Tar and Feathers/Wings of Wax/Signing Off

Published Thursday 3 April 2008 at 17:05 by Gavin Roebuck

Nederlands Dans Theatre, one of the most innovative and original dance groups in Europe, combines virtuoso technique with intriguing visual sets and themes.

In Jiri Kylian’s Tar and Feathers, pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama improvises around Mozart’s music at a grand piano, perching spectacularly on elongated legs yards high.

Against this unusual musical back drop, six dancers perform intriguing, mysterious movements in a surreal black and white world. This includes cautious movements that pop on a bubblewrap carpet.

Wings of Wax combines the beautiful music of JS Bach and Philip Glass with bold imagery on stage. A complete tree hangs upside down over the action with a white light rotating around the tree as eight dancers emerge from the blackness, only to dissolve back into it again, leaving the audience amazed and delighted.

This is perhaps the most athletic of all Kylian’s ballets and is a hymn to freedom inspired by the myth of Icarus. Through symbolic representation, he seeks the philosophical truth concealed behind the everyday movements that we perform automatically, unaware of the principles that govern them.

Thrilling duets including those with Valentina Scaglia and Bastien Zorzetto, Lydia Bustinduy and Patrick Marin and the other dancers held the audience spellbound with their fluid lyricism.

Choreographers Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon’s Signing Off is a heart-rending work about saying goodbye. Set to Philip Glass’ concerto for violin and orchestra, this is a piece that impressively shows off six NDT dancers’ abilities.

The company and these works are a must see for all contemporary dance lovers.