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The Nederlands Dans Theater and Cacti . Pictures: Johan Persson NDT2
Birmingham Hippodrome
**** TO a Dancer, I suspect, The Nederlands
Dans Theater offer an abundance to learn from. Non-dancers alike would
find it hard not to take inspiration from the company’s artistic
dedication with an interactive performance reacting to the natural
world. As one of the most acclaimed dance companies in
the world, NDT2 offers a night consisting of four ground-breaking
pieces, including a UK premier, with each performance being widely
different, but equally impressive. The first showcase we
see is New Then,
a work by choreographer Johan Inger. It is a marvellous insight to the
artistic prowess of the company. As the nine dancers perform to a compilation of
songs by Van Morrison, the nine performers set a strong foundation as
they use each other’s energy to exude a dynamic and perhaps sensual
performance of high energy and impressive movement. Edward Clung and Hans Van Manen take a different
approach with their choreography in the second and third performances.
They are both heavily influenced by ballet. Both pieces are a reaction
to the physical and intense relationships between two people. Through the dancers, it is clear that the
choreographers aim to discover the consequences of physical interaction.
Both performances are made beautiful by sincere portrayals through each
dancer and show an emotional journey with the music of Beethoven and
Schubert to give a gravitas to the tender choreography. The company of NDT2 is made up of sixteen
international dancers. Each piece of t It is inspiring to see all the hard work
unfolding and each dancer has a fluidity that makes the their slick and
meticulous sequences appear the most natural of movements.
NDT2 are a company of strong individual dancers
with backgrounds of perhaps lifetimes of training and a devotion, and
when these commendable traits are put together, it is amazing what can
be achieved when they create art together. It happened with
Cacti, a
beautiful piece as the finale by choreographer Alexander Ekman. A mind-blowing performance is seen as the whole
company are involved in Ekman’s fast paced and impressive story and the
skill of the dancers alone is enough to inspire. The piece starts with a stylised sequence where
the dancers make drumming rhythms using their hands. The strong beats
lead to a beautiful show of synchronicity as we see powerful music being
played before us. The overall performance is fantastic to watch. All
sixteen dancers are one with each other, creating a story to show the
importance of the natural living world. The addition of the deep and dark stage of the
Hippodrome enhances the scale of the performance and the excellent
lighting design drives the stories beautifully. NDT2 is a unique piece of Dance Theatre. Each
choreographed performance is an individual account and invites the
audience to think of our relationships and connection to not only each
other, but the natural world around us. To 04-05-16 Elizabeth Halpin 03-05-16
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he
night gives credit to the dancer’s outstanding talent and athleticism.
Even though some choreographed performances were livelier, and indeed
sometimes a little more interpretive than others, all dancers had their
moment to show the audience their ability.