Preview
LUNA
O Vertigo Danse
Choreographed by Ginette Laurin
Saturday, March 8
The Banff Centre
It is difficult to describe the Montreal dance troupe O Vertigo without mentioning visual effects. Under the direction of choreographer Ginette Laurin, the company has produced some highly original and theatrical work in its 20-year history, including the acclaimed Déluge and La Bête (The Beast Within), both monstrous in scale with high-flying aerodynamics.
Laurin is a choreographer who never strays from new mediums, constantly struggling to find humanity in a world of technology.
"I believe in energy more than the form," says Laurin. "I’m more interested in what’s happening in between movements."
O Vertigo’s production of Luna is yet another exploration in humanity, this time extending into the cosmos. Laurin was first inspired by the work of Karl Blossfeldt, a turn-of-the-century German photographer and botanist. Blossfeldt photographed plant parts under intense magnification, revealing a symmetrical form that influenced generations of architects.
"I wanted to take those images and find them in the body," says Laurin. "The idea was to keep this symmetrical form, but in a much more complex universe."
Luna is less theatrical than O Vertigo’s other productions, yet Laurin has safeguarded the imagery and technical precision audiences have come to expect. An example is a giant magnifying glass (in French, une loupe) used to create an illusionary distortion in bodily shape. Under the moon-shaped lens, the movement becomes more fluid, sensual and dreamlike, while audiences examine things under their own microscope. The music – a recurring, amplified sound of breathing – adds to the hypnosis.
"There’s a montage in the composition," Laurin explains. "We’ve aimed at blending older music with real time, such as a repetitive, techno sound. I really wanted to keep this contrast throughout, that element of two universes."
The closing brightness of the burning sun is yet another parallel to Luna’s moonlit appeal. This is a production about yin and yang, black and white, and fire and water. When it comes to gender, however, there’s no arguing with la bella luna’s feminine superiority.
"It’s definitely yin," says Laurin. "The male form is approached somewhat as the conqueror, like an astronaut; both are illustrated, but there is a feminine approach."
An example of Luna’s feminine mystique is the appearance of five dancers in enormous, hooped skirts, one of many lunar effects that envelop the stage. The dancers rise high above the surface, supported by dancers concealed under their skirts.
"At certain points it’s almost like you’re watching synchronized swimming," Laurin says. "The choreography sort of surfaces, like the hidden face of the moon." |
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