Dance Works Rotterdam to present cities in movement

Helly Minarti , Contributor , Jakarta | Wed, 06/11/2008 10:37 AM | Headlines

Opening with 11 dancers performing an eclectic ballet to the blaring sounds of Eminem's "Lose Yourself", Ton Simons' Mortal Coil, presented by Dance Works Rotterdam, promises to be a unique experience.

The audience is barely given time to take in the quirky audio-visual feast before the music changes abruptly to more familiar classical mode: Mozart's "Serenade in B flat".

This is the first part of "Rotterdam/New York", a full-length piece first performed in January.

Simons' work follows the traditions of pure, abstract dance. His dance style carries the distinct metropolitan hallmarks of New York, where Simons lived for 20 years, and Rotterdam, where he is now based.

The dancers weave their bodies into sinuous curves, then contort into sharp lines, all with clockwork precision. After the quasi-discordant opening, the performance eases into a more harmonious series of pas de deux and orthodox solo numbers. It is a prime example of the dancers' ability to seamlessly switch from complicated twirling and colliding maneuvers, to lifting.

Technically, the piece is well-arranged and very well-performed, but something is missing at its core -- Simons fails to deliver on the promise of surprise glimpsed in the opening.

With neither narrative nor synopsis, the piece leaves the audience guessing as to what the essence of Mortal Coil could be. What links Eminem and Mozart, and how is this portrayed on stage?

One is a successful rapper from Detroit, the other a 17th century musical genius from Salzburg, brought together under a heading lifted from Shakespeare's Hamlet. So what gives?

The "New York" part of the performance is Stephen Petronio's "Lareigne". This too begins on a contemporary note, with The Strangles' "No More Heroes" opening the act.

A male dancer, dressed in tights and a ruffled white shirt, struts, pirouettes and jumps throughout the song.

But where Mortal Coil makes an abrupt transition, Petronio chooses to let the new music seep in gradually.

Flowing movements differentiate this piece from Simons' rigorous geometries. The dancers, the very same as in the previous piece, perform mostly in quartets, this time to electronica tunes originally written by David Linton.

There is a lighter, more rhythmic feel to Petronio's work, and it plays out in a shorter 25 minutes.

Dance Works Rotterdam showcases a style and form of dance already quite familiar to Western audiences, but it marks a novelty for dance enthusiasts in Jakarta. The show will be performed to coincide with the visit to Jakarta of Rotterdam Mayor Ivo Opstelten.

Rotterdam/New York -- Dance Works Rotterdam
June 12, 8 p.m.
Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Jl. Gedung Kesenian Jakarta no. 1,
Central Jakarta
Box office: (021) 380 828 / (021) 344 1892
Tickets: Rp 100,000 and Rp 75,000
Workshop
June 13, from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
Universitas Nasional Jakarta, Jl. Pemuda, East Jakarta
www.danceworksrotterdam.nl