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Jo Tomalin

Jo Tomalin
Dance & Theatre

May 09 2025
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Provocative Emotive show – N.Ormes with Agathe and Adrien

By Jo Tomalin No Comments


Photo: SFIAF

N.Ormes with Agathe and Adrien is presented in San Francisco May 8 and 10 at the 2025 San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF). Canada’s duo Agathe Bisserier and Adrien Malette-Chénier created and perform N.Ormes, which is an intriguing expression and investigation into gender norms.  They blend their physical expertise integrating circus acrobatic balance skills seamlessly into elements of dance, theatre, and performance art.

While we may imagine traditional hand /balance skills punctuated by a broad flourish after each daring balance of the female partner on the shoulders of the male partner, Agathe and Adrien turn this idea upside down completely! Their visual and physical storytelling has no words and relies only on the physical aspect of strength plus subtle looks or gestures to each other or the audience that speak volumes. Their approach to their creation and performance is to apply the physical skills learned from their professional training at the Circus School of Quebec to develop their unique form of storytelling.

Agathe and Adrien perform variation upon variation of balances with hands, head and limbs and movement around the space as they build their imaginative story, which develops based on a relationship. They have joyous moments as well as disagreements – the addition of theatricality is relatable and draws the audience in effectively. What follows is no less than a continuous flow of action with cleverly coordinated jumps, rolls, runs, balances on head and limbs accompanied by fascinating music by Simon Leoza.

The athletic strength of Agathe and Adrien is immense and the basis of this story. While the pairing of both Agathe and Adrien during the physical moves is traditional at first, Agathe sees that she is as strong as Adrien and the only difference is their height. The acrobatic dance in this piece is original and visceral, it follows a relationship and also makes a statement. Agathe is determined and soon she finds the fairness and equity she sought. Her response is outstanding!

Costumes by Sophie El-Assad are white, straw and black, and look like everyday clothes, which is a smart choice and sets the tone for the physical storytelling that develops organically and becomes significant in the latter half of the show.

Lighting by Claire Seyller adds atmosphere and pin like focus on the movement, expert balances, creative lifts and interesting shapes Agathe and Adrien form on and around each other. The build of the show is dynamic as it develops brilliantly although the last ten minutes might benefit from streamlining.

This is a must see show if you are interested in movement and acrobatics with theatrical and unexpected action in creative unique exploration of gender norms – Provocative and emotive!

More Information:

Date(s) & Time(s): Thu May 8, 8:30pm; Sat May 10, 8:00pm
Duration: 60 minutes 
Venue: Dance Mission Theater
Location: 3316 24th St, SF, CA 94110,

Ticket Information

Early Bird: $20, Advance: $25, Door: $28
For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.
TICKETS FESTIVAL PASS

Agathe & Adrien Website:
https://www.agathe-adrien.com/

SFIAF
https://www.sfiaf.org/

May 09 2025
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MEMBER is Poignant Riveting and Vital Theatre – at SFIAF

By Jo Tomalin No Comments

Memory

Fairly Lucid Productions from Australia and the UK present MEMBER, a U.S. Premiere one person play written and performed by Ben Noble, directed by David Wood, with music composed and performed by Stephen Choi running at the 2025 San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) May 8-11, 2025.

MEMBER is a creatively complex and searingly moving tale of a father and son, embroiled in homophobia and the brutality of a gang targeting gay men. In Sydney, Australia hate crimes against gay men were rife during the 1970s through to the 1990s and Noble’s seventy minute play delves into such deep hatred and prejudice, with his own courageous crafting, a will to push boundaries and his expert storytelling.

Sitting in a chair onstage Noble gently starts the story. He is an imposing presence, wearing a red and black shirt and jeans, he retells what’s happening and what led up to his son’s daunting situation. The setting is ominous, a hospital waiting room, that is created so effectively and minimally by a blue curtain centre stage, with heartbeat pulsating sound effects and live music played onstage by musician Stephen Choi in blue scrubs.

