Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At The Joyce, Cie Hervé KOUBI dazzles with its uncommon combination of unabashed athleticism and sophisticated artistry

• By drediman
• February 19, 2020
• No Comments

Cie Hervé KOUBI’s “Les nuits barbares ou les premiers matins du monde” at The Joyce Theater. Photo by Pierangela Flisi.

Last night at The Joyce Theater, Cie Hervé KOUBI’s evening-length Les nuits barbares ou les premiers matins du monde (“The Barbarian Nights, or the First Dawns of the World”) initiated its weeklong New York run. It was my first exposure to the celebrated all-male French dance troupe, and let it be known that I was dazzled by the company’s uncommon combination of unabashed athleticism and sophisticated artistry.

In summary, I was deeply impressed by the work’s poetically-realized premise and its inspired re-appropriation of familiar modes of dance. French-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi brilliantly brings both European and North African/Middle Eastern aesthetics together to depict the rich history of the Mediterranean basin. Appropriately, Mr. Koubi’s awe-inspiring choreography embraces styles across modern dance, hip hop (oh my, those head pirouettes!), acrobatic circus arts, and martial arts to create a brand of dance that’s distinctly his own. In stunning fashion, the work suggests the history of the region, from its tribal, mythic beginnings right up to the turbulent, border-ruled present.

The fifteen-strong company of male dancers is simply extraordinary. Each possesses the physical capabilities of some of the most gifted athletes I’ve seen. Additionally, they moved effortlessly to music as disparate as the nearly shapeless, primordial Prelude to Richard Wagner’s Das Rhinegold to driving, sultry Middle Eastern beats. Their instinctive dancing, breathtaking confidence, and physical bravura give Mr. Koubi’s choreography a heightened majesty. Indeed, the way they move gives the impression of being able to control time and space through the sheer force of their dance. The scantily-clad dancers aren’t too hard to look at, either, and some of the painfully beautiful tableaus they create wouldn’t be amiss in Renaissance-era paintings, particularly as artfully lit by lighting designer Lionel Buzonie.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

LES NUITS BARBARES OU LES PREMIERS MARINS DU MONDE
Dance
Cie Hervé KOUBI / The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 23