The Richard Alston Dance Company was launched in 1994, and
has grown to be Britain's largest independent dance company. In 35 years
of dance-making Richard Alston has created a refreshingly unique and innovative
style, combining the old and the new, the fantastical and the real. Alston's
work has the quality of moving his audiences through clouds of graceful
expressiveness and intense moments of energy that charges among the dancers
on the stage.
The evening at Playhouse begins with Stampede, Alston's latest creation,
performed by a company of 12 and set to the exotic, Moorish-influenced
sounds of mediaeval Italian music. The Trotto is a relatively fast leaping
dance and the male members of the company, dressed in elfish pale blue,
spring effortlessly with deliberate yet playful, weightless leaps. The
Istampitta (or Estampida as it is known in Spain) was a formal dance for
couples that probably originated from a kind of stamping dance. The footsteps
follow a rhythmic beat, respecting the connection between dance and music.
The music is simple, with a folky feel to it, and it flows through the
dancing bodies with ease. The performers dance as if celebrating in a
social ceremony, occasionally coming forth to spin their own solo stories.
The male solos in particular create a powerful effect, with smooth yet
strong, controlled movements. What mars Stampede though is the predictability
of steps that don't necessarily complement the simplicity of the music.
Moreover, the dancers' preoccupation with the bending, stretching and
collapsing movements at times seems to overtake the harmony of rhythm
and music that Alston so highly prizes.
The second act, Slow Airs Almost All of Them, gives the dancers the freedom
of the full stage space to perform a series of graceful, innovative duets.
The inspiration for this piece is Mozart's arrangements of several Bach
fugues for string trio. It unfolds accompanied by beautiful, quiet Mozartian
introductions played live by three musicians on stage: violin, viola and
cello. What is created is conceptually laudable, with movements so meditative,
flowing and confident in their unhurried character that they seem to flow
out of the bounds of the performance. The sequence remains earthy, and
the bodies stretch as if Matisse figures brought to life. Unfortunately
however, this piece also exposes some of Alston's limitations. Strangely,
the reasons that make this piece praiseworthy also undermine its creative
potential. The movements are sometimes so leisurely, so smooth, that they
come dangerously close to being a bit limp and at times letting the audience's
attention drift away.
The final act of the evening, Alston's Rumours and Visions (1993), seems
arguably one of his best. Set to Britten's song cycle Les Illuminations,
Martin Lawrance and Jonathan Goddard perform as the poets Rimbaud and
Verlaine, while Alston's expressive choral sections carve out a sculptural
exuberance in the auditorium space. The costumes are designed in stylish,
simple comfort, and stand out beautifully in contrast to a dark stage
thus further bringing out the dramatic effect of the dancing. As the movements
play out, rhythm dances with the music, never apart and never overpowering
it. The possibilities of the movements embracing on the stage leave one
excited in anticipation and truly elated as they begin to take shape.
All in all, the company has put forward a great show that vibrates with
a passionate and an insightful stance on bodies, music and movement.
Gayatri Singh, 25.03.03
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