SOLACE
St James Theatre, Wellington, NZ
Reviewed August 1, 2024
"Solace" offers audiences a thought-provoking look at the approach of contemporary choreographers who work with ballet companies. They are often inspired by abstract ideas rather than by a narrative line. Such is the case with the three works that make up this program: Wayne McGregor’s Infra, To Hold by Sarah Foster-Sproull, and Alice Topp’s High Tide.
First up is Infra and in his program notes McGregor remarks that “Infra has become simply about people”. Two people stood out in the cast I saw ̶̶ Branden Reiners and Kate Kadow. Their duet, one of several in Infra, was filled with emotion as a result of the magnificent contact they made with each other. The connection they created was not simply a result of the physicality they developed through McGregor’s choreography but in other ways as well, including through their constant and engaging eye contact. But eventually Reiners left the stage, walking off without acknowledging Kadow. Her reaction continued the momentum that the duet had generated. Kadow seemed stricken by anxiety as she reacted to Reiners’ departure. It was heart-stopping. Despite exceptional dancing by the entire cast, nothing could match the performance of Reiners and Kadow.
Apart from being moved by the Reiners/Kadow connection, I found it interesting to watch the unfolding of McGregor’s choreography. With Infra he works within the classical medium but pushes that medium to exceptional lengths. In particular his choreography moves away from the classical notion that the body is centred on an erect spine. In Infra it is quite noticeable that the spine is often curved, with the dancers pushing the pelvis backwards and forwards to remove and then reinstate the straight line of the spine.
Next on the program is Sarah Foster-Sproull’s newly-commissioned work, To Hold, again dealing with an abstract idea: “ways of holding and being held”. This idea is constantly made clear by the groupings Foster-Sproull creates throughout the piece. Often the dancers gather together in large, tightly held arrangements. Often too they join arms to create various groupings. Frequently the hands, often with fingers spread wide apart, are very prominent. To my mind this focus on joining hands in various ways means that other choreographic moves seem of secondary importance. I would have loved to have seen more variation rather than the work being overburdened by “togetherness”.
The evening ends with another new work, High Tide, created by Australia’s Alice Topp. Topp writes that the work is “a tender look at the isolating experiences of fear and our ever-changing shadows”. High Tide consists largely of duets, a dance format that is a specialty of Topp’s choreographic approach. Topp shows off her skill at developing lifts and partnered moves that are often quite spectacular in the way bodies link up. Dancers are, for example, often held upside down or in twisted positions, and they frequently pull away from each other while still maintaining a physical connection. Topp’s choreography is firmly classically based but is demanding in its complexity and on this night there were moments when I felt a little anxious about some of the performers. The dancers may need more time to develop greater confidence and fluidity with Topp’s choreography.
While visually all three works have an impact, the most outstanding contribution is designer Jon Buswell’s huge and domineering orb that accompanies High Tide. It reflects, on its changing surface and with its movement within the performing space, much of what Topp hopes to express about human experiences.
Solace is a demanding triple bill and RNZB rose skillfully to the occasion. This was an evening to be savoured and enjoyed for what it demonstrated about ballet today.
- MICHELLE POTTER
'Solace' moves to Auckland for a season from August 8 to 10 then Christchurch from August 16 to 17.