French choreographer Pascal Rioult brings his company RIOULT and a number of dynamic and diverse works to the to The Joyce Theater.  Known for his energetic choreography that draws from his experience dancing for the Martha Graham Dance Company but is uniquely his own, Rioult possesses a strong sense of traditional form and craft as well as the ability to create ambitious works that seem to extend beyond the limits of the stage. RIOULT’s current season at the Joyce Theater includes a number of premieres and repertory in Program A, as well as an evening-length piece The Great Mass, in Program B.

The Great Mass is performed in two-acts and danced to Mozart’s “Great Mass in C minor K. 427.”  Rioult created The Great Mass as a tribute to the human spirit and an exploration of the divine.  The work is a collage of powerful images that carry the audience along on a spiritual journey.  Although there are very few original ideas or exceptionally innovative movement phrases in The Great Mass, the dancers give emotional performances that demonstrate a range from subtlety to complete abandon. Dancer Robert Robinson is exceptional and at times steals the show; he executes every movement as if delivering a sweeping solo, even though he never misses a beat and is perfectly in sync with the other dancers.

Mozart’s “Great Mass,” as with most of the brilliant composer’s work, is moving all on it’s own.  Rioult has the difficult challenge of choreographing a dance work that can create the same epic, monumental, drama that is already inherent in the music. One of his solutions is to utilize large set elements; long stretches of white fabric are strung across the back of the stage during The Great Mass, creating large horizontal stripes on the backdrop.  Throughout the piece, Rioult draws the audience’s attention to the fabric.  In the beginning, dancer Jane Soto holds one end of a long train of the white fabric and travels slowly across the stage, covering the bodies of the rest of the dancers as if laying them to rest.  Towards the middle of the dance, red lights are brought up behind the fabric, and together with the white stripes, the fabric forms creating a slightly militaristic atmosphere as the dancers march downstage slowly and abruptly crumble to the ground one by one.  For a brief moment towards the end of the work, the dancers enter the stage behind the fabric and duck under the lowest stripe in order to spread out and fill the stage.  These theatrical images are carefully crafted and thoughtfully placed to highlight the swells in Mozart’s music.

In attempting to have the dancing match the music, most of the choreography in The Great Mass pushes the sense of drama too far.  There are wonderful moments of subtlety in the beginning of the work, where dancers pause occasionally facing front and look intently at the ground.  These introverted moments of reflection are more powerful than the grandiose group sections, some of which involve the dancers in a tight clump center-center groping at an unknown god above who shines down on them in the form of a strong center spotlight. Rioult’s innovative set-design and interesting staging would be better complimented by the more humanistic, rather than divine, aspirations of his movement.  Rioult’s strength is his ability to make an audience empathize with the dancers, and I would have liked to see their human struggles within the world of The Great Mass, rather than their attempt to reach beyond their world and into the realm of the unknown.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Tze Chun
Performance: RIOULT
Choreography: Pascal Rioult
Venue: The Joyce, New York City
Performance Date: January 24^th, 2010
www.iDANZ.com

iDANZ Supports Doctors Without Borders
in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts.

MSF/Doctors Without Borders has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in
Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency
response to the Haiti/earthquake disaster. 

Can you please help them provide medicine, surgeons, nurses,
and supplies to victims in this crisis?
Click Here to Send a Direct Donation to Doctors Without Borders

For every new person who signs-up to be a member of the
iDANZ Social Network, iDANZ will donate $1 to
Doctors Without Borders January 18 – 31.
Go to www.iDANZ.com To help save lives by 
Becoming a Member of iDANZ Today!

Have You Seen the iDANZ Social Network?

Click Here To Become a Member
of iDANZ.com Today!

The More Members We Have, The More We Can
Make a Difference.
It’s Free!
iDANZ – The Social Network Where Dancers Live!

