THEATRE | Previews I
D N A N Y N O T © O T O H P
S N E Z O C S Y H R © O T O H P
106 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013
CONTEMPORARY DANCE RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 22 Oct; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 15 Nov
The centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth has prompted celebrations in concert halls and theatres across the globe. But one man who never needs an excuse to work with the music of the late British composer is Richard Alston. ‘I’ve always had a passion for Britten’s music,’ says Alston. ‘I discovered it when I was a young boy, and it’s always been very special to me. But I was quite surprised to realise recently that I’ve choreographed more of his music than any other composer.’
In total, Alston has created seven works to Britten’s music, three of which will be performed in Scotland this autumn. Both Lachrymae and Illuminations have been re-worked since their creation in the mid-90s and, as Alston says, benefit from increased wisdom. ‘I love working on earlier pieces because – if it’s not being too immodest – I feel I know more now,’ he says. ‘I like being able to dig deeper and get some new life. We don’t just reproduce what was there before.’
Brand new piece Holderlin Fragments, set to Britten’s work of the same name, will premiere in London this November before heading to Glasgow (Edinburgh audiences will have to wait until next year to see it: instead, the Festival Theatre line-up is completed by ragtime-inspired The Devil in the Detail).
Both cities, however, will benefit from Martin Lawrance’s sensual duet, Brink, set to Japanese tango music. As the only other choreographer to ever feature in the Alston repertoire, long-time company dancer turned rehearsal director Lawrance shares his mentor’s love of music. ‘Martin brings an edgier language than me, but he makes dance that is so closely linked to music, so it’s not a culture shock for our audiences,’ says Alston. ‘For me, it’s wonderful to work with a choreographer and help them find their own voice. And Martin certainly has his own voice.’ (Kelly Apter)
CONTEMPORARY DANCE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY WALES Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 12 Nov
From the streets of New York to the Welsh countryside, Stephen Petronio made quite a journey to create his new piece. Known for his raw, energetic work with touches of real beauty, the American choreographer is no stranger to Scottish audiences – both with his own company, and Scottish Ballet’s Ride the Beast. In recent years, Petronio has built up a strong relationship with National Dance Company Wales
(NDCW), and new work, Water Stories (his second commission for the company) will feature alongside Angelin Preljocaj’s Noces and Christopher Bruce’s Dream in NDCW’s Glasgow show. ‘They treat me very well,’ says Petronio of the Cardiff-based company. ‘They care about my vision and allow me to go wherever I want to. The dancers are really strong and when I walked in there, they just jumped right on what I was doing, and I love that.’
It was while creating his first work for the company (the Dylan Thomas-inspired By Singing
Light) that Petronio found his source material for Water Stories. ‘I did a lot of trekking,’ he recalls, ‘and there were all these beautiful, sad, crazy waterscapes – reservoirs and waterfalls. And I thought maybe it’s a bit of a cliché, like a calendar picture, but water is really part of the identity of Wales, so let’s make it a water story.’ Armed with specially commissioned photographs of Welsh bodies of water, and a new score by composer Atticus Ross, Petronio set to work. ‘I went there with these images and music, so I had two very clear tracks to work between,’ he says. ‘The dancers really came along with me, and we’ve made something I’m very proud of.’ (Kelly Apter)
CONTEMPORARY TRIPLE BILL MADE AT SADLER’S WELLS Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 29 & Wed 30 Oct
From the outside, Sadler’s Wells is a theatre just like any other, inviting audiences to see an ever- changing programme of work. But it’s what goes on behind the scenes that makes the place so special to the dance world. The north London institution is home to a team of producers and associate artists who, since 2005, have been commissioning and creating exciting new work. ‘Sadler’s Wells is a large-scale dance house, and across the globe there aren’t many
organisations like us,’ says executive producer Suzanne Walker. ‘So while we programme a lot of fantastic artists from around the world, if we’re to make a real difference to the artform, we feel very strongly that we need to make work.’
Visiting Edinburgh on its first UK tour, Made at Sadler’s Wells is a triple bill of commissioned
works by three of the theatre’s associate artists: Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Wayne McGregor. Each piece is performed by dancers from their respective companies, who, as Walker says, ‘are steeped in the movement language of that choreographer’. Cherkaoui and Maliphant have both been inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky, with Maliphant’s Afterlight
(Part One) influenced by his drawings, and Cherkaoui’s Faun a reinvention of his ballet L’après- midi d’un faune. McGregor’s UNDANCE sees the him join forces with contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and Turner Prize-winning visual artist Mark Wallinger.
‘All three are beautiful pieces of work that stand the test of time, have won awards and received great critical and audience response,’ says Walker. ‘They also embrace what Sadler’s Wells is all about – working with exciting and inventive choreographers who can also create dance that is appealing, accessible and engaging to anybody.’ (Kelly Apter)