The Next Wave 2005-recapping the luxurious Fall season at BAM!
Once again BAM excelled in programming for its 2005 Next Wave Festival which included a rich travelogue of dance entertainment. Highlighted were imports from China, Brazil, Italy, and Israel in programs that posted sold-out houses and electric excitement. BAM continually amazes in its ability to gather attractions from all over the world and bring them (many for the first time) to the attention of New York dancegoers.
The 2005 Festival opened with an adaptation of the award-winning film "Raise the Red Lantern," choreographed by Wang Xinpeng and Wang Yuanyuan and danced by the National Ballet of China, a debut engagement that lasted for only four performances. It was a visually stunning crossover from the Oscar-nominated film to the complex vocabulary that is classical ballet, and it was RED...framing in a brilliant scarlet the alarming action that ensued. The poignant story of a young woman promised in marriage to a man she does not love while her heart is betrothed to a young opera star was clearly enacted. The star-crossed lovers (where would ballet scenarios be without these unfortunate twosomes) were on a treadmill to doom and death, but before the tragic finale a lot of spectacular dancing filled the stage. The vocabulary of pure classic choreography was a bit tepid, but the spectacular visuals more than made up for it. It was a feast for the eyes and a view into the superb technical training these young dancers receive. The females are fragile and delicate, the males strong and technically correct. There was a rape scene that aesthetically outdid any other in choreographic memory taking place beneath yards of silky RED fabric that covered the stage. Nothing was seen, yet everything was indicated. It was one of those scarce "do not miss moments" in dance.
"Grupo Corpo," making a return visit to BAM from Brazil, was a brilliant interplay between sensuous dancing and meticulous partnering. "Lecuona & Onquoto" was so visually gratifying, so breathtaking in its originality, that to miss this group is to miss dance and choreography at its sexiest. The first act is a series of twelve duets, music by Ernesto Lecuona and rich choreography by Rodrigo Pederneiras, and was an exemplary lesson in how men should partner women. By simply supporting and showing off their ballerinas one would think the men might slip into a secondary role. Not so! The gentle yet secure hands that guide the women into risk-taking virtuosity became the magical security to the flawless execution of the choreography. Each woman was flexible beyond muscular reasoning with feet that figuratively turned inside out in the colored sandals dyed to match the fine-fitting dresses by Freusa Zechmeister. With a combination of saucy arrogance and seductive hip swinging, a flip of the head, a drop to the floor, the women seduced their partners then enfolded them with razor-sharp leg extensions and long entwining arms. The eye contact said "Don't try anything" the body said, "do what you will, just be there to catch me." Although the second half, "Onqoto," (music by Caetano Veloso and Jose Miguel Wisnik) was said to have deep linguistic and cultural roots, the audience needn't bother with storyline, rather just enjoy the performances -- all truly spectacular!
From Italy, the Compagnia Aterballetto, under the direction of Mauro Bigonzetti, took on the well-known Stravinsky music and plot lines for "Les Noces" and "Petrushka," giving these two warhorses a cutting edge post modern look and some hearty athletic choreography to marvel at. All the dancers were skilled at ballet, acrobatic, and modern, and with wiry strong bodies and fiery expressions brought a whole new take on these memorable attractions of the Diaghilev era.
In contrast, enter Israel's Batsheva Company performing in Ohad Naharin's stark and mysterious "Mamootot." Designed for a small theater in the round it was exquisitely performed in the new Mark Morris Dance Center across from BAM. Naharin wanted to literally engage the audience. The dancers, under the stark studio lights, sat silently in the audience waiting for cues. At one point they would get up, march around the perimeter of the stage, then stop abruptly, approach a viewer with a confrontational stare as if to accuse or perhaps forgive. They would extend a hand with an expectation that it would be touched, and the audience, quietly in its place, complied. The dancers compelled the strangers to become part of this concentration. Naharin, now Israel's most popular choreographer, is also a favorite in America. Every ticket to "Mamootot" was sold out well before the November opening.
The Spring Season began on Jan. 21, 2006 presenting its across the street Neighbor, The Mark Morris Dance Group, in two programs of Morris' choreography at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House and was to close with annual performances by DanceAfrica. In May, the debut of the Forsythe Company, newly formed by William Forsythe, the former director of Frankfurt Ballet is bound to stir up excitement with his new piece "Kammer/Kammer. In between the schedule of dance programs are a list of impressive dramatic events keeping BAM at the top of the list of New York's best bets in the theater.