Light Me Up

On Friday, I attended a dance recital by the National Ballet entitled Ratmansky & Côté. The former is a celebrated choreographer and the latter is a principal dancer with the company who has been doing more choreography within the company and for other local dance troupes.

His work, entitled Being and Nothingness (inspired by the book) had the stage fully opened. What a strong impact. I had no idea so much of the stage is "backstage" and hidden during regular performances. A row of faceless men in suits sat at the back and watched couples danced our their struggles. The entire piece was set to music by Phillip Glass. It started with Greta Hodginson dancing out some existential crisis beneath the glow of a lightbulb. From there, various couples would dance playfully in their cozy apartment or fight over mysterious phone calls. It was surprising clear narrative for a "contemporary" piece.

In contrast, Ramatsky's Symphony #9 and Piano Concerto #1 (both set to Shostakovich) were more abstract. Despite using classical technique, it was cerebral in its movements and configurations. However, with dancers often gathering in tight group formation, there was something "Soviet-esque" about its sensibilities. The featured dancers, whether solo, in pairs, or in trios, often tried to fight their way out of these restrictions. But they often fell back into the group consensus as well. This push/pull theme ran throughout both pieces.

All 3 pieces had stark scenery: a window frame, a ringing telephone, geometric forms hanging from the rafters. This focused our attention on the music and movements. I enjoyed both Being and the Piano Concerto. There was something about the middle piece that did not engage me.