Koeglerjournal 05 de MAY de 2005
Koeglerjournal
Autostadt, Germany
05/MAY/2005
By Koeglerjournal
A DANCING FLIGHT TO FUNK FROM MATO GROSSO
In a region where dance lacks strong popular appeal, it was amazing to see the massive participation of the public, who enthusiastically attended the four guest companies’ presentations. It is likewise surprising to see Volkswagen’s commitment in sponsoring the festival, considering their inexpressive financial results of late - cause for many a fear that corners would be cut this year, and the festival less expressive. Thanks to the hard work of director Berno Kauffman and staff, who merit praise for this year’s varied program, there was many a fine attraction.
The Festival began with a blast, with the performance of the French Company Montalvo-hervieue, and will close in four weeks with Spoerlis Z?echern, Lin Hwai-Mins ?Smoke? presenting the renowned choreography from Taiwan. Over this 4-week interval, the town of Wolfsburg will enjoy the Brazilian group Deborah Colker, the Aterballetto, the Tero Saarinen Company, the Shen Wei Dance Arts and Dave St-Pierre from Canada, seven groups of international fame from many different continents. Which other city in the region offers all this, such a concentration of dancing talent!
I’m now headed to my second appointment at Wolfsburg, to meet the Brazilians with Deborah Colker. She is not entirely unknown to us; she’s already worked with the Berlin Ballet, which by the way I did not know. A special production staged for Wolfsburg, ?Knot?, was a stunning success. And it confirmed everything we may expect from a Brazilian dance company of international fame - as if in Rio, it were Carnival all year long: quality dancers, 16 in all, among them the choreographer herself, a galvanizing temperament, formidable technique (specially the men), transmitting pure joy-of-living, and why not, sizzling with sensuality - and all that in a dance show, perhaps not as sophisticated as others, but throbbing with rough-and-ready naturalism.
Two subtly separated acts, interlinked short scenes enacted with unimaginable speed, solos, duets, whole cast, lots of polyphonic simultaneous groups - all highlighted by the striking art design by Gringo Cardia and a soundtrack with songs from everywhere (naturally many from South America, but Ravel too) with musical arrangements by Berna Ceppas. The first act is dominated by a sheaf of ropes hanging from above the stage, finely lighted by Jorginho de Carvalho, later loosened to represent a jungle. The second act brings a red box with transparent glass walls.
The first act unfolds an instigating game with bodies entwining and unrolling in rope and elastic red tape, as if they were knots - in a bizarre, inexhaustible fantasy. Daring alpinism, balancing and plunging, dominate the second act. It’s also staged at great speed, introduced by Lady Deborah herself. The whole thing is fulminating - a mix of seductive senses, bringing together classical music and ballet, modern dance, pop, techno, samba, funk and sports - as I said, the spectacle is staged with such lightning speed that at the end of the 75-minute performance the audience takes their leave dazzled and dizzied. Anyhow, it’s a display of Iberia-American identity that one must not miss.