Noble, as the personable father recounts memories of his relationship with his son. We meet several characters and hear about their jobs or quirks as the stories are woven in MEMBER seamlessly by Noble. Thirteen characters take focus and appear, sometimes once only but some come back again through the story. Noble’s character, the father is a supervisor who takes his job seriously, exemplified when he apprehends Ernie with salty language. There’s Butterworth who likes cookies and Bob who talks to Ernie about going gay clubbing…

Noble is adept at switching characters with his voice, posture, facial expressions and gestures integrating humor and equal amounts of drama and pathos.

In a tender scene at his son’s birth – Noble’s performance is poignant and riveting going from banal to emotive in twenty seconds! Throughout the play there are several lump in the throat moments as well as brashness and anger – a notable contrast is Noble’s scenes as the father with his wife Cheryl. These scenes and dialogue draw on her husband’s gentle demeanor and a warm relationship, which adds depth to this story in between the homophobic brutality and the young son’s salubrious invitation to ride in a car up the hill with a stranger.

Light changes create new shape to the stage, together with location and mood effectively and the live music adds texture to the setting, although the first riffs would benefit from a lower volume.

MEMBER is supported by an impressive group of creative artists including both Ben Noble, a queer disabled actor, writer, creative producer and teacher & Sarah Ranken who run independent theatre company Fairly Lucid Productions in Melbourne, Australia; David Wood, director, facilitator and theatre-maker; Ro Bright, a kiwi writer based in Australia; Meg Courtney, Script Assessor; Björn Deigner a German writer, director and composer for theatre; Dan Giovannoni, playwright; Elise Esther Hearst, a Melbourne-based playwright and author; and playwright Finegan Kruckeymeyer.

Highly Recommended!

More information and Tickets:

MEMBER

Date(s) & Time(s): Thu May 8 – Fri May 9, 7:00pm, Sat May 10, 6:30pm, Sun May 11, 2:30pm
Duration: 70 minutes (No Intermission)
Venue: The Marsh Studio
Venue: 1062 Valencia St, SF, CA 94110

The SFIAF runs from April 30 to May 11, 2025 and presents 50 companies and 100 concerts and shows in this year’s festival, including theatre, music, spoken word, dance and much more!

May 02 2025
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Granica / The Border – Intriguing + Powerful Theatre from Poland at SFIAF

By Jo Tomalin

We are greeted by Monica inside the theatre, she holds a tray of sparkly stemmed glasses and offers us one. Is this a party? A celebration? Her silken red slip of a cocktail dress evokes an air of elegance and quiet expectation.

Now a film of a soldier in army gear speaks to us in Ukrainian (with english super titles translating the dialogue) as it is projected on the huge back wall of the stage. This is Antonina Romanova.

Monica is now active around the space. She is occupied and we are not sure what she is doing – but she is on a mission.

This is the intriguing start to Granica / The Border, a 2024 U.S. Premiere from Poland’s Wachowicz / Fret Studio produced by the annual San Francisco International Arts Festival 2025.

The Border is a true story about Antonina Romanova, a transgendered Ukrainian performance artist. From the dialogue of Antonina on film we discover that Antonina uses the pronoun She. Sadly she had to flee to Kyiv because she was not welcomed by people in the other places she lived, but was drafted into the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fight the invading Russian army in 2023.

The Border is performed by Monika Wachowicz who has worked with the Grotowski Institute since 2021 and is directed by Jaroslav Fret, the founder and leader of Teatr ZAR, a theatre director as well as the Director of the Grotowski Institute, the renowned art institution in Wroclaw, Poland. Although an actress and playwright, Antonina Romanova chose the army as a way of life in these war torn times.

Antonina tells us about life at the front where the inhabitants have vanished – but a curiously vivid moment describing all the dogs left behind is so compelling and draws us in immediately. The brief anecdotes of these dogs seeking warmth and humanity and Antonina’s personal story of underplayed bravery and great humility takes us to a place of empathy among the challenges and inner turmoil of war.

There is more to come when Antonina’s filmed narration finishes. Monica becomes another character as she shows moments of Antonina’s life so far, expressed through gestures, symbolistic physical actions, minimal words and with well chosen objects. This allegorical piece is poignantly impactful as we are guided through an experience of expressionistic reality, quiet brutality and fragile beauty. Unexpected, meaningful and original theatre theatre based on Antonina’s story from an idea by Monika Wachowicz. Recommended!

