Monday 24 January 2011

Classic ballet meets street dance at Oxford Playhouse

It was supposed to be a typical Saturday night out in London - spending at least 30 quid on booze and clubs.

Instead, I decided to go to Oxford and watch a dance performance. The experience cost me less than that including the train tickets. Money well spent.

No need for a translator
I have always been a big fan of dance. Thanks to nonverbal communication it tells stories without words, giving your imagination a room to put the right words for you.

Danish Dance Theatre was created 30 years ago.With choreographer Tim Rushton they are making their first tour of the UK.

There were three pieces in his program. The quality of the production was amazing - from the light that was measured with a high degree of precision, to the light movements of the well built dancers, to the carefully selected music.



The biggest impact

Kridt was the best work of the show. It was the most touching piece based on Peteris Vasks' Musica Adventus (which you can find in the album Viatore). It tells the story of a dying man whose life is remembered by his friends. The shapes of his moving body are jot down on the wall and he's dancing until his final breath when sand comes out of the sky to bury him. It's striking and makes you think about life.

The other two pieces had their appeal as well. CaDance shows five of the male dancers competing with sharp, aggressive movements under the influence of live drums playing on the background. In Enigma, which started the performance dancers struggle to understand each other. Beautiful duets and the music of Mathias Friis-Nansen that inspire a additional sense of mystery.

I enjoyed Danish Dance Theatre on Saturday and was not the only one. At the end there were three curtain falls at the Oxford Playhouse.