THE HANGOVER REPORT – BALLET VLAANDEREN debuts at the Joyce with a savvily-programmed bill

Ballet Vlaanderen performs at the Joyce Theater. Photo by .

Ballet Vlaanderen performs at the Joyce Theater.

This week, the Joyce Theater for the first time plays host to Ballet Vlaanderen, which began its residency at the Chelsea dance venue last night. It’s an important time for the Belgian dance company – also known as the Royal Ballet of Flanders – which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. For its Joyce debut, the troupe performs a program comprised of three works from some of today’s marquee contemporary choreographers.

Overall, last night’s performance was a solid outing for Ballet Vlaanderen, although I would argue that it was an evening of somewhat diminishing returns. The program commenced strongly with a rousing rendition of renowned British Indian choreographer Akram Khan’s Kaash, an alluring and seamless hybrid between Kathak dance and western modern dance (another notable British Indian artist, Anish Kapoor, was responsible the scenic design). The second item on the bill was artistic director Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun, a voluptuously earthy pas de deux which uses Nijinsky’s historic solo dance as its inspiration (both are set to Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune). I was least impressed by the concluding Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue by prolific Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, which suggests a narrative but frustratingly remains a vague outline, at least as performed last night.

As for the dancers, there’s no denying the technical proficiency of the relatively young troupe. However, at least at this point in time, they strike me as still developing — and hence, at times, indistinct — artists. Particularly, the Pite piece could have made more of a visceral impact had the dancers exuded more personality. Luckily, in Faun, Philipe Lens and Nicola Wills were magnetic, seductively creating a striking series of organically morphing tableaus. The dance troupe was in its element in Kaash, which highlighted the excellent ensemble work of the company. As if to compensate for the youth of his dancers, Mr. Cherkaoui has savvily programmed the evening around star choreographers.

RECOMMENDED

 

BALLET VLAANDEREN
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (with two intermissions)
Through March 7

 

 

Categories: Dance

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