Review: Le Songe d’une nuit d’été / A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Add together lovers, a donkey and a bit of magic: the result is Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, though not as it’s usually told. The Geneva Ballet Company brings its rendition of the Elizabethan tale to the Festival this year with a decidedly abstract take.
Video courtesy of Cue Online -
If you want to see this ballet to follow Shakespeare’s plot of subverted lovers, think again. The strengths of this production are its sumptuous sets, its talented dancers and the live performance of Mendelssohn’s well-known score. The plot, on the other hand, is difficult to follow.
A commission by French choreographer Michel Kelemenis, the production is of a surreal bent. The main characters are the King of the Elves and the Fairy Queen, with the lovers relegated to a subplot.
The corps comprises the bulk of the choreography, which at times is convoluted. The movement becomes busy, with little ritardando or adagio. As a result, it is difficult for the dancers to stay always in unison.
Where the performance shines is its pas de deux. The duet between the Elf King and Fairy Queen is stunning. The Queen is in a love-potion induced sleep. Her body flops elegantly as the King tries to pick her up. She finally awakens and they start to dance, intricately weaving through each other’s limbs. This is a highlight of the evening.
The Geneva Ballet makes a point to commission new works. Its public relations manager Philippe Olza commented that the company is used to a critical reception, that contemporary work invites criticality. It is, after all, new.
Director Philippe Cohen is excited about the budding relationship between South Africa and the Geneva Ballet Company. After their shows in Grahamstown the company is continuing to Cape Town to perform and teach. “This is not the conclusion but the first step. We are looking forward to building a long term relationship,” Cohen says.
Although the company is based in Geneva, one of the dancers is a native of South Africa. Angela Lee Rebelo expresses her joy at performing at Festival: “It’s very special and a great opportunity to have the different nationalities come together. Audiences are not looking for something that’s cliché, and we’re giving them something different.”
Something different indeed. While the story itself may be a bit hard to follow, if you let the storyline go, the dancing and staging are a treat to behold.
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guy Butler Theatre, today, 11am and 7pm
VIDEO: Go for the dance, not the story
Add together lovers, a donkey and a bit of magic: the result is Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, though not as it’s usually told. The Geneva Ballet Company brings its rendition of the Elizabethan tale to the Festival this year with a decidedly abstract take.
Video courtesy of Cue Online -
If you want to see this ballet to follow Shakespeare’s plot of subverted lovers, think again. The strengths of this production are its sumptuous sets, its talented dancers and the live performance of Mendelssohn’s well-known score. The plot, on the other hand, is difficult to follow.
A commission by French choreographer Michel Kelemenis, the production is of a surreal bent. The main characters are the King of the Elves and the Fairy Queen, with the lovers relegated to a subplot.
The corps comprises the bulk of the choreography, which at times is convoluted. The movement becomes busy, with little ritardando or adagio. As a result, it is difficult for the dancers to stay always in unison.
Where the performance shines is its pas de deux. The duet between the Elf King and Fairy Queen is stunning. The Queen is in a love-potion induced sleep. Her body flops elegantly as the King tries to pick her up. She finally awakens and they start to dance, intricately weaving through each other’s limbs. This is a highlight of the evening.
The Geneva Ballet makes a point to commission new works. Its public relations manager Philippe Olza commented that the company is used to a critical reception, that contemporary work invites criticality. It is, after all, new.
Director Philippe Cohen is excited about the budding relationship between South Africa and the Geneva Ballet Company. After their shows in Grahamstown the company is continuing to Cape Town to perform and teach. “This is not the conclusion but the first step. We are looking forward to building a long term relationship,” Cohen says.
Although the company is based in Geneva, one of the dancers is a native of South Africa. Angela Lee Rebelo expresses her joy at performing at Festival: “It’s very special and a great opportunity to have the different nationalities come together. Audiences are not looking for something that’s cliché, and we’re giving them something different.”
Something different indeed. While the story itself may be a bit hard to follow, if you let the storyline go, the dancing and staging are a treat to behold.
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guy Butler Theatre, today, 11am and 7pm
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