Friday November 25, 2011 - Beijing Dance Company are on a US tour this month; having danced in Boston, Pittsburg, and Washington DC they are at Alice Tully Hall for a four-performance run. There's been something of a Chinese invasion here of late: Cloud Gate and Beijing Dance Theater have recently been at BAM, and the National Acrobats of the People's Republic of China put on a vastly entertaining single show at Brooklyn College last month. The trend continues in January with performances of THE PEONY PAVILION by the China Jinling Dance Company at Lincoln Center. Information here.
The works presented tonight by Beijing Dance Company were inspired by Chinese folklore and myth, dating back hundreds of years BC. Of the ten danceworks presented, most had a sentimental feeling underscored by the traditional-sounding music. Only in the final Yellow River could one sense a slight break with tradition. As one colorful work followed another, the excellence of the dancers and their commitment to dance was strongly evident.
References to iconic cultural elements abound: calligraphy, bamboo, the crane, the butterfly, flying fairies, the terra-cotta warriors, Bhuddist rituals. Costumes were rich in detail though sometimes a bit garish while a series of projections which set the tone of each piece might have been even more effective if the colours had been more subdued.
My favorite work of the evening was Free and Unfettered Spirits in which the men of the Company seemed at one with nature; wearing mossy-green full-sleeved costumes the brotherhood danced their rites in an outdoor setting. Earlier, in her solo Flying Fairy, dancer Zhao Qiao manipulated the super-long sleeves of her dress in mesmerizing swirls and flourishes. The most powerful and exciting dance came from the four men who appeared as warriors (top photo) in Emperor Qin's Soldiers; their fusion of kung fu, acrobatics and ballet elicited a loud ovation.
Perhaps the best-known work on the programme was The Butterfly Lovers, a Romeo and Juliet tale of forbidden love. Very well-danced, this work at times veered into the realms of cloying sentimentality; it is a little too long and the choreography sometimes seemed thinly stretched over the music. Nevertheless, the dancing was excellent.
The audience for the most part were attentive and enthusiastic - except, of course, the young boy sitting near us who squirmed and muttered throughout the first half without any admonishment from his mother. Most dance programmes are not for kids, especially one like this which is somewhat stately in its pacing and musical presentation.