Ahead of legendary ballerina Sylvie Guillem’s performances of PUSH, alongside Russell Maliphant, at Birmingham Hippodrome this weekend, IDFB Media Ambassador Rosie Nicholas looks back at the opening ballet show of IDFB, Artifact, as well as our launch event…
As IDFB’s roving reporter (or beady-eyed blogger) I have put pen to paper on the daily events of the Home productions. However, when Katherine Flynn generously extended an invitation for me to attend the official VIP opening of the first night of the festival, I leapt (or pirouetted) at the chance. I pirouetted not because I am a dancer (the pen is my instrument, not my body) but because this very special performance was Artifact, a contemporary ballet by Royal Ballet Flanders, straight off the plane from Belgium.
The mood in the Patrick Centre was palpable; the air was thick and abuzz with talk of artistry, creativity and IDFB 2012, and it was instantly clear that all the beautiful people of Birmingham were under one roof (seeking much needed shelter from the downpour outside).The guest list read like a who’s-who guide for the arts in the West Midlands and even a few international accents could be heard through the laughter and chit-chat of the intimate venue.
The dark room was lit with soft violet hues that encouraged the eye upwards to a large screen overhead, displaying pictures and information of all the productions running during the festival. Once introductions had been made, hands had been shaken, munching and mingling well and truly underway, the eager guests were treated to not one but three great speeches.
First up was Stuart Griffiths whose words emphasised the importance of not only the festival, but of dance, to the city. His message was clear, “Let’s make dance a part of this city’s DNA”. What was striking here was just how much of the festival’s programme was new this year; new collaborations with Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Crescent Theatre, new initiatives such as Spill and Home and new artists who had never before stepped foot in Brum. Next up was Ros Robins, the Director of Arts Council West Midlands. An interesting angle, and one that is indeed both vital and valid, Ros’ speech centred on the economical draw that the festival possesses (in 2010 it created an economic impact of £6.2 million). The final speech by David Massingham (pictured) was a self-confessed “road map to the festival” and demonstrated the sheer scale of the event, which sees no less than six shows being simultaneously produced. The lasting impression of the speech was that IDFB 2012 wanted to create exactly that, a lasting impression of the power of dance on the city “anywhere and everywhere”.
After the speeches the creative crowd were dazzled by the dancers from Home and the silence that fell on the audience during the performance highlighted the captivating nature of the piece. I won’t, however, divulge what was on offer, as you too can enjoy your very own slice of the action during the pop-up performances taking place throughout the city centre up until Sunday 13 May, when Home reaches its climax.
The fifteen minute call then echoed through The Patrick Centre, which signalled my Cinderella-like cue to hobble out of VIP (heels, for the women, seemed to be a pre-requisite) and slink back into my place in the auditorium and reality. I sidled up beside my Mum and Nan who would ultimately become my reviewing counterparts, much like a dysfunctional X-Factor panel, if you will. Armed with buckets of enthusiasm and an open-mind, I dared Artifact to delight, entertain and surprise. And I can safely say, to all of the above and more, it did not disappoint.
Artifact is a combination of industrial lexis versus the true elegance of body beautiful in all its balletic glory. Artifact is the structural shapes of an urban jungle versus the organic and the natural. Artifact is mechanical and fluid, sharp yet soft. It shifts between strength, physicality and uniformity, punctuating each with the delicate; Artifact is a dream-like state. The contrast of spoken word and traditional ballet challenges the conformist perception of what ballet should or could be. With careful consideration of all theatrical aspects; from the playful use of shadows and light, producing trickery of the eye to the way the light bounced and rippled off the company’s muscular bodies and the elements of terror, explored by nightmarish sounds and clever choreography, Artifact packs a mean punch.
The troupe constantly reinvented the solid shape by embodying the harsh (box, square, diamond formations) and juxtaposing it with the softness and harmony of elegant bodies perfectly in sync. The dancers themselves were often made to look like mannequins and the overall feel, for me, was very 1984-esque. There was a continual and underlying battle between body and ballet, physicality and the mind.
Royal Ballet Flanders’ performance evoked a strange and very different response from the audience, who chose to talk, mutter and generally stir throughout. Was this the desired response, I couldn’t help but wonder? True, the performance was untraditional in its style (the company was already in full swing under house lights when the audience returned to their seats post interval) but does this mean that we are to discard traditional theatre-going etiquette? I fear that the true purpose of the small interludes of darkness could well have been lost. I can’t help but think that such short, sharp bursts of performance were clashed with the crashing down of the curtain and prolonged pauses in the dark in order to allow reflection and contemplation. Surely this explicit invitation demanded thought not talk?
Nevertheless, when watching Artifact you get the sense that you are witnessing something very special. An army of artists mapping out an avant-garde masterpiece through the skill of movement; arms and legs like brushstrokes, painting the storyline with every last muscle. It is incomprehensible to me that Artifact first hit stages in 1984 (a spooky nod to the aforementioned Orwell). What must an ‘80’s audience have made of this performance when a modern day one, immune to a fast-paced, digital, Big Brother world, is left awestruck? Intoxicating, hypnotic and dramatic, the synergy and sharpness of the Royal Ballet Flanders’ performance tackled themes of hard and soft, real and the unknown in a skilful and poetic way. And if all this hasn’t made you want to see it for yourself, then I don’t know what will.
