Skip to main content
Category

Jo Tomalin

Jo Tomalin
Dance & Theatre

Apr 08 2024
Love0

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
Love0

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 Comoros – 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
Love0

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

Jan 03 2024
Love0

Jiri Kylian Evening: Ballet de l’Opera Paris

By Jo Tomalin

The Ballet de l’Opera, Paris, presents a new production with work by renowned choreographer Jiří Kylián at the Palais Garnier, 8-31 December, 2023. The production, Jiri Kylián Evening, comprises three sections of four pieces performed by this company at the Opera national de Paris. 

Kylián, from Prague, started his career in the Czech capital as a dancer and later became an acclaimed award-winning choreographer after moving to Europe. Kylián’s works have been performed worldwide and are known for their musicality, imagery and dry wit.

In the first piece, Gods and Dogs, with Kylián’s choreography, set design, costume design with Joke Visser, and music design, the choreography ranges from angular to lyrical motifs, beautifully danced. Deep echos and sounds of the music by Dirk P. Haubrich and Ludwig van Beethoven fill the large, storied Palais Garnier auditorium. There’s an edgy air of what’s going to happen, and suddenly a strange monster appears up high. The choreography is often low gravity muscular movement in ever changing combinations, including trios and solos with surprises in the movement from changes of direction and jumps. There is a dramatic moment when a curtain comes down centre stage, which seems to be metallic and shimmery – due to the beautiful lighting by Kees Tjebbes, which is a highlight of this intriguing piece. The wide curtain is very effective as it changes levels and sways, giving a lot of visual movement behind the dancers. Costumes are modern with long wide pants for the male dancers and short sleeve tops and shorts for the female dancers. 

The second piece, Stepping Stones, choreographed by Kylián is very dramatic looking with black costumes, black backdrop, and a huge black triangle above the stage, which moves up and down and tilts. The other side of the triangle is an intricate wooden structure beautifully lit and adds to the atmosphere, with set and lighting design by Michael Simon. Costume design by Joke Visser is interesting, the male dancers in black shorts with narrow additions of red and green and female dancers’ black leotards include stylish front sections and straps with narrow, purple and teal stripes. Kylián’s choreography shows a traditional balletic foundation with modern extensions interspersed with quirky moments that complement the music choices of John Cage and Anton Webern very well. Several themes are expressed in this piece including mythology and ritual. A small group of dancers balance trays on their feet and move adeptly in unison in one part of the imaginative mise en scène across the stage, replete with a group of three large foreboding gold cats upstage. A section with a trio of three women is utterly glorious! The entire piece is on the music, quirky, and fascinating.   

The third and final part of the evening comprises two notable contrasting pieces, Petite Mort and Secus Tänze, both choreographed by Kylián. Petite Mort is set to beautiful music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when the starting image is of six male dancers holding large swords, and then dancing with them! This piece is moving and visceral in both dance quality and choreography, with highlight sections of six athletic duets and an outstanding section with five female dancers. Romantic but not sentimental with costumes by Joke Visser and set and light design by Kylián, yet another exceptional duet later in the piece dazzles with sublime muscularity and extensions. Wow!

Secus Tänze is a wild and delicious visual storytelling of a time gone by filled with wit, joy and vibrant choreography set to glorious music by Mozart, with set and costume design by Kylián and lighting design by Joop Caboort. The bizarre and charming sections are supported by the large hair and powdered make up design with pink cheeks together with white calf length dresses and ethereal expressive costumes. Choreography includes unusual lifts, twirls, skirt flourishes and fast movement. What really shows through in this piece is the quality of this large company of Etoiles, Premieres Danseuses, Premieres Danseurs and the Corps de Ballet of the Opera national de Paris. They relate to each other so well with facial reactions and their physicality in this piece that it adds another dimension to the performance. Don’t miss this program or the glorious end moments of the evening! Highly Recommended!!!

