Mujeres at Jacob's Pillow
Spanish Dance Company Launches Season
By: Charles Giuliano - Jun 26, 2009
Mujeres
Starring Belen Maya and Rocio Molina. Originally directed by Mario Maya. Guitars: Jose Luis Rodriguez and Paco Cruz; Vocals: Rosario Guerrero and David "El Galli"; Percussion, Sergio Martinez.
Works Performed: Granaina, Seguiriya, Milonga, Paso a Dos, Alegrias, Solea Por Bulerias, Caracoles, Fin De Fiesta.
Jacob's Pillow Dance
June 24-28, 2009
Looking out at the capacity audience for the opening night performance of "Mujeres" starring Belen Maya and Rocio Molina, the artistic director, Ella Baff, stated that Jacob's Pillow Dance is committed to presenting the best of every aspect of dance from a global perspective. In the very first season of the world renowned summer festival, in 1942, Ted Shawn presented the legendary artist La Argentina. Since then the finest flamenco companies have performed in Becket. Following opening remarks for the 77th season, Baff proclaimed her signature evocation "Let's Dance."
This launched a spectacular series of performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre, and many free events on the outdoor "Inside Out" stage, that will be presented between now and August 30. There is always a post season collaboration between Jacob's Pillow and Mass MoCA during the early fall. Next week the season continues with the much anticipated "Radio and Juliet" by Ballet Maribor, the National Ballet of Slovenia, which combines dance set to music of the Grammy Award winning group Radio Head, and Shakespeare's classic love story. The performances from July 1-5 are among many highlights of the season.
In the magnificent 1995 film "Flamenco," by Carlos Saura, Belen Maya, the daughter of the great flamenco artists, Carmen Mora and Mario Maya, was included to represent the next generation.. The film showcased the greatest performers but the presence of Belen Maya made the point that in addition to a legacy as a folk form Flamenco is sustained and grows through new influences and interpretations. Some of the most emotionally powerful moments in Saura's riveting film contrasted sanguine youth with the singing and dancing of toothless old women and paunchy old men. Their slowed and measured performances revealed the ravages and insights of life experience.
At its heart and soul Flamenco is the passionate expression of the Gypsy peoples of Andalusia. The word Gypsy evolved from the medieval Spanish word for the peoples of North Africa, the Egyptians, who had been swept in a great wave of invasion and conquests, from Indian, across North Africa, and into the Iberian Peninsula during the 8th Century under the sword and banner of Islam. There are four languages spoken in Modern Spain as well as the patois of the Gypsy dialects of Andalusia. The Arab traditions are embedded in the wavering, guttural inflections of voices, the flailing attack of the guitar, combined with patterns of clicking heels.
True Flamenco is a folk art form best experienced in the bars and clubs of Seville and Andalusia. What is seen in Madrid and Barcelona, for example, is mostly for tourists. As my colleague from Suffolk University, Dr. Alberto Mendes, an aficionado of Flamenco insisted the greatest Flamenco is encountered in a bar late at night when someone just spontaneously gets up and starts dancing, singing, or playing the guitar. There is no audience and it is not considered to be a performance. We experienced that with him in Spain. On another occasion we visited a restaurant with friends on a Sunday night. There were a handful of people but some Flamenco artists had gathered on what was clearly a night off. They performed for each other. There were many Ole's that punctuated and inspired each other. It reminded me of neighborhood blues clubs in Chicago where one experiences a similar ambiance.
From the very first performance "Granaina" there was the sense that this was going to be a very different kind of evening. We saw a dancer from the rear under a dramatic light. There was the traditional arrangement of a line of two guitars, two singers, and a percussionist at the back of the stage. The dancer, with her back to the audience, slowly began to move in response to the music. Eventually she stood up and began to undulate in patterns with her partner.
There was so much upper body movement, twisting and turning about, gestures with arms and hands, that we anticipated all the more the introduction of a thunderous pattern of heels and furious display of foot work; the essence of Flamenco. We came to sense, problematically, that this was a fusion of Flamenco with ballet and other influences.