More information and Tickets:

Granica / The Border

Date(s) & Time(s): Thu May 1; 7:00pm, Sat May 3, 6:30pm 
Duration: 60 mins w/out intermission
Venue: Theatre of Yugen’s NOH Space,
Location: 2840 Mariposa St, SF, CA 94110

The SFIAF runs from April 30 to May 11, 2025 and presents 50 companies and 100 concerts and shows in this year’s festival, including theatre, music, spoken word, dance and much more!

Apr 30 2025
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San Francisco International Arts Festival runs April 30 to May 11 2025!!!

By Jo Tomalin

Are you looking for something exciting to do in San Francisco this week or next? Then check this out!

The annual San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) opens today and runs from April 30 – May 11, 2025. In this 12 day time span SFIAF presents 50 companies performing 100 concerts and shows across several performance genres: Dance & Cirque, Music, Performance Art, Spoken Word, Theatre and Visual Arts – all scheduled in San Francisco venues, mainly in the Mission. This is a true arts festival which also includes several lectures, performance workshops and even a series of fascinating walking tours led by San Francisco based Precita Eyes Mural Tours, focusing on different areas of San Francisco’s Mission.

Local, national and international performers present their works in a mainly 60 to 70 minute show format, so it’s possible to see more than one show an evening and several shows on weekends! All concerts and performances offer a wide and deep range of original,creative, imaginative and inspirational performing arts entertainment to enjoy – and the prices of tickets range from free to about $28.

If you are a theatre or music fan there are several international productions at this year’s festival that are very powerful in their own way and all are making their US debuts. While their themes and stories vary, these different productions combine issues of politics / policy /, human / civil rights, current affairs, equity and identity, offering different perspectives from distinct parts of the world. Andrew Wood, Executive Director of the San Francisco International Arts Festival travels far and wide to find interesting and talented performing artists to create this festival every year – and it’s certainly an exciting, entertaining and meaningful event in San Francisco’s cultural calendar – not to be missed!

Agathe et Adrien, an international award-winning circus duo from Montreal, Canada, perform their compelling visual physical strength and balance act in N.Ormes that transforms their circus skills into art telling a unique story.

In the Name of the Son by Green Shoot Productions from Northern Ireland is a solo play starring Shaun Blaney that chronicles the extraordinary life of Gerry Conlon (of the Guildford Four) following his release from prison in 1989.

From Poland, Granica / The Border is presented by Wachowicz / Fret Studio and takes as its focus the true story of transgendered Ukrainian performance artist, Antonina Romanova – a member of the Polish theatre ensemble, Teatr ZAR.

From Australia and the UK, Fairly Lucid Productions, MEMBER is an award winning, gripping tale of brutality and brokenness, MEMBER explores Sydney’s gay hate crimes (1970s–1990s). Written and performed by Ben Noble, it follows Corey, a father confronting his own homophobia. Accompanied by Simone Seales on cello.

Musician Duane Forrest from Canada performs Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World through an acoustic journey celebrating Bob Marley’s life and the roots of reggae. This interactive show invites audiences to reflect on the life of Marley, sing along and connect through the power of music.

More information is available on the SFIAF website about all the shows, concerts, getting tickets and the calendar: https://www.sfiaf.org/

See you there!

Aug 22 2024
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Show Pony from Berlin at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024

By Jo Tomalin

Created by still hungry and Bryony Kimmings and presented by Chamaeleon Berlin, Show Pony is about three performers Lena Ries, Anke van Engelshoven and Romy Seibt. They reflect on how their careers in the circus industry are seemingly over based on aging out of acceptable norms for circus skills performers.

Circus skills have moved into theatrical shows and are not bound by being presented in the traditional sawdust ring. However, it sounds like there is a real issue with this topic of growing older in this profession and the three performers from still hungry are being creative and taking a proactive approach.

