Rites and Rituals
Even in stillness, there is energy. When the stage lights up on Cassandra Trenary, the dancer is already quivering, muscles tensed, as if gearing up for a fight. That is precisely what ensues.
Plus
World-class review of ballet and dance.
Russell Maliphant’s latest mixed bill is an ode to the art of stage lighting and its uncanny power to charge a performance atmospherically. Under the direction of award-winning designer Michael Hull, the scenic ether of “Still Current” transforms from frantic to serene, intense to halcyon, the performers roving their way through shadowy pathways and flickering swathes of luminosity in search of something brighter. That’s not to say the dancing takes a back seat in this performance, however. The movement on display here is lovingly crafted and consciously centred, drawing its vigour from within and pitching it outwards to electric effect.
Performance
Place
Words
Russell Maliphant's “Still Current.” Photograph by Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones
“Uncommonly intelligent, substantial coverage.”
Your weekly source for world-class dance reviews, interviews, articles, and more.
Already a paid subscriber? Login
Even in stillness, there is energy. When the stage lights up on Cassandra Trenary, the dancer is already quivering, muscles tensed, as if gearing up for a fight. That is precisely what ensues.
PlusCell phones and motorcycle headlights illuminated the stage at the Teatro América during a recent performance of the ballet company ProDanza. When the music also failed, audience members joined dancers in singing along, ensuring the show could go on.
PlusHow do we navigate a balance between the collective and the individual? How do we negotiate strength and flexibility? How do we value tradition while embracing innovation?
Plus“Vibrations” closes the Opéra Garnier’s 2025/26 season with what might be read as a triptych on dance’s future, past, and present.
Plus
comments