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Deborah Bull, Siobhan Davies ‘13 Different Keys’ July 1999 London, The Atlantis, Brick Lane by Stuart Sweeney |
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This is an imaginative and daring project, which brings together dancers from different disciplines in a warehouse with no seats. I enjoyed it and the collaborators who brought the work to life should be congratulated for having the confidence to take the risks involved. Sadly, the worlds of ballet and contemporary dance in the UK sometimes seem to occupy parallel universes, with devotees of each style often having little or no link with the other. Exceptions being Rambert and AMP, perhaps. Even before the start, there was a sense of something special, with Anthony Dowell and a number of other Royal Ballet luminaries rubbing shoulders with half the London contemporary dance world. Siobhan Davies has a formidable reputation as a choreographer and has created a large body of successful work over the past two decades, firstly for London Contemporary Dance and more recently for her own company. This is one of two collaborations with the ROH this year, as another work by her will be featured in the re-opening events in December. '13 Different Keys', however, is a more complete intermixing of the two dance worlds, as it brings together Deborah Bull, Jenny Tattersall and Peter Abegglen of the Royal Ballet with Gill Clarke and Matthew Morris of The Siobhan Davies Company. The 55-minute work is danced to a live performance of music by Couperin and Marais. This is a site-specific work in The Atlantis, a converted loft in an East London warehouse. It is a large, airy space and for this performance an X-shaped stage, raised about 2 feet, has been installed, together with beautiful, slowly shifting lighting designed by Peter Mumford. The five dancers shift between the 4 arms of the stage and the standing audience are meant to move around as the work unfolds. On the first night, however, the audience was a lot more static than the dancers. The venue has advantages and disadvantages. The close proximity to some of the best dancers in the country is often fascinating and the perspectives down the long diagonals produce some stunning vistas in the imaginative lighting. On the other hand, pillars and other audience members sometimes obscure the sight lines. For the choreography, Davies has not tried for some sort of compromise and presents a work in her own style of cool, abstract dance. Davies never wears her heart on her sleeve, but the work does seem rather more lyrical these days and features an under-stated, elegant character. She matches the exquisite baroque music with demanding balances and subtle interactions between the dancers. Jenny Tattersall is given quick, impish steps matching her own character and in a 10 minute section where the focus switched to the musicians, it was fascinating to watch her relax on the stage and then stretch and wiggle her toes to keep stiffness at bay. It was noteworthy that some people were asking which were the ballet dancers as the homogeneity of the performers made a separation difficult. All the dancers performed admirably, but it was fascinating afterwards, to hear the RB dancers and their friends express their great admiration for Gill Clarke who performed superbly throughout including a short, fast solo section more in the style of Forsythe. Overall an exciting meeting of different strands of the excellent dance resources that we enjoy in this country, from which, I'm sure, greater knowledge and respect has flowed. The elegant, fluid style could provide a good introduction to one strand of contemporary choreography for those who normally prefer ballet.
Tickets are £14.50 from 0171 387 0031 and there is availability for each of the remaining nights from Friday to Monday. Performances start at 9pm and as the Atlantis is in Brick Lane, near Aldgate East tube, there is a wide choice of Indian food on offer nearby.
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