Rosie Nicholas, IDFB 2012 Media Ambassador
IDFB 2012 Opening Night and Artifact review
As IDFB’s roving reporter (or beady-eyed blogger) I have put pen to paper on the daily events of the Home productions. However, when Katherine Flynn generously extended an invitation for me to attend the official VIP opening of the first night of the festival, I leapt (or pirouetted) at the chance. I pirouetted not because I am a dancer (the pen is my instrument, not my body) but because this very special performance was Artifact, a contemporary ballet by Royal Ballet Flanders, straight off the plane from Belgium.
The mood in the Patrick Centre was palpable; the air was thick and abuzz with talk of artistry, creativity and IDFB 2012, and it was instantly clear that all the beautiful people of Birmingham were under one roof (seeking much needed shelter from the downpour outside).The guest list read like a who’s-who guide for the arts in the West Midlands and even a few international accents could be heard through the laughter and chit-chat of the intimate venue.
The dark room was lit with soft violet hues that encouraged the eye upwards to a large screen overhead, displaying pictures and information of all the productions running during the festival. Once introductions has been made, hands had been shaken, munching and mingling well and truly underway, the eager guests were treated to not one but three great speeches.
First up was Stuart Griffiths whose words emphasised the importance of not only the festival, but of dance, to the city. His message was clear, “Let’s make dance a part of this city’s DNA”. What was striking here was just how much of the festival’s programme was new this year; new collaborations with Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Crescent Theatre, new initiatives such as Spill and Home and new artists who had never before stepped foot in Brum. Next up was Ros Robins, the Director of Arts Council West Midlands. An interesting angle, and one that is indeed both vital and valid, Ros’ speech centred on the economical draw that the festival possesses (in 2010 it created an economic impact of £6.2 million). The final speech by David Massingham was a self-confessed “road map to the festival” and demonstrated the sheer scale of the event, which sees no less than six shows being simultaneously produced. The lasting impression of the speech was that IDFB 2012 wanted to create exactly that, a lasting impression of the power of dance on the city “anywhere and everywhere”.
After the speeches the creative crowd were dazzled by the dancers from Home and the silence that fell on the audience during the performance highlighted the captivating nature of the piece. I won’t, however, divulge what was on offer, as you too can enjoy your very own slice of the action during the pop-up performances taking place throughout the city centre up until Sunday 13 May, when Home reaches its climax.
The fifteen minute call then echoed through The Patrick Centre, which signalled my Cinderella-like cue to hobble out of VIP (heels, for the women, seemed to be a pre-requisite) and slink back into my place in the auditorium and reality. I sidled up beside my Mum and Nan who would ultimately become my reviewing counterparts, much like a dysfunctional X-Factor panel, if you will. Armed with buckets of enthusiasm and an open-mind, I dared Artifact to delight, entertain and surprise. And I can safely say, to all of the above and more, it did not disappoint.
*
Artifact is a combination of industrial lexis versus the true elegance of body beautiful in all its balletic glory. Artifact is the structural shapes of an urban jungle versus the organic and the natural. Artifact is mechanical and fluid, sharp yet soft. It shifts between strength, physicality and uniformity, punctuating each with the delicate; Artifact is a dream-like state. The contrast of spoken word and traditional ballet challenges the conformist perception of what ballet should or could be. With careful consideration of all theatrical aspects; from the playful use of shadows and light, producing trickery of the eye to the way the light bounced and rippled off the company’s muscular bodies and the elements of terror, explored by nightmarish sounds and clever choreography, Artifact packs a mean punch.
The troupe constantly reinvented the solid shape by embodying the harsh (box, square, diamond formations) and juxtaposing it with the softness and harmony of elegant bodies perfectly in sync. The dancers themselves were often made to look like mannequins and the overall feel, for me, was very 1984-esque. There was a continual and underlying battle between body and ballet, physicality and the mind.
Royal Ballet Flanders’ performance evoked a strange and very different response from the audience, who chose to talk, mutter and generally stir throughout. Was this the desired response, I couldn’t help but wonder? True, the performance was untraditional in its style (the company was already in full swing under house lights when the audience returned to their seats post interval) but does this mean that we are to discard traditional theatre-going etiquette? I fear that the true purpose of the small interludes of darkness could well have been lost. I can’t help but think that such short, sharp bursts of performance were clashed with the crashing down of the curtain and prolonged pauses in the dark in order to allow reflection and contemplation. Surely this explicit invitation demanded thought not talk?
Nevertheless, when watching Artifact you get the sense that you are witnessing something very special. An army of artists mapping out an avant-garde masterpiece through the skill of movement; arms and legs like brushstrokes, painting the storyline with every last muscle. It is incomprehensible to me that Artifact first hit stages in 1984 (a spooky nod to the aforementioned Orwell). What must an ‘80’s audience have made of this performance when a modern day one, immune to a fast-paced, digital, Big Brother world, is left awestruck? Intoxicating, hypnotic and dramatic, the synergy and sharpness of the Royal Ballet Flanders’ performance tackled themes of hard and soft, real and the unknown in a skilful and poetic way. And if all this hasn’t made you want to see it for yourself, then I don’t know what will.