Share on Facebook

The first piece of the evening, Harvest pays homage to the pre-impressionist painter Jean Francois Millet and to people who tend the land.  Although the theme is powerful, it feels as if Mr. Rioult has taken choreography from several different pieces, in particular Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, and does not change it too much for the piece.  Although it’s true that all choreographers get inspiration from past choreographers, there still needs to be an element that differs from everyone else; otherwise, what is the point in creating a dance that has already been done before?  The other problem that I makes me feel detached from the piece is the music.  Don’t get me wrong-  Dougie MacLean’s music from “Fiddle” and Altan’s “Flower of Magherally” from The Red Crow are both poignant and beautiful, but the songs sound similar.  Because of their likeness, there is no variation in the music throughout the entire piece.  Despite the fact that the dancers move passionately in several parts of the piece, including a touching duet between Marianne Tsartolia and Michael Phillips, the passion gets lost because of the music.  This problem could have been solved if there had been changes in the music.  Despite the problems with the piece, Anastasia Soroczynski commands a powerful presence.  Her striking movements are clear and right on point.  The major highlight of the piece is the lighting created by David Finley.   Mr. Finley is able to capture the essence of a laborer in the fields with his beautiful backgrounds of pastel colors.

After intermission is the world premiere of Shadow Box. Unfortunately, Shadow Box possesses  the same problem with the music as Harvest does.  The music is from Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier.”  In general,  the entire piece sounds the same, with little variation.  Despite the fact that the dancers are doing diverse choreography, it doesn’t feel like the piece goes anywhere.  The projections on the wall depict the dancers’ shadows doing choreography.  The dancers dance in front of and behind the shadows, either repeating the same movements that the projected shadows are doing or slightly changing the choreography.  The dancers wear lycra shorttards (leotards with shorts attached), with white fronts and black backs.  Marianna Tsartolia really stands out in this piece.  With her lithe body and expressiveness, she is able to bring life to the abstract piece.  The most interesting part in the piece is when the dancers move directly in front of their shadow so it looks like the dancer and the shadow are melting into one entity.  My biggest complaint of the piece, once again, is the musical choices. Although the live pianist, Hsiang Tu, is a wonderful musician, Bach’s music does not add anything to enhance the meaning or the quality of the piece and may have even lessened the effect. 

City is the second world premiere of the evening with music set to Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Piano #6 in G major.  The overhead projector provides the backdrop for the piece which depicts images of New York City.  Brian Clifford Beasley’s beautiful images capture the essence of a city, with views of the skyline, the streets and the people.  Despite the lack of musical or choreographic variation, the dancers are able to make the best out of the situation.  Each dancer possesses a certain sense of confidence, but not in an arrogant way.  Their personalities are different in a unique way, adding to the urban feel that Mr. Rioult is striving for.  Although there is a certain amount of drama, the passion is swallowed up by the unchanging music. 

The final piece of the performance, Bolero, saves the night!  Maurice Ravel’s Bolero helps to carry this piece to a higher level than the rest.  Similar to the repetitions which are found in the music, Mr. Rioult chooses to repeat the same steps throughout the entire piece, but despite this repetition, or maybe because of it, the piece is a mesmerizing masterpiece.  The four men and four women in the piece dance as a company, but then break off into solos as the spotlight changes from dancer to dancer.  The dancers’ movements are sharp and militaristic, but break off into sensual curves as the piece progresses.  The performance ends on a strong note because Bolero manages to save the night. 

All in all, Rioult has the potential to be a great dance company.   The eight company members are strong dancers, in particular the women.  They are technically strong dancers who have a lot to offer.  Mr. Rioult also has the potential to be a great choreographer.  He has the knowledge and experience to create interesting dances.  My advice to him would be to trust himself more and rely on other choreographers less.  If he stays true to himself,  he will be better off in the long run.  I am definitely not a fan of the music choices he made for the performance, but this is a preference that others may not share with me.  I enjoy mixing music to create a diverse soundtrack of sounds and textures.  For Rioult, his inclination to introduce only one song or sound into the music is the deal breaker for me. 

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Amanda Keller
Performance:  Rioult Venue: The Joyce Theater
Choreographer: Pascal Rioult 
Show Date: January 19, 2010
www.iDANZ.com

iDANZ Supports Doctors Without Borders
in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts.

MSF/Doctors Without Borders has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency
response to the Haiti/earthquake disaster. 
Can you please help them provide medicine, surgeons, nurses,
and supplies to victims in this crisis?
Click Here to Send a Direct Donation to Doctors Without Borders

For every new person who signs-up to be a member of the
iDANZ Social Network, iDANZ will donate $1 to
Doctors Without Borders January 18 – 31.
Go to www.iDANZ.com To help save lives by 
Becoming a Member of iDANZ Today!

Have You Seen the iDANZ Social Network?

Click Here To Become a Member
of iDANZ.com Today!

The More Members We Have, The More We Can
Make a Difference.
It’s Free!
iDANZ – The Social Network Where Dancers Live!

Share on Facebook