American Minimalism by J.M. Gourreau
translation by Aedon Young
It is a complete parody of American society played out in "This Land is Your Land", a work by Mark Haim, produced for the first time in France as part of an initiative by José Alfarroba to mark the opening of the 15th Ardanthé festival in Vanves. A fascinating piece, it offers a sort of perpetual movement in which the rhythm takes over and does not release the audience until the very last second. Yet, nothing very spectacular happens to the aligned dancers the entire performance other than their venturing forward to the foot of the audience and then returning to base, almost like swimmers in their respective pool lanes. The folk music, sometimes lively, sometimes languorous, gives this action its tempo. It could be monotone were it not for the subtlety of the choreography which instills a slight modification of attitude or invokes a new element introduced but one of the dancers and then taken up by the others. The alterations, each representing a trait of American civilization, act to bring about alertness and serve to eject the spectator from any stupor into which s/he may have been lulled. And, if suddenly the steps become leaps, if the arms become more erratic, if the bodies crouch to the floor only to break free from the earth a moment later, it is only to bring our attention to the object that the artists hold in their hands. They use these moments of stylistic change to capture our focus. For example, there are the plastic soda cups perpetually in hand, or the famous Starbucks. The mysterious beverages concealed in paper bags remind us that consumption of alcohol in the street is prohibited in the USA. One duet, surprises us with the casual use of hand guns, machine guns, and military weapon (representing the American right to bear arms) as mere decoration or playthings. These images are pondered by an Asian garbage collector who breaks the harmony of movement.
Briefly, it is a percussive work, leaving the senses beaten, by this New York choreographer totally unknown to us, despite his 30 year career and the fact that his pieces figure as repertory in some of the biggest dance companies such as the Netherlands Dance Company, the Frankfurt Ballet, or the José Limon Dance Company, to name but a few.
One must remember that for the last 15 years, José Alfarroba has been presenting avant grade artists, often against the mainstream tide, and he is now the only one to continue to do so. In other times, this was an example set by Gérard Violette. We may now anticipate that the next, new movement in dance will first appear in Vanves.
translation by Aedon Young
It is a complete parody of American society played out in "This Land is Your Land", a work by Mark Haim, produced for the first time in France as part of an initiative by José Alfarroba to mark the opening of the 15th Ardanthé festival in Vanves. A fascinating piece, it offers a sort of perpetual movement in which the rhythm takes over and does not release the audience until the very last second. Yet, nothing very spectacular happens to the aligned dancers the entire performance other than their venturing forward to the foot of the audience and then returning to base, almost like swimmers in their respective pool lanes. The folk music, sometimes lively, sometimes languorous, gives this action its tempo. It could be monotone were it not for the subtlety of the choreography which instills a slight modification of attitude or invokes a new element introduced but one of the dancers and then taken up by the others. The alterations, each representing a trait of American civilization, act to bring about alertness and serve to eject the spectator from any stupor into which s/he may have been lulled. And, if suddenly the steps become leaps, if the arms become more erratic, if the bodies crouch to the floor only to break free from the earth a moment later, it is only to bring our attention to the object that the artists hold in their hands. They use these moments of stylistic change to capture our focus. For example, there are the plastic soda cups perpetually in hand, or the famous Starbucks. The mysterious beverages concealed in paper bags remind us that consumption of alcohol in the street is prohibited in the USA. One duet, surprises us with the casual use of hand guns, machine guns, and military weapon (representing the American right to bear arms) as mere decoration or playthings. These images are pondered by an Asian garbage collector who breaks the harmony of movement.
Briefly, it is a percussive work, leaving the senses beaten, by this New York choreographer totally unknown to us, despite his 30 year career and the fact that his pieces figure as repertory in some of the biggest dance companies such as the Netherlands Dance Company, the Frankfurt Ballet, or the José Limon Dance Company, to name but a few.
One must remember that for the last 15 years, José Alfarroba has been presenting avant grade artists, often against the mainstream tide, and he is now the only one to continue to do so. In other times, this was an example set by Gérard Violette. We may now anticipate that the next, new movement in dance will first appear in Vanves.