Monday August 15, 2011 - Cisne Negro are at The Joyce this week, and for their opening night performance the Brazilian company invited compatriot Marcelo Gomes to perform his self-choreographed solo PAGANINI.
Cisne Negro (the name means Black Swan) brought three works to The Joyce stage, the first of which - FLOCK - was by far the most impressive. Set to music from Firebird and Fireworks by Igor Stravinsky, FLOCK depicts the transformation of black cygnets into flaming, soaring firebirds. Opening with a ritualistic segment in which the elegant, sexy dancers of Cisne Negro are clad in black briefs and halter-tops, they soon add black tutus. A series of duets is brilliantly danced; the costuming then switches to fiery red as the dancers take flight.
Superbly structured (by choreographer Gigi Caciuleanu) and lit, FLOCK provides a vivid alternative to Balanchine's immortal folk-tale setting of the Stravinsky score while introducing us to the provocative beauty of Cisne Negro's individual dancers.
Following the Marcelo Gomes solo and an intermission, ABACADA was danced in rag-taggy folk costumes. This structured improvisation, set to a fine score by Andre Mehmari, featured strong and athletic dancing by the Cisne Negro dancers but the movement motifs became repetitive and despite the excellence of the dancing the piece lost momentum. Dazzling projections lured the eye and seemed to overwhelm the dance.
CALUNGA starts impressively with a tribal rite as the dancers make an entree in glowing warm light. Set to traditional folk-song, this bodes well for a colorful finale. The score (by Francisco Mignone) then takes on a distinctly European flavour as CALUNGA evolves into a pageant-like epic depicting the influences of Europe, India and Africa on Brazilian culture. All well and good: dancers, costuming and lighting offer much for the eye to savor. But the work stretches out too long: a touching 'finale' is followed by a rather aimless minuet and the choreography veers to random celebratory moves and gestures. What could have been an impressive wrap-up of the evening loses impact by over-extending itself.
Nonetheless, there was plenty to enjoy and admire in the evening's performance. Cisne Negro have been dancing for nearly 35 years with extensive tours and have played The Joyce in four previous seasons. Their listed repertoire seems vast and I'd love to see more of it.
For this opening night performance only, ABT's magnificent Marcelo Gomes (above) danced his solo PAGANINI with violinist Charles Yang providing live accompaniment. This is a witty and demanding tour de force for both gentlemen; they play off one another, the violinist spurring the dancer on with his fast-paced and agile playing. Marcelo's charisma quotient was at its highest as he swept thru leaps, turns and multiple entrechats, pausing momentarily between exertions to challenge Mr. Yang. Then the young violinist, an easy mover in his own right, would strike up another phrase and Marcelo - almost involuntarily - would dance on. Judging from the sounds she emitted, the woman behind us experienced multiple orgasms during PAGANINI.