PRISM

• Source: Global Times
• [21:36 August 19 2009]
• Comments

By Huang Xiao

Prism, a three-side object that refracts light, is an appropriate name for the latest original piece from Beijing Contemporary Dance Theater (BCDT). In the collaborative work, the young dancers comprise the metaphoric prisms, refracting and transforming the vision of three international choreographers into a bright spectrum of colors.

Prism, scheduled to premiere August 28 in Beijing, features three new works – Luminous by Pontus Lidberg of Sweden; White by Nadine Thouin from Canada; and Map of Me (and You), choreographed by Louise Midjord of Denmark. Inspired by the choreographers’ different backgrounds and upbringings, the three pieces are far apart in style.

Midjord uses twists of the body to demonstrate the confusion of the mind, creating a work that is both poetic and sensual.

Thouin’s White is full of power and incorporates the digital elements of film, 3D animation and mixed media.

Lidberg presents a more earthly mood with images and feelings of nature visible within the dancers’ movements.

All three choreographers have a strong background in ballet, along with years of experience in modern dance and BCDT directly reflects their approach.

“Ballet dancers performing modern dance – it is the main feature of our troupe,” said Wang Yuanyuan, artistic director of BCDT.

Wang is well known for her choreography in Zhang Yimou’s ballet Raise the Red Lantern. Wanting to combine ballet’s elegance, finesse and beauty with modern dance’s open and free style,
Wang founded China’s first ballet-based modern dance troupe, BCDT, last year.

“Ballet training helps dancers develop better muscle definition and a good temperament, but the creative expression of modern dance is more related to social development and is more relevant to young people,” she explained.

Since BCDT’s founding, the troupe has relied on Wang’s inspiration and boasts a rich repertoire of five pieces, including Stirred from a Dream and Haze. This time, Wang took a step back and invited a global team for a collaboration piece over the summer, which included daily ballet classes, yoga training and creative development. The young dancers were given a unique opportunity to enlarge their concept of modern dance and uncover further inner potential.

Lidberg has considerable experience with foreign dance troupes, including the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theater and the Norwegian National Ballet. His acting experience and choreography skills are demonstrated in his best-known film, The Rain.

During the two weeks of creating and rehearsing in late July, Lidberg spent his days in the studio with the dancers exploring their body movements and making notes for the music for the performance piece.

Using a background of Bach, he infused oriental elements and images of trees and clouds. “The dancers here are very fresh, talented, beautiful and fine,” he said. “But they don’t have experience. Hopefully I can bring the experience to them.”

Thouin began teaching dance and theater at the age of 15 and by the time she was 22 she was already making a name for herself internationally. Since 1999 she has been invited to China on a number of
occasions to work with many major Chinese dance companies.

“Creativity is something we don’t understand. The artist creates something they don’t understand and only after do they know it,” she explained. Before starting work on her piece White, she gave them intense yoga training so that they would learn to get their balance from the ground and to concentrate only on the dance and themselves and nothing else around them.

Based on the original music of Michel Drapeau and accompanied by the 3D animation of Faral Averill, White aims at releasing the audience from their material desires and rethink what they truly want.

Midjord, who hails from the Royal Danish Ballet, has won awards at many international dance festivals and brings with her a strong background in classical ballet. The inspiration for her piece comes from a book, Carte De Tendre, which is all about the success and pitfalls of love.

After being contacted by Wang, Midjord drew a map of her last relationship and that is what she shares and explores through dance. The bewilderment she experienced is expressed by the dancers’ intertwined bodies that at times appear painful and disjointed. “It is more an abstract than the exact story,” she explained. “People can understand the emotion, the feeling of each part - everybody can put their own experience into it.”

Lidberg also stressed the importance of emotions in modern dance. He said that while many modern dancers and teachers have attempted to develop systematic movements, training and choreography, this is almost impossible as it is the free-flowing interpretation of feeling that results in a finished modern dance piece.

Wang agreed that audiences need to be more relaxed when watching a modern dance performance and simply enjoy what they are feeling in the theater. She said that many people try to interpret each and every movement and look for a fixed plot as you would with a ballet performance. She explained that modern dance is completely different. To enjoy modern dance you need to forget the plot and totally immerse yourself in the atmosphere and focus on how it makes you feel, she said.

Wang added that only after you free your mind can you begin to build a personal connection with the dancers and open yourself up to the messages that the choreographers are trying to express, then will
you be able to see the refractions of light emanating from Prism.

Prism will be performed on Aug 28-29 at the PLA Song and Dance Theater in Beijing.