alison Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I was going to start a thread for this anyway, in case anyone was going - I left it too late to book - but have just noticed there are some returns for tonight on the Sadler's Wells website, albeit not at the advertised £38, but rather higher prices. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 The piece with carnations! (Plus some live fruit chopping on stage). I'm not going and it's sold out for the rest of the run (impressive) but I'll be interested to read any reviews from members who are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I've seen a brief clip of Nelken on Instagram....hmmm.... it's not what I'd call ballet! I felt sorry for the flowers getting squished! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Apparently the carnations are fabric not real...phew! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I 5 hours ago, Don Q Fan said: Apparently the carnations are fabric not real...phew! That's reassuring! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 I don't think anyone ever claimed it was ballet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LACAD Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I had the pleasure of watching Nelken tonight, which is far more humorous and lighthearted than some of Pina Bausch’s other works. That isn’t to say it doesn’t show its darker sides. Like any work of Bausch there’s little reminders of the cruelty that people are capable of, especially when in authority. The piece takes a lot of inspiration from childhood memories — games in the playground, showing off tricks (something every young performer is guilty of), picky eating, bounding like rabbits across a flowery field, even a temper tantrum or two. There’s also some impressive feats performed by a quartet of gruff stunt doubles (some of which I don’t want to give away), and even a pack of four very loud alsatians. We then see the characters grow up as they change out of their summer dresses (even the men) and don the typical Bauschian uniform; sleek and sophisticated evening wear. Their expressions are more muted, they’re slightly crueller with each other. They’ve moved on from tantrums and now yell and storm off the stage. One character who sporadically demands to see the passports of other performers on stage now becomes more interrogative and malicious. The ending though is happy — “soon it will be spring” a woman declares before the famous seasons march begins. The audience are then led to stand up and do a simple dance of opening and closing our arms; we later see that these are the components of a hug — the cast and audience all begin to hug each other, we all laugh and smile as we share this experience together. The cast get back into their summer dresses and one by one (with arms up in couronne) tell us why they wanted to be dancers when growing up. These two sentence stories are sometimes hilarious; “my sister lied to me and said she learned how to do a somersault in two days”, heartwarming; “I wanted to be a dancer so I could be here right here, right now”, and heartbreaking; “I wanted to be a dancer because I didn’t want to become a soldier”. Nelken is a real gem of theatre if you let it all play out and give into the absurdity. It was refreshing to see a show in SW where the audience laughed and giggled along with the action. And especially to see a show that emphasises the here and now of theatre, people coming together to experience something. It also makes me hunger to see more Bausch in the repertoire of some of the contemporary or classical companies in the UK. I’d personally love to see one of our principal ballerinas peeling potatoes while dancing to a 30’s jazz track! 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I see from Australian Ballet social media posts that their dancers also took in a performance of Nelken on an evening off after rehearsing Johan Inger’s Carmen at ENB headquarters. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 12 hours ago, Emeralds said: I see from Australian Ballet social media posts that their dancers also took in a performance of Nelken on an evening off after rehearsing Johan Inger’s Carmen at ENB headquarters. 🙂 Well, I mean, if you're there... remember we (audience and dancers) don't have that much exposure locally to a company like that... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 5 hours ago, Sophoife said: Well, I mean, if you're there... remember we (audience and dancers) don't have that much exposure locally to a company like that... I probably would go if I was a professional dancer (that could explain why the shows are completely sold out....!) as it's quite educational in terms of how to interpret such an (how shall I describe it..) unusual concept and unusual choreography choices. And as you say, if you're already in the vicinity! Easier than taking a flight to Germany to see the company. I have seen clips of some contemporary choreography danced in Australia which has a Pina sort of vibe- whether the choreographers themselves ever saw or were influenced by Pina's work, I don't know. But certainly useful and educational comparisons for the dancers so well done to them for making the time to go and see it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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