DANCE | Previews 90 THE LIST 20 Feb–20 Mar 2014
CONTEMPORARY DANCE MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE King’s Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 22 Feb
It’s almost 20 years since Matthew Bourne changed the landscape of British modern dance. When Swan Lake opened at London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre in 1995, Bourne could scarcely have imagined how popular it would be – and remain. Once again touring the UK, the multi award-winning
show never fails to generate ticket sales. Currently playing the lead swan (the role made famous by Adam Cooper in the closing moments of Billy Elliot), New Adventures dancer Jonathan Ollivier thinks he knows why. ‘Quite a lot of people still haven’t seen it, and there’s a real buzz here because all the swans are men,’ he says. ‘And that works really well, because we can portray a more aggressive physicality and power – and that’s exactly how it should be, not all pretty.’ Anyone who has ever ventured near a cygnet will
know what Ollivier is referring to. But giving the swans an appropriate level of strength doesn’t come easily. ‘It’s a big role to take on,’ he says. ‘Even in the classical version, the white and black swans are sometimes played by two different women, so to do all of it is a challenge. It can be quite tough on the body and takes a lot of stamina – but that is what’s great about it.’
There aren’t many iconic roles in male modern dance, but this is certainly one of them. For Ollivier, the opportunity to portray the brute force and heartbreaking gentleness of Bourne’s choreography is a career highlight. ‘It’s an honour to dance such a massive role, and I know a lot of dancers would like to do it: so, I’m lucky,’ he says. ‘To be dancing this beautiful, soft movement, yet making it look masculine and powerful is a rare thing, and quite special.’ (Kelly Apter)
CONTEMPORARY DOUBLE-BILL SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE: YAMA & KINGDOM Dundee Rep, Thu 20–Sat 22 Feb; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 28 Feb & Sat 1 Mar
Over a year since she came into post, Scottish Dance Theatre’s artistic director Fleur Darkin is nailing her colours firmly to the mast with her first commissions. Darkin’s choice of two European choreographers, both known for their exciting approach to staging, should lead to some dynamic action on the company’s spring tour.
So complex is the set design that a 45-minute interval is needed between pieces. Equally fascinating is the inspiration behind each work. Spanish choreographer Jorge Crecis has brought his experience of the Occupy Madrid movement to the creation of Kingdom, while French / Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet’s piece Yama is rooted in Japan.
‘Yama means mountain in Japanese and it’s also the god of death in Tibetan Buddhism,’
explains Jalet. ‘I decided to call the piece that after a trip I took to the mountains of Tohoku, the region of Japan deeply affected by the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima disaster.’ During his travels, Jalet encountered hermits known as yamabushis, who worship mountains
and see them as a place of magical empowerment. It was this sharp contrast between those respecting the environment, and those contaminating it, that inspired the work. But it wasn’t just Jalet who helped shape Yama. ‘The dancers participated strongly in the
creative process,’ he says. ‘I don’t like them to just show movements, I want to see how they invest in a task, how they feel. I need them to put a bit of themselves into the piece, otherwise I’m bored.’ (Kelly Apter)
NARRATIVE BALLET NORTHERN BALLET: CINDERELLA Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Thu 20–Sat 22 Mar
Her stepsisters are mean, she loses her shoe at the ball, and bags herself a prince at the end. The rags-to-riches tale of Cinderella is known, and enjoyed, by everyone from pre-schoolers to pensioners. But even the most tried and tested narrative can do with a shake-up now and again – which is exactly what Northern Ballet has done with its latest production.
The Fairy Godmother is no more, replaced by a mystical conjuror (performing real magic tricks),
Cinderella’s downtrodden father dies in a tragic accident early on rather than observing his new wife’s cruel behaviour, and Cinders arrives at the ball on a snow sledge pulled by huskies instead of a fancy pumpkin. ‘The traditional version is amazing but so many other companies do it: why not have a twist?’ says Northern Ballet principal, Martha Leebolt. ‘Our story is a little bit different. We’ve set it in Russia, the magic is really impressive and we have some circus tricks. It all builds on what was there in the past.’ During her 13 years with Northern Ballet, Leebolt has played some strong female roles, most
recently Daisy in The Great Gatsby and Cleopatra. Now, for the first time, she is taking on the most famous fairytale character of them all. ‘It’s incredible to play these iconic women,’ she says. ‘And the fact that other people have danced them before over the years only gives you more information to develop your own character.’ (Kelly Apter)
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