The anchor and driving force of the company is the phenomenal passion and technique of the two guitarists, Jose Luis Rodriguez and Paco Cruz, and the gut wrenching singing of Rosario Guerrero and David "El Galli with Percussion by Sergio Martinez. These are truly the best possible Flamenco artists. As well as, the dancers Belen Maya and Rocio Molina.
Yes, it is important that art forms are sustained and revitalized. It is significant that they grow and evolve from generation to generation. But in this process there is loss and gain. There were many stunning elements in the performances but also a lot that just didn't seem that compelling.
The eight pieces that were performed were each carefully choreographed. There was a sense of staging, light design, and costume selection. But there was less the intensity of Flamenco than dance based on and inspired by Flamenco. It may have been appropriate for and much appreciated by a Jacob's Pillow Audience but there was not so much as a single Ole uttered during the evening. The performers had to provide their own inspiration as there was little coming from an attentive but reserved audience.
Because the dance was choreographed there was none of the sense of improvisation that is traditional in Flamenco. In true Flamenco the spine and posture is very erect. There is a vertical line in which the energy, like a lightning rod, it taken down into the feet. While there is torsion and arm movement it is to accent the footwork and not meant to be an independent element of the dance.
The very notion of Mujeres (Woman) is boldly contemporary but distracting. Some of the passion in great Flamenco occurs when there is sexual tension between the machismo or duende of the male dancer and the seduction of the female dancer. During a club performance in Seville the male dancer was so handsome and sexy that the young ladies started screaming. He seemed stunned by the attention. But without that male presence, other than the truly magnificent singer, David "El Galli"; there was no clear connection as to just what evoked the passion of the two women dancers. What were they responding to? As a male viewer I felt disconnected other than an appreciation of an experimental art form.
Some of the most successful aspects of the performance were also the most traditional. There were elements that featured the singers and guitarists. Here indeed many Ole's were appropriate but the applause came at the end. One wondered what it would be like to see this company with a Spanish audience. This was a truly great and inspiring evening of dance but there was little sense that the audience knew and appreciated how daring and experimental was this interpretation of Flamenco.
Schedule of Performances
Mujeres
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, June 24 - Saturday, June 27, 8pm
Saturday, June 27 - Sunday, June 28, 2pm
SPAIN
This evening of flamenco music and dance was directed by the legendary Mario Maya, who passed away in September 2008. Mujeres stars Belén Maya, daughter of Carmen Mora and Mario Maya and a master in her own right, and Rocío Molina, a 24-year-old prodigy from Málaga , Spain . These bailaoras have been lauded by critics around the world: The Washington Times states that Molina "sets the stage on fire with a blend of classical and modern movements," and El Informador describes Maya's work as "a portrait that captures an instant of her soul." They are joined by an ensemble of guitarists, percussionists and vocalists for an evening of live music and dance. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber. $10 Saturday and Sunday youth matinée tickets (must be accompanied by an adult).
Radio and Juliet by Ballet Maribor
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 1 - Saturday, July 4, 8pm
Saturday, July 4 - Sunday, July 5, 2pm
Radio and Juliet is a contemporary take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Romanian dancer Edward Clug, and performed by Slovenia 's Ballet Maribor. The score is comprised of music by Radiohead, two-time Grammy winner and fourteen-time nominee, and one of the most influential alternative English rock bands of the past century. Video effects set the stage for abstract references to classic scenes including Mercutio's death, the wedding, and the Masquerade Ball. Clug, whose movement style is sharp, clear, and highly kinetic, dances in the work along with four other men and one female lead. Radio and Juliet has only been performed once in the U.S. , in October 2008. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber
LAFA & Artists
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 1 - Saturday, July 4, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 4, 2:15pm
Sunday, July 5, 5pm
TAIWAN
Fang-Yi Sheu, former star of Martha Graham Dance Company and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, performs in the U.S. debut of her company, LAFA & Artists. In 2007, Sheu became the youngest recipient of Taiwan 's National Award for the Arts and founded her contemporary company with choreographer and long-time partner Bulareyuang Pagarlava. The program includes two American premieres; 37 Arts, an acrobatic romp of delights and hard times, and another new work currently being created in Taiwan . Pillow audiences will remember Sheu from the 2008 Festival, when she performed a work by Pagarlava as part of David Michalek's Slow Dancing. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 8 - Saturday, July 11, 8pm
Saturday, July 11 - Sunday, July 12, 2pm
Choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
The dancers of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, called "extraordinarily gifted" by The New York Post and "superb and versatile performers" by The Village Voice, perform the world premiere of Orbo Novo (New World), choreographed by one of Europe's most in-demand dancemakers, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Orbo Novo premieres to a live, original score for piano and strings by Polish composer Szymon Brzóska. Cherkaoui has stated that the title of the work is inspired by what is believed to be the first reference to North America as 'the New World,' in a 1493 letter by Pietro Martire d'Anghiera, an historian of Spain and its Age of Exploration. This premiere engagement takes the place of the company's traditional New York City spring season and is anticipated as "one of the most exciting events of the new season" by Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber.
Gallim Dance
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 8 - Saturday, July 11, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 11, 2:15pm
Sunday, July 12, 5pm
Artistic Director Andrea Miller, former dancer with Ohad Naharin's Ensemble Batsheva, leads with her New York City-based company of fearlessly physical dancers, recently named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2009. Gallim Dance, known for movement that is witty, theatrical, and explosive, performed on Inside/Out, the Pillow's free outdoor performance space, in 2008. They return to perform Miller's latest work, Blush, set to a score as quirky as her choreography, with music by Manyfingers, Wolf Parade, Radiohead, and Chopin. The New York Times says the work "features a highly physical movement style that buckles torsos and lashes limbs in exhilaratingly illogical fashion." Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
Groupe Emile Dubois
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 15 - Saturday, July 18, 8pm
Saturday, July 18 - Sunday, July 19, 2pm
FRANCE
Called "a sheer delight to behold" by Le Monde, an endearing crowd of characters cross paths in ways that reveal the joy and anguish of life in Jean-Claude Gallotta's dance-theatre work Des gens qui dansent. Ten dancers of varying ages portray lovers, an old, dying writer, a mother and daughter, two merry baritones and others, performing Gallotta's quirky, idiosyncratic style with a welcoming energy. Gallotta, a dancer, choreographer, performer, filmmaker, author, and playwright, founded Groupe Emile Dubois in 1979. This U.S. premiere, performed to a host of spoken word narratives, will mark the company's first American engagement in nearly two decades. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber. $10 Saturday youth matinée tickets (must be accompanied by an adult).
David Roussève/ REALITY
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 15 - Saturday, July 18, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 18, 2:15pm
Sunday, July 19, 5pm
After a ten-year break from choreographing for his own company, award-winning dancemaker, filmmaker, writer, and performer David Roussève makes a triumphant return to the stage with David Roussève/REALITY. His newest work, Saudade, deals with the concept of "bittersweet" in a production that chronicles the story of southern African-Americans to the sound of Portuguese blues, fado. A multicultural cast illuminates a mosaic of movement, video effects, and monologues, performed by Roussève himself, spanning from slavery to Hurricane Katrina. Traditional dance forms from Indonesia , West Africa, and India merge with contemporary techniques in this new work, which premieres in February 2009. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 22 - Saturday, July 25, 8pm
Saturday, July 25 - Sunday, July 26, 2pm
Widely recognized as the world's greatest living choreographer, Merce Cunningham's accolades range from countless honorary doctorates to the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo (2005), the National Medal of Arts (1990), and Kennedy Center Honors (1985). Jacob's Pillow celebrates his 90th birthday and a relationship that began with the company's first Pillow performances in 1955. His revolutionary approach to space, time, music, and technology is honored with a retrospective of masterworks. The program includes Sounddance (1975), described by Cunningham as "space observed under a microscope," CRWDSPCR (1993) a work of constant motion, and eyeSpace (2006) which invites audiences to listen to individualized scores, using provided iPod Shuffles. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber. $10 Sunday youth matinée tickets (must be accompanied by an adult).
Jason Samuels Smith and A.C.G.I. (Anybody Can Get It)
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 22 - Saturday, July 25, and Wednesday, July 29 - Saturday, August 1, 8:15pm
Saturdays, July 25 and August 1, 2:15pm
Sundays, July 26 and August 2, 5pm
A tap prodigy, Jason Samuels Smith was 15 years old when he was cast as Savion Glover's understudy and a principal dancer in Broadway's Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. He has since gone on to become an Emmy and American Choreography Award-winner, television and feature film performer, director, and choreographer, and also is widely known for appearing as a featured guest artist on the FOX television show So You Think You Can Dance. After performing as an original member of Glover's Not Your Ordinary Tappers, he formed his own company of experienced tap soloists, A.C.G.I. (Anybody Can Get It). This two-week engagement pays homage to the history of tap while also experimenting in contemporary styles, and every performance features live music. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber. $10 Sunday youth matinée tickets for July 26 only (must be accompanied by an adult)
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13th Annual Community Day
Sunday, July 26, 10am - 1pm
The Pillow transforms into a dance party for all ages with free, family-friendly programming during its annual Community Day (rain or shine). Everyone is welcome to attend free performances, dance workshops, arts and crafts activities, book readings for children, game, and more. Community Day is free and open to the public.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 29 - Saturday, August 1, 8pm
Saturday, August 1 - Sunday, August 2, 2pm
CANADA
Last seen at the Pillow in 2005, Canadian contemporary ballet company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and is known for its diverse, adventurous repertoire and collaborations with top choreographers including Ji?í Kylián, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, and Ohad Naharin. Under the direction of Gradimir Pankov, the company performs two very different works, both by Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti. Four Seasons is set to Vivaldi's classic score of the same name, and Cantata pays homage to Mediterranean culture and tradition with original and folk music from Southern Italy . Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber.
Rennie Harris Puremovement
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 5 - Saturday, August 8, 8pm
Saturday, August 8 - Sunday, August 9, 2pm
After directing the Cultural Traditions program at The School at Jacob's Pillow (June 29 - July 12), international hip-hop ambassador Rennie Harris returns to perform as part of the Festival. Harris, lauded by The New York Times as "a central figure in hip-hop," and the dancers of Puremovement have a singular style, combining a variety of genres including popping, locking, electric boogaloo, and more. They perform signature works such as Students of the Asphalt Jungle, Continuum, Breath, and March of the Antmen to a medley of original and mixed music, including live bucket drumming. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber.
Jacinta Vlach/ Liberation Dance Theater
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 5 - Saturday, August 8, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 8, 2:15pm
Sunday, August 9, 5pm
Provocative territory and powerful dancing are the signatures of San Francisco-based Liberation Dance Theater. Jacinta Vlach, a former dancer with nathantrice/ RITUALS, Robert Moses' Kin Dance Company, and Philadanco, merges modern dance and urban movement styles in her choreographic commentaries on race, culture and identity. This powerful program includes Abjection in America, set to a score of Latin fusion music and audio excerpts from comedians Richard Pryor and John Leguizamo. Other works to be announced. (contains strong language) Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
Doug Varone and Dancers
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 12 - Saturday, August 15, 8pm
Saturday, August 15 - Sunday, August 16, 2pm
New York choreographer Doug Varone is acclaimed for intelligent and lushly kinetic movement that appeals to both the mind and the heart. He has received numerous honors throughout his career, including two New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards for Sustained Achievement in Choreography, and for his 2006 work Boats Leaving. A veteran of the José Limón and Lar Lubovitch companies, Varone founded his own company in 1986. They perform a varied program including Lux, set to Philip Glass' The Light, and described by The Washington Post as "the kind of dancing I might dream about, loose and sweeping in a spirit of exultation." Other works to be announced. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student and child, $52 subscriber.
Rubberbandance Group
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 12 - Saturday, August 15, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 15, 2:15pm
Sunday, August 16, 5pm
CANADA
In dancer/choreographer Victor Quijada's newest work, Punto Ciego (Blind Spot), Rubberbandance takes movement to new heights in a work filled with ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, spoken word, and video. The company interacts with audiences through multimedia technology and subtle storytelling, drawing them into a humorous, poignant world of six characters that break boundaries, mix realities and entertain. Rubberbandance, founded in 2002 and led by Quijada and co-artistic director Anne Plamondon, has toured throughout Europe, North America, and Japan , and last performed at the Pillow in 2006. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 19 - Saturday, August 22, 8pm
Saturday, August 22 - Sunday, August 23, 2pm
The work of the late Ulysses Dove, a former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, seamlessly combines speed and attack with daring sensuality, emotional strength, and power. In this exclusive Pillow engagement, the dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet, under the direction of Peter Boal, perform an all-Dove program of Vespers to Mikel Rouse's percussive score; Red Angels, which featured Boal in the original New York City Ballet cast; and Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven with music by Arvo Pärt. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student, child, $52 subscriber. $10 Sunday youth matinée tickets for August 22 only (must be accompanied by an adult)
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Kidd Pivot
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 19 - Saturday, August 22, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 15, 2:15pm
Sunday, August 23, 5pm
CANADA
Crystal Pite, international choreographer and artistic director of Vancouver-based Kidd Pivot, explores movement to the fullest in her evening-length work Lost Action. A former dancer with the Frankfurt Ballet under the direction of William Forsythe, Pite's wit, rigor and ultra-kinetic approach interact with a diverse soundscape by longtime collaborator Owen Belton and features everything from choral melody to ukulele and spoken word. This physical analysis of dance and the ephemeral body becomes a metaphor for life and loss. Pite will perform with her company, a rare occurrence. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.
A Jazz Happening
Sunday, August 23, 8 pm
Benefit Event for The School at Jacob's Pillow
This one-night-only event features dancers of the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance program, performing alongside Broadway stars after three weeks of intense study and preparation at The School at Jacob's Pillow. Directed by Broadway's Chet Walker, A Jazz Happening includes original choreography by the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance artist faculty and live music by an onstage jazz band. Former guest performers have included Donna McKechnie, Andrea McArdle, Stephen Bogardus, and Terri Klausner, and this season's event will feature an all-new program and cast. Proceeds benefit The School at Jacob's Pillow; $100 level tickets include a reception with the performers. Tickets $100 and $60.
Ballet Hispanico
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 26 - Saturday, August 29, 8pm
Saturday, August 29 - Sunday, August 30, 2pm
According to The New York Times, "the Latin-American experience at last has a voice in the feisty, elegant dancing of Ballet Hispanico." Since 1970, this company has fused Latin, classical ballet and modern dance, creating a style all its own. This engagement will honor Tina Ramirez, who steps down as artistic director this year and first performed at the Pillow as a teenager in 1948. The program includes excerpts from Club Havana, in which the rhythms of the Rumba, Mambo, and Cha Cha are brought to life by Cuban choreographer, and former Ballet Hispanico dancer, Pedro Ruiz. Tickets $58 adult, $53 senior, student, child, $52 subscriber.
Doug Elkins and Friends' Fräulein Maria
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 26 - Saturday, August 29, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 29, 2:15pm
Sunday, August 30, 5pm
The New Yorker calls Doug Elkins and Friends' Fräulein Maria "a jewel of choreographic invention and comic subtlety" and The New York Times hails it as "ceaselessly brilliant and often hilarious." This rollicking, deconstructed version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music has been lauded by critics and audiences alike through numerous sold-out runs in New York City . Vaudeville gags, astute references to the choreography of Martha Graham, José Limón and others, and a multitude of social dance moves are set to the original film soundtrack, enveloping audiences in Elkins' imagination. Tickets $33 adult, $30 senior, student, child, $29 subscriber.