More Information:

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

Dec 15 2023
Love0

Emerging Afro Pinoy Choreographer “Ting” talks about Dance and Choreography

By Jo Tomalin

Agpalo “Ting” A.J. Alvarez-Maquinta talks about his background as a multidisciplinary artist, his choreography and storytelling to Jo Tomalin in San Francisco.

image of Ting Alvarez

Photo by Aigerim Sharipova

 

image of Ting dancing

Ting Alvarez: Photo courtesy of Ting Alvarez

Kinatao, Section 3: Photo by Chani Bockwinkel

Listen to our Interview with Ting here (17 minutes):

More information about Ting and the MPWRD Artists collective: MPWRDcollective.org

Interview originally published in the UK based online journal: The Fringe Review

Dec 11 2023
Love0

Emerging Afro Pinoy Choreographer “Ting” talks about Dance and Choreography

By Jo Tomalin

Agpalo “Ting” A.J. Alvarez-Maquinta talks about his background as a multidisciplinary artist, his choreography and storytelling to Jo Tomalin in San Francisco.

image of Ting Alvarez

Photo by Aigerim Sharipova

 

image of Ting dancing

Ting Alvarez: Photo courtesy of Ting Alvarez

Kinatao, Section 3: Photo by Chani Bockwinkel

Listen to our Interview with Ting here (17 minutes):

More information about Ting and the MPWRD Artists collective: MPWRDcollective.org

Interview originally published in the UK based online journal: The Fringe Review

Sep 24 2023
Love0

Manual by Coriolis Teatro de objetos (object theatre) from Uruguay

By Jo Tomalin

Coriolis Teatro de objetos (object theatre) from Uruguay is invited to present Manual at this year’s Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes at Charleville-Mézières, France.
With direction by Maru Fernández y Gerardo Martínez Dramaturgy and Interpretation by Cecilia Bruzzone, Maru Fernández and Gerardo Martínez the show is a joyous celebration of the hands, whether when working manually or creatively.

Three performers walk down the stairs and onto the stage. They take off their jackets, as if getting ready for work. They are all wearing black now and the set changes, lights out, and then action!

Vibrant music plays and the only things visible for the rest of the show are the six hands of the performers. They suddenly move in synch making formations and patterns in the air lit with precision so the moving hands are all that we see. After several rhythmic sequences of astounding creativity and execution, the hands explore what else they can do. For example, they form a head with a grimace that falls apart, sideways, up and down and each time a piece falls off another hand is there to pick it up to fix the face. This moves very fast and is very amusing.

Well the hands really go to town when they use a small prop or two! They discover shoes and some of the hands wear them and end up doing a tango together. By now we notice that the hands have personalities in the short scenes, which are relatable and very funny because of the magic they have of appearing and disappearing in the air! A very creative split second of a group of young children running excitedly is portrayed at one point, in between scenes, hilarious!

Sometimes the scenes are poignant and one scene in a dance hall is very entertaining and adds a change of pace. This show is a feast for the imagination where hands and hand theatre are used imaginatively in every possible way, and more.

A plastic sheet is intriguing in its effect and buckets arrive with their accoutrements for cleaning. The hands get busy cleaning and using their tools – and modest dish cloths take focus as they dance together to zippy music that adds something special to their usual unexciting but functional use. During the show a few words are spoken by the hand characters that is more like a gibberish so it’s easy to interpret in any language. Mostly accompanied to music throughout the show the music selections are dynamic and change according to the mood of the scene or formations.

Hands also become puppets with cloths on the fingers folded in a certain way can easily become little faces with scarves on their heads. This scene was the funniest and was so well received by the audience. An invitation to join in with a hand clapping moment by the audience to a special song is inevitable and pitch perfect.

There is such rapport built between the six hands and the audience from their expertise in the first minutes and this develops into total empathy for what the three performers are creating in front of us. This is such an entertaining fifty five minute show and it could be presented in any country very successfully because it is the hands and the carefully crafted scenes that are the stars here. No words are necessary and Coriolis Teatro shows us how in a most unique entertaining and creative production. Highly Recommended!

Coriolis Teatro: https://www.coriolisteatro.com/
Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes: https://festival-marionnette.com/en/
Charleville-Mézières, France

Sep 23 2023
Love0

Merveilles from Compagnie Un château en Espagne presented at Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes

By Jo Tomalin

Written and directed by Céline Schnepf and performed by Natalia Wolkowinski, Compagnie Un château en Espagne presents Merveilles at this year’s Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes at Charleville-Mézières, France.

The very attractive compact round set of this piece is immediately impactful. Leaves cover the small space and tiny trees surround the edges. A tall lamp is to one side and our storyteller appears. She starts to talk to us in a low tone that is well articulated, has enough volume and is spare in text. For this story is about the natural wonders of nature and its animals and geared towards the young. 

The seating area is organized in a semi circle with swathes of comfy dark brown fabric to sit on at the front for the very youngest with several benches for the adults. The storyteller relates to the entire audience with empathy immediately, she is very compelling to watch and to listen to as she tells us about the wolf, it’s relatives and other animals from temperate climates. At each first mention of an animal, she takes out a figurine of that animal and shows us carefully then places is somewhere in the circle.