Ries, van Engelshoven and Seibt stand before us in track suits and dance wear and strut around to jubilant music, each with a powerful presence. They are very good at what they do walking in lines and formations with perfect posture in different colour feather headdresses, then showing their individual circus specialisations, such as contortion, climbing the straps – and twirling while doing the splits on aerial ropes.

The show is structured in interesting sections with episodic titles projected on a large upstage screen. A microphone on a stand is the starting point for each section, when one of the performers announces the rules – and they all take part showing and telling what these rules really mean, and the claustrophobic affect they have on circus performers – and ultimately on each of these three performers.

We are told that these performers are in their forties and this is the bewitching hour for their careers when younger performers are sought out to replace them. However, from the skills they each perform they are very impressive with their expertise and it is difficult to see why they might not be rehired. This is why still hungry have done something very inspiring by creating this show. They are making original theatre and applying their formidable skills with their acting and storytelling skills to produce a fascinating delve into feminism, growing older in a young person’s circus performer’s world and stridently not accepting these labels!

One by one they share their own stories, background and how and why they were drawn to the circus and learning the skills to be able to perform in circus troupes. Ries, van Engelshoven and Seibt are sincere storytellers, effective actors when speaking their monologues that range from emotive, sad to humorous. Each story is different and moving in its own way.

For them the circus is or was everything to them and they reached high levels of skills in well known circus companies. Things are progressing in the circus world and multi skilled performers are sought out nowadays more than specialists in one skill. Other information about working in a circus environment or the perception of the public to individual acts is revealing and its not all pretty.

Video clips share some of the more difficult moments and fears in their lives poignantly. One of the last sections showing their older selves is amusing and imaginative but could benefit from editing to be shorter and still effective. Music selections during the show are engaging and complement the moments perfectly with sound design and original music by Tom Parkinson.

A theatrical take on three circus performers and what their future holds. When they have worked hard all their lives to achieve their hopes and dreams, what’s next for them? Very well acted by all three performers who go deep – with impeccable timing and crafting.

Highly Recommended!

More information:

Company: still hungry and Bryony Kimmings presented by Chamaeleon Berlin
https://chamaeleonberlin.com/en/on-tour-show-pony/#creativeteam

Aug 19 2024
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L’Addition at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024

By Jo Tomalin

A table is set in the restaurant with an empty wine glass on a white linen table cloth. Upstage are two chairs, a service station with wine, and other accoutrements. The duo of Bert and Nasi introduce themselves and do an informative preamble. They both wear crisp white shirts and black trousers.

Their banter is witty and fun, from a seemingly self-deprecating waiter and a mild mannered customer, or is it a customer and a waiter? Their verbal repartee describing what is to happen is hilarious, they get a lot out of so little! One tells us what we’ll see, and shows us with a gesture. They each play the moments well, such as when they both point upstage right and they look at us before the small bit of information is given verbally. This is repeated with the arms pointing to the left! They also do a play-by-play of important points. We are told after a while – it’s not complicated! This is seriously naïve and is surely an adventure!

Bert and Nasi are both at times still and silent, when their eyes slide sideways towards the audience to show disagreement. Sometimes Nasi is more persistent, and Bert is more placating – but not for long – and when they both agree, they run with the idea or new direction, whatever happens,

The waiter, is pouring wine into an elegant glass while the customer sits and watches, and sophisticated background music gives an air of a first class restaurant. There is a an atmosphere of expectancy – yet is it all in our mind? Is this an illusion? Suddenly they are in distress, maybe they are perfectionists this waiter and this customer? The third time around and the scene builds, it’s the same scene and they go off piste! What follows is a scene with similar actions and dialogue but with variations each time. At one point they realise that they’re over reacting, so they tell us not to panic! This is absurdist theatre at its best and the simple scene has ballooned into something else!

They create more absurdity by their economic use of gestures and props – and the short dialogue and things become clear for a while. In fact amongst the absurdity there is so much clarity about what is happening! Now and again Bert and Nasi come out of the scene to address the audience directly before a transition.

Directed by Forced Entertainment’s artistic director Tim Etchells and created with performance duo Bert and Nasi, L’Addition is set around a simple scenario that has been explored in every way to produce this unique and absurdist take on a scene in a restaurant that opens up opportunities for different emotions, meanings and some may say deeper exploration of clashes of humanity or world events.

