Dance
CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH RICHARD ALSTON What made you want to become a choreographer? I came to London after leaving school in 1964 and instantly became a fervent Royal Ballet fan. Over the next two years I became ever more fascinated by the choreography of Frederick Ashton and he inspired me to want to become a choreographer.
What was the inspiration behind your 1990 work, Rough Cut, which the company will be performing in Glasgow along with the Hoagy Carmichael-inspired Shuffle it Right and the Prokofiev-inspired Out of the Strong? I had a really wonderful bunch of dancers in Rambert that year, where I was artistic director. I made Rough Cut for them, to capture their, at times, quite wild energy. What are you looking for in the dancers who perform your choreography? I look for dancers who can internalise music, who ‘sing’ with their bodies. I also look for dancers who have a special energy, a special quality all their own.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your work? ‘I hope they’ll be uplifted by the young performers, appreciate the music and be exhilarated by the combination of the two.’ ■ Richard Alston Dance Company, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 26 May.
PREVIEW HIP HOP DANCE COMPAGNI S’POART: NA GRANI Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 13 & Sat 14 May
One of the dance world’s many attributes is its ability to cross the language barrier unscathed. Dancers let their bodies, rather than their mouths, do the talking – a form of communication that needs no translation. Instead, dance has its own language, the subtleties of which span both orientation and geography. It’s something Mickaël Le Mer, founder of French hip hop outfit Compagni S’Poart, discovered during the making of his latest work, Na Grani. Created as part of France-Russia 2010, a year-long cultural celebration across both countries, the work took Le Mer outside his comfort zone. ‘For this piece I had three challenges,’ he says. ‘This is the first time I have choreographed female dancers, worked with foreign dancers, or with contemporary dancers. All these new constraints brought a freshness to the creation and extra motivation. I tried to stage who the dancers are in their hearts, not what they seem to be,
and the differences between them enriched the work and influenced my choreography.’ Le Mer started Compagni S’Poart in 1996, having
worked with renowned French hip hop companies such as Käfig. Na Grani came about when Le Mer travelled to a contemporary dance festival in the industrial Russian city of Yekaterinburg. He later returned there to teach hip hop, and recruited Russian dancers to help him with the piece.
‘Various meetings I had, the city itself and its location gave me the desire to create Na Grani,’ says Le Mer. ‘My primary intention was to express humanity on stage, inspired by the dancers’ relationship with each other.’ Aside from the dancers, Le Mer has also worked closely with set and lighting designers – both of which play an important role in Na Grani, using neon light and moveable blocks to suggest an urban environment.
‘Collaboration with the artists is about exchange and
talk,’ says Le Mer. ‘Whether it’s lighting, set design, music or costumes. First I give ideas, they propose things, we trade, then I make a choice. Each part is a unique creation for the piece.’ (Kelly Apter)
PREVIEW COLLABORATIVE DANCE BARROWLAND BALLET: A CONVERSATION WITH CARMEL Platform, Glasgow, Wed 11 May, then touring
Family gatherings – for some they’re the highlight of the year, for others they need a health warning. Inspired by her own get togethers, and those of others, choreographer Natasha Gilmore has co- created A Conversation with Carmel, a birthday bash for a fictional 70-year-old.
‘I’m from a very large, loud family,’ says Gilmore, ‘and family parties are lively. I love the mix of ages that come together at these types of gatherings. Having become a mum last year, the family as a subject matter is particularly pertinent to me right now. Family offers an intriguing depth of love, tension, understanding, knowing and frustration.’
For this latest piece, Gilmore has brought together her own company Barrowland Ballet, with theatre company Vox Motus, composer Quee MacArthur and filmmaker Rachel Davies. Together they’ve created a work that explores cross-generational
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relationships. ‘Rachel and I have been having “conversations” with lots of grandparents,’ says Gilmore, ‘sharing their stories, experiences, laughter and fears. The piece is also inspired by conversations I had with my own grandma prior to her death, during which I became very aware of the freedom that came from the fact we were two generations apart – she could not have talked as candidly to her own daughters.’ Gilmore has enlisted the help of professional
dancers (including 83-year-old Diana Payne-Myers, last seen in Scotland at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe) and those drawn from the local community – a different group at each stop on the show’s UK tour. ‘I’ve always enjoyed the attitude and quality of the professional world and the honesty and openness of performances from non-professional dancers,’ says Gilmore. ‘It’s truly a joy to fill the studio with a cast ranging in age from a baby to the retired, and all relishing the fun of dancing, creating and interacting. I’m sure that the joy we generate in the room will come across on the stage, too.’ (Kelly Apter)