Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – SCOTTISH BALLET conveys the extremes of the human experience in its double bill at the Joyce

• By drediman
• March 13, 2020
• No Comments

Scottish Ballet performs Angelin Preljocaj’s “MC 14/22 (Ceci est mon corps)” at the Joyce Theatre. Photo by Andy Ross.

Earlier this week, I caught the opening performance of Scottish Ballet’s residency at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea. It was my first exposure to the Glasgow-based company, who performed an intriguing, contrasting double bill entitled “This Is My Body…”, which collectively conveys the extremes of the human experience. As of this writing – amid New York City’s increasing shutdown (including the immediate suspension of all Broadway shows until April 13) due to COVID-19 precautions – performances at the Joyce are continued to proceed as planned, at least for now.

The evening commenced with Sophie Laplane’s Sibilo (featuring an original electronic score by Alex Manzies), a playful, diverting work that showcased the company’s natural proficiency and ease across various dance genres. It’s an elegant yet unflashy style that was refreshing to see; kudos to artistic director Christopher Hampson for nurturing such a grounded, disciplined aesthetic in his dancers. Even if Ms. Laplane’s work isn’t anything that I haven’t seen before – the choreography and performances particularly shined in the solos and pas de deux, if not as compellingly in the ensemble sections – I was nonetheless charmed by its sunny, whimsical disposition and uplifting depiction of community and the human spirit. Within the context of the double bill, Sibilo was a pleasing if slight palette cleanser for the program’s unsettling main draw.

That would be the U.S. premiere of MC 14/22 (Ceci est mon corps), Angelin Preljoçaj’s relentlessly bleak ode to human brutality and counteracting resiliency (set to a pungent electronic soundscape). Performed by 12 impressively committed male dancers, the work strikes me as a hybrid between dance and experimental theater, in which the French choreographer has created a series of striking, grotesque tableaus that call to mind a combination of Goya, various religious imagery (like references to the Last Supper and Christ’s Passion), and even an apocalyptic future. The work possesses Mr. Preljoçaj’s choreographic trademarks – blunt musicality, obsessive repetition, raw athleticism. The piece also requires its dancers to tap into their acting skills – convincing simulated violence, pained facial expressions – which they do admirably. This isn’t “pretty” dancing by any means. But consistent with my past experiences with the choreographer (e.g., his evening-length Snow White for his own dance company, Spectral Evidence for New York City Ballet), Mr. Preljoçaj once again proves a unique poet of dance and theater, even if his uncompromising, oppressive visions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

RECOMMENDED

SCOTTISH BALLET
Dance
The Joyce Theater
2 hours (with one intermission)
Through March 15