Bert and Nasi are comedic when they look at the audience to share heightened reactions and sometimes very subtle reactions, verbal or nonverbal. They use all the space really well as they play and you can tell that they have played a lot when developing this show. They are not afraid to go to extremes in every situation in every moment, which may be why this piece is so well-crafted and builds so well. It’s a tour de force performance from Bert and Nasi.

They are modern day clowns, sophisticated absurdists in this devised show that is superbly performed. The story is based on simplicity of concept that is pulled apart with and served up with detail. Whether blaming each other, they dig deeper and find new levels of the story and their rapport. This takes nerve and is very well appreciated by the audience. Just when you think you have figured it out, they find motivation and another dimension, which generates new ideas for the scenes and extensions of thought.

Imaginative and creative. The banter is delicious. The inspired performance is all about the way they speak, react physically and play. They are multidimensional characters steeped in a totally original scenario, sublimely silly with integrity, and they know where they are leading us! With all the absurdity and the quirky charm of this duo, the seventy minutes seems a tad bit long and some very loud reactions from Nasi might benefit from some nuance in volume.

This is an intriguing exploration of two characters who work together and cajole each other in L’Addition, exceptionally well performed by Bert and Nasi.

More Information:

Bert and Nasi
https://bertandnasi.com/

Courtesy of www.FringeReview.co.uk
https://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2024/laddition-here-now-showcase/

May 05 2024
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Ronnie Burkett’s Wonderful Joe at Stanford Live!

By Jo Tomalin

Renowned award-winning puppeteer Ronnie Burkett presents his Theatre of Marionettes from Canada to perform his latest show, Wonderful Joe, commissioned and produced by Stanford Live, May 1-4 2024 in the Bing Studio.

Created and performed by Burkett who is also credited for marionette and costume design, this show is one of many original tour de force productions that Burkett tours internationally – with several productions presented at Stanford Live in recent years.

Burkett is an extraordinary artist, writer, performer and storyteller who elevates this art form to exquisitely moving heights that are memorable visually and emotionally.

Joe Pickle lives on Eileen Avenue and used to run the local barber shop, therefore he knows everyone. However, Joe has just received ominous news that will affect the lives of the residents of Eileen Avenue.

In Wonderful Joe, the story is prescient and relatable – Eileen Avenue is to be torn down and replaced with condos. This area has seen better days but is home to the poor and marginalized who have all been given notice to move on – and out of their friendly and supportive community. We meet about twenty colorful characters, the residents of Eileen Avenue, played mainly by marionettes, puppets with strings, and several hand/glove puppets.

Joe and his dog, Mister, buzz around the neighborhood talking to everyone about the news. While he is resolute to moving he sees this as a bit of an adventure.

Linnda in a pink tracksuit (who jaunts not jogs) speaks her mind about the eviction notices with Joe until his dear friend, the butcher talks to Joe in a poignant scene.

Then there is Terry, who speaks very quickly and curtly – and Minnie! Minnie is larger than life, she wears a yellow flower hat, lavender jacket and a green and brown skirt with fuchsia sandals. Minnie’s voice is loud, and no wonder, because she runs the Trash Alley Players variety show on Eileen Avenue.

Burkett performs all the characters, switching voices and puppets with phenominal speed and finesse.

In a very moving scene with Sketch (an original Punk, he says), Hershey and Baby, each tell personal narrative stories in their beautifully written monologs.

Hershey slinks across the stage in pink platform shoes and pink glasses, performing a poignant and edgy number with brilliant writing.

Baby, who wears a beautiful dress of an upcycled dry cleaning bag is part of the fringes of society, but when she needs help, the residents are there for her.

Everyone is making plans and we even meet JC and a vibrant tooth fairy. Fascinating conversations among two, three and sometimes four characters are deftly brought to life by Burkett with subtle movements of each marionette and changes in voice dynamics.

Disenfranchised Mother Nature sings wearing a long feather boa, she has a well worn body, that is precious and finely sculpted. She has wisdom, a moody physicality and attitude in her beautiful movement as she sings her song – one of the highlights of this show! Music composition and lyrics by John Alcorn.

