Czech National Ballet have a winning combination with its latest triple bill, collectively titled Beyond Vibrations. It succeeds on so many levels and points to the excellent leadership and artistic choices of Filip Barankiewicz. His rich experience in both the classics and in new creations has given him a platform on which to make discerning decisions about what to bring into his company’s repertoire. I was lucky enough to see two different casts and gather there is an equally good third cast.
None of the ballets on offer were world premieres (though new to CNB) yet each brought a fresh perspective, and a truly glorious presentation of both the dancers, the choreography, scenography and most impressively – a musical tapestry that was as challenging as it was absorbing, and which the dancers inhabited like a second skin.
Sandwiched between the two newer works was Hans van Manen’s 2005 Frank Bridge Variations. A work for ten dancers, it exemplifies the simplicity, the no-frills approach that van Manen’s choreography embodies. It is no exaggeration to describe it as a near perfect homage to classicism in the guise of contemporary innovation. It translates Benjamin Britten’s score, nine of the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, into an expression of sensual, sometimes explosive movement. It may have no narrative but the emotion is still palpable.
Van Manen claims he has rather a strong aversion to dancers facing the audience, thus the intimate goings on between couples, ensemble and even in solos, draws the viewer in. It doesn’t feel like a stage-managed performance but rather, something that we’ve just happened upon, exuding a feeling of spontaneity. On opening night, the dancers were astonishingly good. Patrik Holeček, Adam Zvonař, Alina Nanu and Nikola Márová led a superlative cast in a piece that covers the gamut of subtle evocations from flippancy, to attraction, to startling mood swings, followed by folksy, spirited or nonchalant exchanges. Danilo Lo Monaco, Romina Contreras, Giovanni Rotolo and Aya Okumura were no less captivating at the second showing.
Krzysztof Pastor’s slightly later (2008) Moving Rooms, which opened the evening, is equally inclusive. Bert Dalhuysen’s lighting design plays a pivotal part in the aesthetics and overall appeal of the piece. Pastor’s choreography echoes immaculately the incisive, sharp-edged timbre of Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso no. 1 and Henryk Górecki’s Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra. One could argue that musically, those pieces are not necessarily an obvious choice for dance works. However, Pastor creates a geometry on stage that is hugely satisfying to watch. It is compelling and challenging for the dancers, again an abstract work infused with a sensibility to connection, mental and physical. Romina Contreras, Zvonař, Holeček and Márová gave riveting performances. Kristýna Němečková, Erivan Garioli, Rotolo and Louise Corpechot were equally deft on the second night with Paul Tudor Moldoveanu and Roger Duart superb as a dynamic duo.
Marco Goecke’s Fly Paper Bird (2021) closed this eclectic triple bill. Goecke is an acquired taste, and I acquired it pretty much immediately, the first time I saw his work some years ago. His choreography is exceedingly intense and the energy levels, the speed at which the dancers move, inspires incredulity. There are moments of stillness but the majority of the work is frenetic. This, set against a background of Mahler's Symphony no 5: second and fourth movements, may seem at odds with the music but somehow Goecke has created something that runs beautifully in parallel. His vocabulary is instantly recognisable: quirky, idiosyncratic, very torso focused, occasionally humorous and quite frankly, a good foil for anything else on the programme because it is so distinctive.
What made the whole thing gel was a feeling that what we were witnessing was not quite of this world. Thomas Mika's sets and costumes, with the bird of the title finally taking flight at the rear of the stage, enhanced the action. Goecke may not tick everybody's taste box, but he is undeniably original, unconventional and has an extraordinary ability to extract memorable performances from his cast. Among some of the best over the two nights were all the previously mentioned dancers alongside Matěj Šust, Paul Irmatov, Alice Petit, John Powers and Anna Novotná.
Czech National Ballet is in fine fettle, delivering world class performances across the board. Surely it's time for UK audiences to have the pleasure of soaking up the talents of this seriously good company.
Deborah's press trip was funded by the National Theatre Prague
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