A kiss that lacks passion: Ballett am Rhein presents A Kiss to the World

In the latest premiere for Ballett am Rhein, Dominique Dumais seeks to address how humans long for contact and closeness, and explore the various meanings behind a kiss. It all sounds wonderful and full of promise, so much opportunity for romantic pas de deux and beautifully drawn love stories. Except they don’t appear. There are no main characters here, just a conveyor belt of solos, duets and trios, the cumulative effect of which is not a lot. 

Unfortunately A Kiss to the World is a dense, largely impenetrable two hour ballet that doesn’t address the theme of the evening directly and doesn't have a satisfying conclusion. It’s a shame, the Ballett am Rhein ranks are filled with beautiful dancers, powerful and great technicians and they deserve a more fully formed work.

Rather than kisses, Act I focuses more on how humans build walls between each other, a world of sanitised socialising and obligations, who don’t know how to show emotions. This bleak theme is imagined via a rigid, minimalist set (Tatyana van Walsum) of greys and white, with plain window frames and no discernible view beyond. The company wears grey suits, some in a full length trousers, some in more culotte type shorts, perhaps meant to infer these behaviours are rooted in our school days.

There are spoken word sections, in both English and German, they talk about the science behind a kiss, what happens to the body, the curvature of the lips. It’s all getting quite bizarre. The best part is the inclusion of Mozart’s pacy Symphonie Nr 25 which adds a little urgency to the piece, our characters becoming more frantic.

The corps operate as one unit, or as large sub groups, but there is no interaction between individuals, who all dance the angular choreography and repeat motifs in synchronised segments. They form a line at the front of the stage, contorting their faces into various bizarre expressions, they are desperate to be loved, a woman screams, and the cycle begins again.

There are brief solos and those who behave differently from the group are shunned. They strip down to their underwear (unflattering baggy vests and big pants – why?), finally a little vulnerable with each other. The stage clears, small sheets of billowing white fabric are lowered down and the music switches to the more contemporary. The interactions soften as some share an emotional connection and we are eased into the first two pas deux.

Futaba Ishizaki and Daniele Bonelli are two beautiful, athletic dancers, Ishizaki can stretch into any pose required whilst maintaining perfect line and pointed feet. The pair form a silky smooth partnership together. Edvin Somai and Doris Becker are similarly successful and if anything have more natural chemistry together, both expressive facially as well as through the body, Becker has such a deep plié and flows magically from one movement to another. The gentle piano of a Patrick Watson track lends itself to the intimacy of the moment, as the curtain falls to the crash of waves on the shore.

The inclusion of the harsh, grey world is necessary to appreciate the beauty of the duets but there is too much filler to get there, indeed the result is frustrating and unbalanced. We start Act Two in a contrasting environment of autumnal oranges and reds, including loose fitting crimson dresses for all the dancers both male and female, and a stage filled with leaves. The “walls” have been broken down.

This new environment allows the dancers a new freedom of emboldened movement and new relationships emerge, duos and trios. The highlight of which is a dance shared between Bonelli and Miquel Martinez Pedro, who share a giddy exchange and a clear attraction until it builds to a kiss that doesn’t end until they leave the stage, lips joined. It should be euphoric, but gets lost in the busy ensemble sections.

The score continues to switch from classical to contemporary which is useful amongst Dumais' often repetitive choreography, and especially in this second act, there are too many moments to disengage. A Kiss to the World is a promising concept which could be so seductive and passionate, but it needs a stronger narrative and fixed characters to connect with for more than a fleeting moment to truly succeed.