A child sits on a bench in school uniform who also feels disenfranchised, but not for the same reasons as others. Sgetti has a home and comfortable life. Joe talks to Sgetti in one of the most moving theatrical scenes in this story, when he gives advice and recounts challenges he had growing up. This scene is stunning in its message, emotional depth and razor sharp writing. Burkett has created a beautiful story with outstanding craft and astute observations of humanity. Don’t miss it – it’s outstanding theatre!

More Information:

Stanford Live

Apr 08 2024
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Book of Mountains and Seas by Huang Ruo and Basil Twist at Stanford Live!

By Jo Tomalin

Stanford Live presents Book of Mountains and Seas, a work of vocal theatre created by Huang Ruo, composer and librettist, and Basil Twist, director and designer. Performed in the Bing Concert Hall April 6 and 7 2024. Ruo, formerly Composer in Residence at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam collaborates with Twist, a third-generation puppeteer to bring to life four ancient Chinese creation myths. Transcribed in the 4th Century BC this performance is told through twelve singers, six puppeteers and two percussionists. The impressive Ars Nova Copenhagen perform the vocals while puppeteers deftly move surrounding and across the stage with object puppetry such as flags, lanterns, rocks – and finally, a magical surprise!

The four myths tell the story of The Legend of Pangu and the creation of our planet – how the mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, suns and mankind were created – and each story is different visually and dynamically. The lyrics are based on original Chinese texts from oral and written history with summarised English supertitles projected on the circuar black background of the stage. An impressive array of percussion instruments is placed on both sides of the stage whose mesmeric sounds melt in and out of the stories.

Singers in long black robes gently move to different places on the stage for each part of the story, with only their faces lit reflecting from their open song books. It’s dramatic and curious. Twist is well known for exquisite puppetry and here objects that evoke wizened driftwood are carefully placed and transform into different landscapes with ease. There are many highlights to note in this production, such as a spirit bird that flies around, brought to life by several puppeteers; The Legend of Ten Suns is particularly memorable with a beautiful choreography of lanterns that emotively change colors; the delicate songs and quality of the vocalists is ever present, and the contemporary percussion music is at once haunting and reverberatingly beautiful. Inspired lighting design plays an important part of the storytelling in this piece with tight focus pin lights on the evolving landscape center stage and later, shadows bouncing off the high ceiling of Bing Hall adding atmosphere and scale.

Ruo and Twist have created an outstanding and unique piece of theatre with music. Experiencing this seventy five minute performance is surreal and stunning allowing us time to breathe and be transported. A vital quality that is so effective is the time Ruo and Twist take to develop this new world with respectful restraint minute to minute. The stories unfold seamlessly – and without realizing it we are breathing with the visceral imagery and sound taking us to mystical places that we do not want to end. If you have the opportunity to see this show, do so – it’s Highly Recommended!

More Information about Stanford Live
https://live.stanford.edu/

o, composer and librettist | Basil Twist, director and designe

Jan 15 2024
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Chiromani at Ballet de l’Opera Paris

By Jo Tomalin

The Opera National de Paris in France offers an international program for Jeune Public -Young Audiences – featuring performances of professional dance, music, operas, ballet and musicals. Open to all, the program is geared towards young people and their families, teenagers and young adults who are offered a plethora of choices from these art forms throughout the season, and some companies offer workshops and talks from the artists. What a wonderful opportunity to discover world class performances and to develop a taste for the arts!

January 12 -15, 2024, this program presents Chiromani at the Amphithéâtre Olivier Messiaen, Opera Bastille, Paris. Chiromani, choreographed by Salim Mzé Hamadi Moissi and performed by Moissi and six dancers is named after the traditional fabric worn by women from the Comores, an Archipelago located between the African coast and Madagascar.

The dance traditions of this region range from 16th-century African Bantu and Muslim cultures to 19th century French colonization to the present day. Moissi has created a hybrid of the physical expressions of life in Comores by blending tradition with modernity – including hip hop!

