Cornered (Creation)
Choreography - Nicolo Fonte
Music - Philip Glass, Ross Edawrds en Gavin Bryars
Altea Nuñez | Photogr.: Johan Persson
A Sweet Spell of Oblivion (Creation)
Choreography - David Dawson
Music - Johann Sebastian Bach
Piano - Irene Russo
Irene Russo, Alain Honorez | Photogr.: Johan Persson
Simulations (Creation)
Choreography - Jacopo Godani
Music - 48nord (Siegfried Rössert & Ulrich Müller)
Eva Dewaele, Geneviève Van Quaquebeke, Rob Fordeyn |
Photogr.: Johan Persson
Wim Vanlessen on working with Fonte...
Already in 2002 principal dancers Alain Honorez and Wim Vanlessen performed in a choreography by Nicolo Fonte. “The ballet we danced at that time prefigured the road we were to take now”, knows Alain. “I remember that at that time we often worked with the same guest choreographers, who mainly tried to please the audience. Fonte was one of the first choreographers that wanted the company to bear the stamp of his personality. In that sense a mixed programme with work by Godani, Dawson and Fonte will be an evening filled with the joy of ballet, a ballet that will also challenge both the dancers and the public. These choreographers have in common that they create ballets that are anchored in the classical art of dancing. The most important difference in this respect is that they insist on smooth movements. All of these choreographers have upgraded the traditional language of ballet, i.e. it has become more difficult to master, yet we still recognize it as the classical language of ballet. But usually the classical choreographers want staccato movements. Fonte wants positions that fade into each other. I remember I found these smooth movements very hard. The muscles of the legs and abdomen and the hips experience a strain that is different from what dancers are used to. It was quite hard to adapt to this style of dancing. After all, a dancer is not a machine. Every evening our body feels different. But the most difficult is the mental aspect. A dancer wants to control his or her actions throughout the performance. That is impossible if you have to dance the way Fonte wants you to.” Wim amplifies: “At a certain moment, it is as if you are hanging between two positions and you are not quite sure wether your next movement will be exactly what the choreographer wants you to do. That uncertainty is mentally very exhausting. I often had the feeling I first had to perform all movements in my had before actually dancing them on stage. Sometimes I even felt exhausted before I stepped onto the stage. A very confusing experience, that was. But Fonte demands that you dare to take the risk to fail. When Nicolo thinks you are dancing routinely, he is quick to comment,” Wim jokes.
...and working with Dawson...
No less exacting and meticulous are the choreographers Godani and Dawson. “ David Dawson's"Grey Area" (which we danced last season) was psychologically certainly as demanding. There is a certain spirituality in the choreography which is hard to put into words—and even harder into dance. Yet Dawson wants the dancers to convey this spiritual aspect. The music made matters even more complex. For the dancer and choreographer inspiring music is essential. Often a ballet is structured as if it were a film that accompanies a soundtrack. High notes inspire more exuberant movements. In "The Grey Area" we danced to a sort of equable score without particular climaxes or highlights. It is quite challenging to produce an exiting dance with that sort of music—which is exactly what Dawson did. Apart from that, you can't help noticing Dawson received a classical training, but has danced with Forsythe. I am personally delighted by classically trained dancers who master the contemporary idiom.”
Geneviève Van Quaquebeke on working with Godani...
Jacopo Godani's CV is particularly impressive. From 1991 to 2000 he danced as a soloist with the Ballett Frankfurt. Since then he has produced ballets for many companies including Nederlands Dans Theater, the Royal Danish Ballet and La Scala in Milan. But Godani has also strong ties with Belgium. In 1990 he set up a dance company in Brussels and started to work as a choreographer. “ Furthermore, he went to study with Béjart, who at that time still worked in Brussels,” Geneviève Van Quaquebeke (left) tells us. She worked for some time with Godani in Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.
For his new choreography with the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Godani already cast his dancers in January 2006. “ He has a very hectic schedule, and that is why the casting had to be done in January. It was a pity there was very little time to talk,” says Geneviève. She is still impressed by Godani's flair, energy and ambition. “ A lot of choreographers first create a pas de deux, continue with a pas de trois and finish their choreography with a finale that involves more dancers. Not so in this instance. Godani is one of those choreographers who dares to work with forty dancers at once. That takes some nerve. Working with a large group is more demanding than working with a few dancers. Godani also makes you feel as if you are working on an individual basis with him. Anyway, he has certainly pointed out aspects in my personal dance idiom of which up till now I had been unaware. He has really helped me in my career,” reflects Geneviève on her cooperation with Godani. She looks forward to the new choreography.
“ Making a mixed bill is quite an adventure. You only have three or four weeks to study a dance that may last half an hour. Mentally and physically that is very exacting. A choreographer must be quite sure of himself to create a successful guest choreography. What is fascinating about Godani, is that he seems to have some sort of image of the dance in the back of his mind—even before we start to rehearse he knows what the result should be like. Furthermore, he is not just busy with the dance: he is involved in the lighting and the costumes as well. He controls every aspect of the performance,” observes Geneviève. She looks forward to working with Godani, but also longs to see the choreographies of his fellow-choreographers Fonte and Dawson. “ Fonte, Dawson and Godani are extremely energetic people. The entire company will have to work very intensely for this mixed bill. Godani breathes energy and his choreographies fill the public with it. He creates very dynamic, very complex dance performances that require everything from the dancers.”
Wim Vanlessen has good feelings about this programme: “ Godani, Dawson and Fonte are three choreographers who have lived the same experiences, who have evolved in the same manner, and that can be felt in their work. It is quite challenging to work with them. For the Royal Ballet of Flanders it'll be a great step forward. Working with these choreographers of international repute, we'll receive the recognition we deserve.”.Premiere: 14 April 2007 in Theater’t Eilandje |Antwerp | Tickets
All photos: © Johan Persson