A little background about the company itself:
Angelin Preljocaj founded his company in 1984 and has created 46 choreographed works. The artistic director of the company also creates original works for other repertory companies and has had his pieces restaged throughout the world. The company now has 26 dancers from all over the world with a plethora of different backgrounds and professional experiences, providing their outreach and education efforts with a well-rounded teaching staff for lectures, public rehearsals, workshops and other events. Angelin has studied with the likes of Karin Waehner, Merce Cunningham and Viola Farber, allowing him a powerful set of tools from the contemporary dance toolkit and a lifetime of connections and knowledge. dance toolkit and a lifetime of connections and knowledge. A winner of several awards, Snow White was no exception, winning the Globe de Cristal in 2009.
In an interview from March 2008, Preljocaj was asked "Why Snow White?" His answer: "I was very keen to tell a story. Just before Snow White, I created some very abstract pieces with Empty moves and Eldorado (Sonntags Abschied) and, as often happens, I wanted to do something completely different, white something very concrete and offer something magical and enchanted. No doubt it was to avoid getting into a rut. And also because, like everyone else, I love stories."
And with that, he certainly did tell the story in the most enchanting way imaginable. Contemporary dance has become a huge success for dance fanatics in recent years. Especially with the public thrust of contemporary dancers and choreographers on television shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance" and the increasing number of contemporary dance companies popping up everywhere. But what makes Preljocaj's company stand-out is his adventurous use of space and the fundamentals of a functioning ballet company. This company has a very solid corps de ballet that can very easily move as one body, seemingly perfect synchronization. The recognizable functions of a ballet company make the pieces enjoyable for older, more classical audiences, while the solo numbers and contemporary technique sell the performance to younger audiences. This concept in combination with beautiful costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier, music by Gustav Mahler, innovative set design from Thierry Leproust and expertly crafted sound design are truly what made this piece a success.
Lately, I have been paying a lot of attention to the sound design of the productions I have seen. Snow White used Mahler’s symphonies because they are very romantic in style. Seeing that Snow White is actually a character from the canon of Grimm Fairytales, the romanticism in the two entities was a risk worth taking, especially when Mahler’s symphonies were paired with other industrial sound effects. This really added a dimension to the performance that allowed the audience to feel better connected with the characters and the things that were going on with the set during changes and blackouts. There is nothing I hate more than a long, silent blackout and this definitely aids in avoiding that. There are actually plenty of things I hate more, but that is definitely top ten.
Now onto the amazing performance I have been raging about! Although the company was not as perfectly synchronized at the Mariinsky Ballet’s corps, the company as a whole does work as a single body and really does a good job of keeping up with the timing throughout the intricate movements during the entire piece. The 26 dancers are brought together with very rhythmic, percussive movements at very specific times to maintain accuracy, spacing and timing which, from my seat in the box (Thanks Ryan :-) ), were truly impressive and encompassing. There was a number in the beginning of the piece where the entire ensemble and a couple remaining unknown principles are seen where this finally sucked the audience in to the story. The beginning did seem to drag a little bit, although finely interpreted by Nuriya Nagimova as Snow White’s mother who carried the daunting task of dancing through the fatal birth of her child. Virginie Caussin did a fabulous job portraying Snow White and did a fantastic job at telling the audience her story. One of Preljocaj’s goals for this piece was to tell her real story, rather than the myth of Snow White, and her ability to really be an actress while dancing made this come through crystal clear. She had all the technique of a trained ballerina, but the passion and the discipline to play the character. There were two specific times where Caussin really shined towards the end of the piece. The Queen had just forced her to eat the poison apple and she had to do all of her dancing with an apple in her mouth. Through being dragged across the ground on her hands and knees, to being spun around at the forceful hand of the disguised Queen, she still managed to act with a great amount of despair while dancing with excellent technique. The other moment is after the Prince discovered her dead in her glass coffin. This piece was beautiful in that it really showed the marriage of athleticism and art that dance is known for. Seeing as Snow White was dead, Caussin had to give the illusion that she was dead while still dancing and helping her partner carry out his lifts and choreography. She did an excellent job of keeping her body limp while maintaining the strength in her limbs and core to make the choreography work for the story. Meanwhile, Sergio Diaz who danced the Prince exhibited an excellent blend of strength and flexibility while being sensitive enough to support Snow White’s dead body. He could lift her as though she was weightless and still managed to let the audience feel the depth of his loss. On a completely different level of fierceness, Patrizia Telleschi as the Queen was a force to be reckoned with. In a field of dance where most of the dancers are barefoot, or at least in flat footwear, she was twirling and kicking with a pair of heels on and a long, flowing half skirt with just as much grace as the other dancers. Of the women in the company, she easily had the most athletically-inclined choreography and a much quicker pace to do it to, but did not even flinch at the challenge. She also exuded a strong sexiness that aided in showing the Queen’s vanity. Although her dances with the mirror were definitely very visually appealing and interesting, that award will have to go to another group of dancers in the company. The award goes to… The Seven Dwarves! They were introduced coming through holes in the upstage wall, at least 12-feet off the ground, but the audience was quickly surprised when they realized that a long part of the number would be danced from this plane. They were lowered and raised by harnesses in different patterns and performed all kinds of acrobatics while hanging from a rope probably no thicker than a jump rope. A person can just imagine the amount of time and trust were invested to choreograph this show-stopping number. It is a sight-to-be-seen!
Unfortunately, the production has already closed it’s run at The Kennedy Center, but at least the upcoming movies Snow White and the Hunstman and Mirror, Mirror could potentially quench your thirst! But just so you can see how FIERCE the Queen is… I found this video of Snow White’s death. Snow White is danced by Nagisa Shirai in this video.
In other show business news, I can officially report that I had to turn down the offer I received from Compass Rose Studio Theatre. I really wish I could have taken the role, but it was just a case of bad timing. I hope to make it to one of the performances this summer, though! The show runs from April 27 to June 3 with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and Saturday and Sunday matinees!
Also, A Change Gon' Come will be remounted at this year's DC Black Theatre Festival this summer. My commitment to this round is tentative at this time, but I will certainly keep everyone posted. I also learned from browsing the festival's website that the show was nominated for 3 awards including Best Costume Design, Best Overall Play for Young Audiences and Audience Choice!
On the photography front, you should also be on the lookout for some deals for headshots and portrait sessions this summer! I have some great ideas brewing!
Ciao!
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