Sometimes there is no speaking needed and she does some interesting movement to the beautiful eclectic score which runs from classical to contemporary and beyond.

One thing that is immediately apparent is that this story and the show appeals to the adults in the audience just as much to the very young. About one third of the audience at the show I attended were families but the vast majority were adults without children. I looked around at one point and saw that the adults were rapt in the storyteller’s spell.

This show is artistic as well as beguilingly educational and transports the audience far away. It is wonderful way to spend half an hour and even more so if it introduces the very young to imaginative and meaningful stories and theatre.

The storyteller sang a little song, did several short movement pieces and interacted gently with the audience, all from her small stage. Wolkowinski is completely invested in the storytelling and creating special moments for the audience – all deftly and so creatively led by Schnepf.

The result is an utterly charming piece of theatrical storytelling that appeals to all ages!

Sep 23 2023
Love0

Schattenwerfer-L’ombre des choses at Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes

By Jo Tomalin

The shadows appear out of the darkness and they show a detailed fantasy village. Charming music gently envelopes us from the silence and the scene is set! Two figures appear in person and they begin to play with simple items on the table, they have a cup of tea and suddenly a tiny figure walks out of one of their cups! Between them, the two puppeteers make it walk very effectively and it helps to solve their problems with quick ideas, which seems like magic. The little figure has a mind of its own and wants to explore the world!

Sarah Chaudon, Clara Palau Y Herero and Tobias Tönjes of TANGRAM Kollektiv based in Germany, have created an original show incorporating shadow puppetry presented at the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes 2023, Charleville-Mézières, France.

In the imaginative interactions between the two puppeteers, Sarah Chaudon and Clara Palau Y Herero, they mirror each other and they copy their own images so there appear to be double the pair of them on the stage. Their shadows and that of a small table with tea cups are projected on a large three-section screen. The combination of their clever trickery with lights, shadows and their nimble physicality shows them in different places both in front or behind a screen which changes the perspective and is never predictable – and the element of surprise is powerful!

A very amusing piece is when tea cups on a shelf start falling and tumbling by themselves. This brought the young children in the audience to roars of laughter, even from the very young – as well as us adults. The cups defy gravity in their playfulness and we are transported to a gently place of make believe. We know it can’t happen really but the magic of the shadows allows it, which is wonderful!

The inventive way TANGRAM Kollektiv play and move from one segment to another is very free and yet linked somewhat at the same time. Their shadow play moves from one place to another whimsically experimenting with tiny then larger lights growing and getting smaller, that hold everyone’s attention before move on to their next idea. In this show, shadows create a world where it is the shadows themselves that interact with the puppeteers. If you are looking for a family show that will appeal to the very young and hold their attention throughout, then this is the show to see!

Aug 30 2023
Love0

Dimanche at Edinburgh International Festival 2023

By Jo Tomalin

Climate change is around us and two award-winning companies from Belgium have chosen to show and tell us their take with their inimitable wit, on this topic. The two companies are Focus Company and Chaliwaté Company and they create performances based the theatre genres of puppetry, video, mime and clowning. The former, Focus Company works with miniature objects and puppetry and Chaliwaté Company focuses on the body and gestures.They present their show Dimanche as part of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.

Therefore, their artistic expression and sense of humour will reflect all of these art forms in some way while dealing with an important topic. Climate change is no laughing matter but these companies are optimistic that humans will turn it around. A creative way to bring attention to some of the current effects of climate change is through the power of theatre and enacting situations – in their own idiosyncratic way!

Written, Directed & Performed by Julie Tenret, Sicaire Durieux and Sandrine Heyraud, Dimanche is the French word for Sunday, a family day, when friends get together and have more time to reflect on what’s happening around them. Through a series of creative scenes, some linked throughout these three performers play several characters, manipulate props and objects, including an outstanding sequence of puppetry with a large fish!

Not wanting to give away spoilers, because much of the impact of this show comes from the element of surprise and exaggerated literal and imaginative visual expression, here are some hints! A brilliant global warming scene shows what happens when a family needs relief from the heat and things get way out of hand reflects on a sadly realistic situation and then turns into full on humour. 

Projecting video above the actors is an effective way to change location and add dimension to the terrain. Then back to the mysterious lighting of the stage we are suddenly transported under water accompanied by a huge fish puppet with very realistic movement and panache from the puppeteers.

Dimanche is a show that builds and continues to entertain and surprise through the never ending imagination and quirky creativity of this collaboration of these two companies. Highly Recommended!

More Information: