BALLET: ‘Milk & Honey’, Basel Theatre.Til June 2010
Two ballets are shown:
I. Guest choreographer Ohad Naharin presents two pieces: the first ‘Humus’ with an all female dance troupe. This is known as Minimal Dance – high energy and controlled movement – but results effect combined with the music produced a soporific effect. Audience didn’t applaud.
This was folllowed by ‘Black Milk’ with an all male troupe. The costumes were reminiscent of ancient Egyptian slaves, with long white skirts. There’s an interesting use of black paint during the dance, hence the title. It’s an emotive dance where one dancer is continually rejected by the group.
Overall the first part was somewhat disappointing. It’s not the calibre we’ve come to expect from guest choreographers.
II. Richard Wherlock’s ballet Milk & Honey is performed to the music of Georges Gruntz, a Basel jazz musician. The theme is Basel city and the river Rhine. Gruntz’s composition is a commission from the Basel Fasnacht’s Commité, who are celebrating 100 years of the Commité.
The dance is a complete contrast to first performance by Naharin. It’s very high energy, and at times completely crazy. The wild music and dance compliment each other. The music is eclectic; fast rhythms of jazz, slow blues, jazzed up Swiss marching music, and of course, the Gooka-music of Basel’s Fasnacht.
The public’s favourite, Roderick George, does a marvellous Intro wearing a harlequin’s cap, representing Fasnacht’s Ueli. There’s also a highly unusual guest singer, Erika Stucky, who sadly only appears intermittently, but interacts well with the dancers and has great stage presence. She’s dressed in a bizarre traditional costume replete with high-healed pink clogs, and she sings a kind of modern yodel, mixed with jazz.
The whole thing comprises an eye-catching spectacle, but I found it rather a medley of too many disjointed pieces which were all in themselves too short and didn’t really develop into anything.
For example, a troupe of female dancers start a high-energy synchronised dance, dressed in long-black trench coats and tall black boots, underneath dressed in white hot-pants and short tops. It made an immediate impact, but within minutes they’d gone –the idea wasn’t developed.
The constant variation in costumes was the most startling thing about the whole dance: bowler hats and black raincoats, a ray of different tartans and checks, and school girl dresses.
It’s fun and worth seeing (the audience seemed to appreciate it), but I still feel it somehow that less would have been more, because there were some really good, original ideas, which needed more stage time.
Next performances: 30 Apr, 3/7/10/12/26/28/31 May and more in June. See: www.theater-basel.ch.
Joanne
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