Sonate Bach, In front of others pain.

 

2007 production

 

Theater CANGO- Cantieri Goldonetta, Firenze

 

Coreography, regia, scene: Virgilio Sieni

with Jari Boldrini, Nicola Cisternino, Giulia Mureddu, Sara Sguotti

music J.S. Bach Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Cembalo obbligato

lights  Virgilio Sieni

 

 

 

 

 

	Sonata No.1 G-dur BWV 1027
1	JENIN, 3 aprile 2002	Adagio
2	SARAJEVO, 5 febbraio 1994	Allegro ma non tanto
3	KABUL, 5 marzo 2007	Andante
4	TEL AVIV, 1 giugno 2001	Allegro moderato
		Sonata No.2 D-dur BWV 1028
5	SREBRENICA, 11 luglio 1995	Adagio
6	ISTANBUL, 15 novembre 2003	Allegro
7	GAZA, 6 luglio 2006	Andante
8	BESLAN, 1>3 settembre 2004	Allegro
I cani di Sarajevo (video, 1994) di Adriano Sofri     Sonata No.3 g-moll BWV 1029 9 BAGHDAD, 20 Marzo 2003 Vivace 10 BENTALHA, 23 settembre 1997 Adagio 11 RWANDA>KIGALI, 7 aprile 1994 Allegro       Sonate Bach, created by the Italian dancer and choreographer Virgilio Sieni, is a piece consisting of 11 choreographies, which remind us of some tragic historical events happened during recent conflicts all around the world: Sarajevo, Kigali in Rwanda, Srebrenica, Tel Aviv, Jenin, Baghdad, Istanbul, Beslan, Gaza, Andijan, Kabul. 11 emblematic and significant dates, gathered around the 11 pieces which compose the three Sonate of J.S.Bach.   It was 2007; I was so excited because I had just started my first classes of contemporary dance in my amateur dance school and, finally, I had the opportunity to go to my hometown theater with my dear young and passionate teacher, to understand for the first time and see with my own eyes what contemporary dance means. When the piece started, me and my dance mates immediately thought “what is that? This is not dance!”; for us was simply inconceivable  that such awkward movements in such awkward bodies that were not the exact prototypes of dancer's bodies, could be conceived as 'Dance': we couldn't find any aesthetic in that. I kept on watching these 4 dancers in their solos, duets, trios, quartets... I couldn't look away from them because there was something in their movements, a kind of endless flow in that unusual dance,  which was capturing me and intrigued me to the point that I finally found a way, a reason to be touched by the stories that their bodies were telling. I recently had the opportunity to watch it again on TV,and I took the chance, years later, to better understand a piece that intrigued me, but that I was to young to digest. I initially struggled with the fact that I couldn't really find the connection between the deep theme of the piece and the dance itself. In some of the combinations, the dancers were holding their hands creating a circle, while dancing something that appeared more like a 'Ballata'; other interactions between the dancers, seemed to aim for picturing a static image, that could be a photograph of that specific event, or even a famous painting, and than evolving it into that polite and fluid movement.. I couldn't get the reason why the quality of that movement stuck in that politeness and detachment without showing the tragedy and the pain in relation to such tragic events. It was during the projection of a video about the dogs in Sarajevo, displaced and abandoned in huge amount during the war in 1992-1995, that I got the choreographer's choice: he decided to deal with such a complex and deep theme, thinking that the theme itself, the wonderful music of Bach and the images represented by the dancers, were already enough for themselves to comment the injustice and the atrocity of all these deaths. The gesture instead...He chose to keep the pureness, the ethic and political value of the gesture, bringing it to an ideal beauty able to cleanse the human body from the complexity, the defection and the corruption of being human. Looking back, I realized that Sonate Bach was fundamental for my growth and my approach to contemporary dance. I would recommend  this piece to everybody, because it is a tribute to the memory of human pain, without any racial or social distinction, giving the same level of importance and compassion to all of the tragedies that mark our history, not as Europeans, not as Americans, not as Africans, not as West, not as East, but as Human Beings.

AKRAM KHAN | ISRAEL GALVÁN – TOROBAKA

25th of September 2014
Auditorium Conciliazione (Italy)
(1hr 10mins, no intermission)

Energy, combination, amazing, complicity, echo, sounds, lights,repetitive and dull. This is Torobaka .

In this performance we saw the collaboration between two greats artists, Akram Khan and Israel Galvan.

The title of their “challenge”, Torobaka,  evoke the bull and the cow, sacred animals of the two dancers’ traditions, such as their two completely different dance styles, kathak and flamenco, to create something totally new and with impact.The idea was to create something new but related to their origin.They make a duo,but most of the time it may perceive as a duel,a challenge,a comparison between the two. There might be similarities between their dance forms ,but their personal styles are really different. Galván is all appearance, energetic and  speed. Khan, by contrast, keeps his power and his posture,he’s smooth, clear and serious.

The two performers dance inside a magic circle,created by the illusion of the light, in which they are allowed to do whatever they want. The lighting is  absolutely“artistic” ,creates an atmosphere that makes you remember the arena. There are live musicians, Manjumath and Bobote and two singers.Despite the idea of live music is exciting ,become repetitive and boring for the insistent and predominant sound.

At first it seemed to be a really ingenious work, for the atmospherethey created,for the idea of live music and for the virtuosity that may have these two great artists, but after a while it became a bit disappointing, because flat and stagnant. The performance doesn’t has a development maintains the same level of energy and quality of movement.

The show itself — despite the power of Galván’s and Khan’s— now seems mannered and predictable, and not what one thinks of a characteristic of either flamenco or kathak. Perhaps there could be a bit more of madness by the two,in the sense of daring more, try different things to get a result that would go to grow, also because both are exceptional.

There isn't an authentic contact with the public, but this could be a choice made from them, but this leads to the growth in the viewer that feeling of discomfort.

Is definitely to see, are magnificent artists with great and many ideas. The way perhaps to approach this performance is to think that maybe this is a first draft to be defined and that could be better . You shouldn't have expectations, but the curiosity to see a show that includes two great artists, and two traditions that hard to see together .

 

 

World Premiere: 2 June 2014, MC2: Grenoble, France Tour dates of the piece : http://www.akramkhancompany.net/whats-on/?numPosts=8&pageNumber=1&production_id=713&category=&action=event_loop_handler

CREDITS:
Created and Performed by
Akram Khan & Israel Galván
Music arranged and performed by
David Azurza, Bobote, Christine Leboutte, B C Manjunath, Bernhard Schimpelsberger
Lighting Designer Michael Hulls
Costume Designer Kimie Nakano
Sound Designer Pedro León
Lighting Stéphane Déjours

If you are interesting in which way they created the piece there is a web documentary ,that explores the collaboration between the two artists. It also tracks their journey in making the work in London, Barcelona and Grenoble. Showing rehearsals, excerpts of the performance and backstage moments.
http://www.torobaka.com/#page_1