POB reviews

Besides Neumeier and Kylian, another dominant European choreographer is the American William Forsythe, the artistic director of Frankfurt Ballet, which incidentally visited Hong Kong in November 1996. One of the ballets presented then in Hong Kong was Forsythe's "In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated", originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet under Nureyev's regime in 1987 and starring Sylvie Guillem amongst other stars.

This ballet is widely acknowledged to be the greatest work of Forsythe. This month in the Paris Opera Garnier, "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated" was the opening work in an all-Forsythe programme consisting of four Forsythe ballets, two of which are new and specially created for the Paris company. (Mikhail Baryshnikov, the most famous male ballet star, was in the audience in the performance that I attended, adding significance to the occasion.)

The theme of this ballet and of Forsythe's works in general is a relentless tension and disequlibrium, enhanced by the soundtrack taped by Thom Willems, Forsythe's frequent collaborator. Whilst firmly rooted in the classical tradition of Balanchine, Forsythe's choreography challenges the dancers further by demanding them to cope with a much faster rhythm, and yet finish each phrase dead sharp.

This ballet has an unusual multiple focus. Dancers can sometimes face the stage instead of the audience, and we only see their backs. A duet can take place simultaneously with a solo on the other side of the stage danced by another dancer observing the couple. In a group dance, the dancers may perform different steps instead of a uniform step at one point. This ballet has so many layers, and it is exciting to see each layer gradually peeling off. The new Paris cast this month performed this ballet impeccably, but I found the style of this work has now become more austere than before.

Forsythe also included in the programme an allegro ballet "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" set to Schubert's Symphony No. 9, which he originally created for his Frankfurt Ballet. The dance critic of the French newspaper "Le Figaro" saw this work as a homage to Balanchine's masterpiece "Symphony in C".

One of the new works premiered this month is "Woundwork 1". Wound comes from the verb "Wind" instead of "Wound", and the winding is represented by the dancers' wriggling arm movements. "Woundwork 1" is a fascinating adagio work. Two independent "pas de deux" take place simulataneously, and the two pairs never interact except briefly at one point. It is a perfect showcase for the four lustrous Parisian stars - Isabelle Guerin and Laurent Hilaire as one pair, and the other pair being Carole Arbo and Manuel Legris.

Another world premiere was "Pas/parts", so called because the whole ballet of 20 sections consisting of solos, duets, quartets, septets etc. is developed from a single step (pas) in the beginning. It was a terrific 'tour de force', inspiringly danced by the whole cast throughout its duration of 35 minutes. The audience roared with delight after the electrifying finale.

Thom Willems' soundtrack, which sometimes sounded like the puffing of a train steam-engine, added to the excitement; as well as Stephen Galloway's unconventionally chic costumes. A highlight of the ballet was a sensational solo for Nicholas Le Riche, Nureyev's last protegee, consisting of a lot of gradually accelerating dizzy jumps round the stage.

Another programme at Bastille Opera was the full length work "Le Parc" (The Park) choreographed by the French-Albanian choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, whose own modern dance company visited Hong Kong several years ago. Featuring again Isabelle Guerin and Laurent Hilaire as the central couple, and using parts of Mozart's different symphonies, this ballet is about the amorous intrigues in the French literature of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Far more satisfying to me was the third programme on offer as a tribute to Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, the two greatest choreographers of New York City Ballet. Robbins, who died last summer, has made Paris Opera Ballet his second home after his retirement from the New York company in 1989.

The opening work was "Concerto Barocco", one of Balanchine's masterpieces. A critic colleague of mine described this holy ballet as "making eternity seem all too short".

The other three ballets in this programme were all by Jerome Robbins - ranging from an early work "The Concert" (1956) to a late work Bach's, "A Suite of Dances" (1994) which was originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov. The middle period of Robbins' career was represented by "In the Night" (1970).

Again these ballets showed off the un-paralleled dance power of the Parisian stars. Highlights included Isabelle Guerin as a sophisticated ballerina in "The Concert" whose jokes still seem amazingly fresh after more than 40 years. Manuel Legris was the soloist in "A Suite of Dances". Legris was a brilliant virtuoso; the torsion of his upper body was most impressive, though I think he could show even more humour in the choreography.

The three duets of "In the Night", representing the three ages of a couple, were all grandly danced. There were lots of swooning lifts for the three ballerinas, creating a heady dream-world. In particular Elisabeth Platel was unforgettable in the second duet, her feet quivering in an upside-down lift by Jean-Guillaume Bart.

Actually in the next few months after April, Paris Opera Ballet still has plenty of excitement in store for its public, such as guest performances in "Swan Lake" in July by Sylvie Guillem, its former star who is at present arguably the most famous ballerina in the world. In terms of choreography and stars, Paris right now is without doubt the envy of the dance world.