Ballet BC’s “Program 3” was a modern emotional ride in the best sense. The first piece, “Bedroom Folk”, brought us inside ourselves. It was like watching the private life of our neighbours. The second show, “Poesia”, was a delicate exploration of our own desire to be understood. Lastly, the powerhouse show “Minus 16” brought together many different elements of dance, energizing the audience and making us both laugh and sigh at the beauty of the dancers.
The evening started with the aptly named North American premiere of “Bedroom Folk” by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, which first premiered at the Nederlands Dans Theatre I in April 2015.
The piece is named a carnal delight that feels almost transgressive to watch. It was performed by ten dancers move as a collective. Occasionally, one dancer broke free to dance as an individual, but the independence is short-lived. It felt like watching my own struggle with sexuality: how do I know and express my own cravings when the world is telling me what desire it supposed to look it?
The dancer’s moves were sharp and jerky. The robotic music and synchronized actions could have made the whole piece seem mechanical, but the dancers stayed beautifully natural the whole time. Instead of watching robots, it was more like watching ants working together or birds flying in a pattern.
Near the end of the piece, the balance of power shifted. The traditional male/female roles reversed and we watched a female dancer ravish a male dancer, looking like she was eating him. As the dance progressed, a man held a woman’s hand, keeping her arm still while the rest of her danced. Later still, a man held a woman up like he was choking her.
After the curtain closed, my friend turned to me with light shining from his eyes. He told me it was like watching his own recent experience on stage: a particularly passionate night with a new lover.
The second performance was the world premiere of “Poesia” by Serge Bennathan. The piece began with one a single dancer reciting poetry while the rest of the dancers slowly joined her on stage. They began to dance with no music, the sound of their clothes and limbs accompanying their movements.
Music started and the dancers continued. They took over the entire stage and had the energy of being caught together in a wind storm or the eddies of a flowing stream.
In some ways, this was the most accessible piece of the night. The dancers wore street clothes and recited four poems through the piece that mediated on dance and love. The dancers separated, some became spectators on stage, while others held each other in universal portrayals of love and trust. It felt like they wanted us to understand the potential of dance through poetry, instead of merely showing us through dance itself.
The evening ended with “Minus 16” by Ohad Naharin, which first premiered in November 1999 at the Nederlands Danse Theatre I. During the pre-show talk, the piece was described as a fan favourite and it was easy to see why. It was energetic, powerful, and very funny.
The show incorporated so many different moods and elements that I felt it could stand alone without being part of a program. It started with a single man dancing on stage during the intermission. He wore a suit and clowned around the stage, shaking his hips and mixing impressive dance moves with saucy voguing. Eventually, other dancers joined him, the stage went dark, and the lights came up to reveal all the dancers in chairs in semi-circle. They danced in a domino effect with pounding music and tons of energy, taking off layers of clothing. Even though my friend and I were tired on a Thursday night, it was impossible not to feel electrified by the dancers.
Near the end, the dancers entered the audience and asked people to join them on stage. The audience laughed and cheered as we watched our fellow members bounce around, trying to keep up with the dancers. My friend and I laughed because Vancouver theatre audiences are rarely as diverse as the city itself – and the chosen audience members were no exception. We agreed that even though neither of us ever wanted to go on stage, if chosen it would have been our duty to represent a different demographic.
Altogether, the show took us on a beautiful journey through carnal power, a tender desire to be understood, and a display of the raw potential of dance to get all our emotions out.
Learn more about Ballet BC’s upcoming season here!
– Bethany Dobson