A few years ago I was flicking channels late night when I came across a programme called 'Summer Dance'. I know v little about this art form and am no fan of classical ballet but the piece I saw on the programme really spoke to me: a small group of women sit in chairs in what looked like an abandoned institutional space. Accompanied by a a minimal, percussive, metronomic score, the dancers make repeated sudden movements that are simultaneously erotic and neurotic. Punctuating the whole performance are extravagent tosses of the head - almost headbanging - that must make the piece intensely draining to perform.
I missed the start of the programme and the credits didn't say what the piece was. The TV listings in the paper gave no details. This was pe-internet ubiquity so I was unable to find out more. I mentioned what I'd seen to a few friends for whom it rang no bells. Infuriatingly the all-female comedy sketch show 'Smack The Pony' appeared to parody the piece a while back but gave no hint as to what the source material was.
Now finally I've been able to identify the piece thanks to a review in the Guardian that seemed to describe exactly what I had seen. It turns out that the piece is called 'Rosas Danst Rosas' by a Belgian choreographer called Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. It's apparently very well-known in the dance world and has recently revived (hence the Guardian review) with De Keersmaeker herself taking part.
Here's a youtube video of all or some of it (it doesn't make clear which) which is well worth watching, enjoy:
I missed the start of the programme and the credits didn't say what the piece was. The TV listings in the paper gave no details. This was pe-internet ubiquity so I was unable to find out more. I mentioned what I'd seen to a few friends for whom it rang no bells. Infuriatingly the all-female comedy sketch show 'Smack The Pony' appeared to parody the piece a while back but gave no hint as to what the source material was.
Now finally I've been able to identify the piece thanks to a review in the Guardian that seemed to describe exactly what I had seen. It turns out that the piece is called 'Rosas Danst Rosas' by a Belgian choreographer called Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. It's apparently very well-known in the dance world and has recently revived (hence the Guardian review) with De Keersmaeker herself taking part.
Here's a youtube video of all or some of it (it doesn't make clear which) which is well worth watching, enjoy:
Keith..that was fantastic. Thanks for sharing it. The focus on order & variation in common movements reminded me a lot of one of my favorite short films, Rybczynski's Tango
http://vodpod.com/watch/1100733-tango-zbig-rybczynski-1980
Posted by: Jack | September 17, 2009 at 11:09 AM