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Dance by FFWD Staff THE GREAT EUROPEANS by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Jubilee Auditorium September 22 and 23, 2000 at 8 PM Alberta Ballet kicks off the Calgary dance season with a terrific deal that gives dance fans three ballets for the price of one – all in one show. Presented by Montreal's Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Great Europeans is an evening of dance from three of today's foremost choreographers. David Bushman, first soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, spoke with me from Montreal following the day's rehearsals for The Great Europeans . "This is a varied program," he says, "with works from three very important figures in the world of dance today." The show opens with Approximate Sonata by William Forsythe of the Ballett Frankfurt, a series of five individually distinct pas de deux set to music by Thom Willems. The movement of the dance is musically precise and physically demanding. Known for his efforts to deconstruct the language of classical ballet, Forsythe's work also features the choreographer's own lighting design for the show. His effort to change traditional ballet movement is echoed in his use of non-traditional lighting. "He even uses fluorescent lights at one point," adds Bushman. The stage is bare except for a tripod holding a blue light which throws a shadow on the backdrop of the word "Yes." From artistic director Nacho Duato of the Companía Nacional de Danza in Bilbao, Spain comes Without Words, set to the music of a Franz Schubert duet for cello and piano. "Like the music," says Bushman, "the dance is stripped down." Schubert's music suggests romantic, even sentimental themes, but not so in this dance. Without Words contrasts the 19th century obsession with love and death with the 20th century view of a dark, existential new world. The evening culminates with the eagerly anticipated Symphony of Psalms by Jirí Kylián of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Symphony of Psalms is a choral work written by the revolutionary composer Igor Stravinksy. Though Stravinsky wrote many ballets including the groundbreaking The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, this is a composition not originally intended for dance. Kylián found inspiration for his choreography in the text of the Psalm encouraging the faithful to praise the Lord in every way, including the dance. The result is the most elaborate dance of the evening. Sixteen dancers appear in Symphony of Psalms, never leaving the stage and creating images influenced by religious symbols and icons. From Stravinsky's haunting expression of faith, Kylián has created a dance about community, emphasizing tenderness and hope.

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