NBT Carmen reviews Carmen Performances Didy Veldman Interview Our NBT Page Halifax plc is the national tour sponsor of NBT.

Gable established NBT as *the* dramatic dance company and year in year out they have produced dance entertainments that have sold well and many have loved - ballet made accessible and relevant to 'ordinary' people. I have always thought them a splendid company but the national critics can, shall we say, be a bit precious about such straightforward values. But having found a niche, Gable knew things needed to move on and fresh ideas introduced. Enter Veldman, Rambert dancer and choreographer of some successful smaller works. Rambert and Veldman are not known for their pointe work - they are an international contemporary dance company and come with a hell of a different perspective from a dramatic ballet company... We explored much of this when we recently interviewed Didy Veldman and at last it was terrific to be at the Leeds Grand to see how it had all come together. Only a pity that Christopher Gable was not there to see launched the last project he conceived and did the early planning on.

And it was a very successful launch too. Veldman has brought in a lot of new ideas and a there is the palpable difference that you would expect. Not a pointe shoe in sight (and none missed), an awful lot of interesting ground-based movement, and a story told and performed with sassy wit and style. But lest all this make you worried, you should note that it is *not* a radical recutting of NBT's feel: this is evolution - if a healthy sized jump!

The scenario is Gable's and has been cut and adjusted for present day industrial Rio De Janeiro. In many respects Carmen is a light comedy albeit with a hell of a sting in its tail. Carmen (cigarette packer) is the man-eater you expect, capable of great tenderness, but unfortunately for no longer than a few hours or days at most its seems - but what hours and days us men think! Jose is the police officer she sets her eye on and conquers, Micaela his unfortunate fiancee and Escamillo - no longer a bull fighter but a Rock Star - is Carmen's final 'love' and the reason Jose kills her. Along the way we have fights, smugglers and drug dealers, muggings and sex. Much of the story, particularly in the early acts is easy to follow, but later there are some jumps in the narrative, which it would have been nice to have coloured in perhaps.

What really sticks in the mind are the details and the thought that has gone into many of dances. There are many balletic movements, but essentially Veldman is true to her roots and conveys character and emotion just as effectively with a wider and different vocabulary - and it's so nice to see more 'modern movement' used in the service of narrative ballet. I know I'm stretching a point but the two have perhaps seemed mutually exclusive for too long. This is Veldman's first full length evening work and she ought to feel very pleased - as should NBT. The highlight, for me, was the bedroom pdd - or bed pdd since it is very much part of the action (in the nicest possible way). It never ceases to amaze me how good choreographers pull new moves out of the hat and thread them together so seemlessly and naturally. I felt this pdd was on a par with some of MacMillan's work and I, along with everybody else, was deeply moved.

... a story told and performed with sassy wit and style.

Much credit must go to the first cast of Charlotte Broom and Daniel de Andrade. Carmen is such a big role and Broom really brought it to life. She knows what makes men tick for sure. I've never seen her in a major role before and I look forward to seeing her again. Christopher Giles shone as the ott Escamillo, but as ever with NBT everybody was acting their socks off. And dancing their socks off too - Veldman seems to pack more in and use it to support the story a little better than I perhaps normally expect with NBT.

The music I have to say I found somewhat odd. Two reasons; without the chorus it definitely comes over as a lighter and jollier score (kind of well known but strangely different) and secondly the NBT orchestra sounded a little thin perhaps - I've never really noticed this before.

The designs, something always lashed out on by NBT, are by Lez Brotherston (AMP and several previous NBT productions) - as soon as you see the name you know they are going to be quality with intelligent detailing. And they were, the corrugated iron, mesh security fencing and large advertising hoardings of an industrial estate perfectly realised. Much action also takes place in a terrific bar, full of suitable low life and a giant video for watching the big matches - and, as it happens, also telling part of the Carmen story as well.

I hope Carmen does well for NBT - it deserves to. It is a change, but a change within character and it works well.

Rambert meantime are bursting with choreographic talent. Besides Christopher Bruce and Didy Veldman they also have Matthew Hart who did a good 3-act Cinderella a while back and numerous shorter pieces. None of the other major companies have younger choreographers who have tackled full length pieces and I hope we see more of their work within Rambert and without.