Thursday, March 5, 1998
British dance company puts modern spin on classic techniques
DANCE: Troupe celebrates artistry, takes an unlikely mix of
ballet and Rolling Stones music to new levels
By Jessie Blank
Daily Bruin Contributor
Classical dancers gracefully swirl and leap, plie and pirouette
– all to the music of the Rolling Stones?
Paying homage to time honored tradition while simultaneously
pushing the limits of modernity, the Rambert Dance Company will
perform at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater Friday and Saturday at 8
p.m.
"It’s exciting. It’s sophisticated. It’s inventive. It’s
eclectic … Rambert is one of the most energetic and entertaining
dance companies out of Great Britain today," says Michael Blachly,
director of UCLA Center of the Performing Arts.
Rambert Dance Company, Britain’s oldest dance company, returns
to California with a revitalized style that has gained nothing but
attention and accolades since 1994, when Christopher Bruce took
over as Rambert’s artistic director.
"Rooster," a piece that will play this weekend, exemplifies
Bruce’s ability to juxtapose timely and transcendent elements.
Dancers trained in classical ballet execute contemporary dance
movements to selections from the Rolling Stones. By using the
Stones’ music, whose success has surpassed the test of time,
Bruce’s choreography bridges the generation gap in a vivid image
familiar to all ages.
A likeness of male machismo, in all its fine feathered glory,
struts around the stage while dancers depict mating rituals and the
masculine posturing of men.
"(‘Rooster’) is a humorous and ironic look at the chauvinism of
the lyrics of the Rolling Stones’ songs … It is an affectionate
and hopefully enjoyable look at the times. The great thing about it
is its range of audience … from teenagers to people in their
’70s," Bruce says.
This cross-generational appeal was never more obvious than when
the director recently witnessed two old women bopping in their
seats to the Stones’ tunes.
Other timeless themes, like the somber truths found in nature
and human struggle, are intertwined in Bruce’s works.
"Swansong" depicts a lone, seated prisoner tortured by two
interrogators who flail about him. Its poignant imagery, inspired
by the work of the human rights organization Amnesty International,
elicits very personal and unique reactions from the audience. The
theme of "prisoner consciousness" unfolds as the interrogators
bludgeon and ultimately kill the prisoner.
"(‘Swansong’) is emotionally and physically draining,
personally," says dancer Conor O’Brien of his portrayal of the
battered victim.
One other piece appears on the bill for Rambert’s Los Angeles
visit. "Stream" combines abstract movements with fragmented music.
Its nebulous message invites audience members to interpret the
meaning for themselves. Resembling the cycle of life, "Stream," is
divided into five sections; it portrays women and men and their
interaction with nature.
The dancers’ movements, much like those of mythical satyrs and
nymphs, fuse the human element with the animalistic. Fully open to
the dancers’ own expression and the audience’s interpretation,
Bruce’s conceit centers on the enigmatic roles of man and
nature.
"I’ve abstracted ("Stream") as much as I can, so it is purely in
dance form and one is allowed very free interpretations … It has
a strange structure. I haven’t gone for a normal big bang finish.
All the climaxes round off at the end, and then there is a feeling
of the cycle beginning again," Bruce says.
O’Brien, a member of Rambert for a year and a half, cites
Bruce’s unconventional and unfettered style as the feature that
sets Rambert apart from other companies.
"There is so much more freedom within this company. It makes me
freer and I can let go," O’Brien says.
Contempor
ary dance rooted in classical technique is Rambert’s signature.
This combination serves the company’s dual purpose of innovation
and tradition that founder Marie Rambert established in 1926.
Bruce, who studied under Rambert at 13, perpetuates his
teacher’s goal; he melds the old and the new, the classical and the
contemporary and the traditional and the abstract in his artistic
direction.
"Our ultimate vision is to be a truly versatile contemporary
dance repertory company – that is very unusual. We accept a lot of
people’s work that adds many different shades to our performance,"
Bruce says.
In the past year, Rambert has collected three Outstanding
Achievement Awards.
Although stable in its stance atop the contemporary dance world,
Rambert has weathered some treacherous storms that in past years
have plagued London’s dance community.
Several other companies capsized during Rambert’s struggle to
stay afloat.
"Rambert has come out with some extremely fresh work and good
choreography," Blachly says.
"It has been some time since they have been on our stage and
it’s time to return."
DANCE: Rambert Dance Company performs at the Veterans Wadsworth
Theater on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., preceded by a Center
Stage Lecture at 7 p.m. with artistic director Christopher Bruce.
Tickets are $35, $32 and $10 with UCLA ID. For more information,
call (310) 825-2101.
Photos courtesy of UCLA Center for the Performing Arts
Rambert Dance Company combines classical and modern dance.