the excitement. Perhaps next season I can be a more discerning observer. What was seen was faultlessly executed, strong in visual and kinesthetic impact, danced by those named like there was no tomorrow.