Moissi and his cast – several with dance awards from the Comores – are dynamic, athletic and graceful at the same time. The program states that there are traditional dances in the Comores for men and others for women but in this performance the women will be honored and dances will combine and feature both male and female dancers.

The abstract visual storytelling of the choreography, together with the inspired moody lighting design by Patrick Clitus result in a vibrant and visceral performance set to a melange of recorded music and sounds. The music ranges in styles and speeds with fast electric urban rhythms to slow processionals that curve around the stage in the ensembles, duets and solos. A highlight is a solo to pensive piano music, which is particularly moving. Beautiful imagery is created by the sincerity and creative physicality in the space – and later on in the costume change from street clothes to solid color gowns replete with several multicolored sections in each one.

The cast: Mohamed Abode, Saila Ali Ahmed, Takia Ali Ahmed Abdallah, Origine Mohamed, Salim Mzé Hamadi Moissi, Kamal Mzembaba, Nael Omar.

At the performance I attended on 12th January, the amphitheatre was almost full and the performance was very well received by the audience. The energy and emotive performances of the dancers is outstanding and the choreography is from the inner soul with pure movement that is original and compelling. This company creates and shares a wonderful sense of community with us in the one hour performance – Highly Recommended!

More Information:

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/programme/season-23-24/shows-young-audiences

 

Jan 08 2024
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Bejart Ballet Lausanne at Ballet de l’Opera Paris

By Jo Tomalin

The Paris Opera presents guest company Béjart Ballet Lausanne at the Palais Garnier January 4 to 7, 2024. Béjart Ballet Lausanne is a world class company that continues to present works by Maurice Béjart.

This program features recorded music throughout, and comprises four pieces choreographed by Béjart and begins with Tous les hommes presque toujours s’imaginent, a work choreographed by Gil Roman, the company’s artistic director. Set to melodic and sombre music with energised sections by John Zorn, the large company of dancers play angels and tribe members. Costumes of earth tones with fascinating textured long skirts with sashes unify the ballet with the intriguing set of a low circular wall suggesting an amphitheatre. A larger wall center stage creatively becomes a video screen that adds another dimension to the relationships and visual storytelling.

The choreography blends small and larger groups moving across the stage, sometimes with Egyptian motifs. A trio of playful angels is delightful, lovely partnering in another section is elegant and another highlight is a duo that is so moving, fluid and emotive. There is also a contemporary wit in a section of delicious sinewy movement.

The following four pieces are choreographed by Béjart. Bhakti III is fourteen minutes long, is set to traditional indian music and features crisp solos and duos led by Shakti danced by Mari Ohashi and Shiva danced by Alessandro Cavallowith wonderful extensions. The mise en scene is supported by six dancers representing men in prayer on the floor thenstanding, chanting with yogic motifs and finger bell chimes.

The next piece, Duo is 9 minutes of pure joy, set to music by Munir Bashir that begins with flute sounds and perfectly complements the lithe long lines and fluid dance quality of Valerija Frank and Julien Favreau. The choreography includes the pair mirroring each other at times, acrobatic inspired movement – and a beautiful feeling of yearning as the music becomes melodic and haunting.

Dibouk is a glorious seven minute piece – and a main highlight of the program. Set to traditional jewish music, Kathleen Thielhelm and Dorian Browne change directions rapidly and have a visceral push-pull relationship that works so well to drive the visual storytelling. Lighting is creatively used in this piece almost as another character when we begin with a huge shadow on the wall that is ominous, then the lighting becomes warmer. The flow of this piece is wonderful – short and sweet!

Finally, the company performs 7 Danses Grecques, set to music by Mikis Theodorakis, with ensemble dances and two series of outstanding Pas de Deux featuring Kwinten Guilliams, Konosuke Takeoka; Oana Cojocaru, Masayoshi Onuki, Floriane Bigeon, Denovane Victoire. Dramatic moments include when the entire company moves together towards the audience! Big jumps and leaps, a rich blue backdrop, lovely ensemble work and smaller groups dance with precision and grace. Jaunty moments in the choreography are fun and add to the high level of technique and quality of dance in this company.

This is a superlative company performing a wide variety of dance pieces. Highly Recommended!

More Information:

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet