LWE Podcast 139: Simian Mobile Disco

missing a good dance

the tracklist:

01. Four Tet, “Peace For Earth” [Text Records]
02. MMM, “MMM Meets Tshetsha Boys” (SMD edit) [white*]
03. Hounds of Hate, “Purple Stuff” (ZODA CADE remix)
[How The Other Half Lives]
04. Forward Strategy Group, “Nihil Novi” [Perc Trax]
05. Tin Man, “Falling Acid” [Keys Of Life]
06. Joachim Spieth, “Sensual” [Affin LTD]
07. Tuff City Kids, “Begger” [Unterton]
08. Shake, “Sonar 123″ [Peacefrog Records]
09. DBX, “Losing Control” [Accelerate Records]
10. Sei A, “Paraphaze” [Turbo]
11. Dieptepunt, “Feeling Deep” (808 Mix) [Dieptepunt]
12. Roman Flügel, “O.T.H.” [Live At Robert Johnson]
13. Skudge, “Convolution” [Skudge]
14. Alden Tyrell, “Rush” [Clone Basement Series]
15. Cosmin TRG, “Vertigo” [50Weapons]
16. Mobius & Beerbohm, “Doppelschnitt” (SMD edit) [white*]
17. Jim Rivers, “Phoenix” [Intec Digital]
18. Simian Mobile Disco, “Wooden” (version) [Wichita*]
19. Kuedo, “Whisper Fate” [Planet Mu]
20. The Mole, “Shifter” [Maybe Tomorrow]

today I’ve been to another dance performance…

why so many (already 2…and will be more) dance performances? The Dance Festival STEPS is taking place these days… throughout Switzerland.

again, an amazing performance… Vertical Road 

Choreography: Akram Khan
Music: Nitin Sawhney
Costume: Kimie Nakano
Lighting: Jesper Kongshaug

In his latest choreography, Akram Khan reflects on the question of earthly existence and divine actions. The British choreographer, who has roots in Bangladesh, interweaves elements from the Arabian culture with the North-Indian Kathak dance to create a compact, visually impressive, spiritual work.

For Vertical Road, Khan was inspired by the Persian author and philosopher Mewlana Rumi. Eight dancers from Asia, Europe and the Middle East storm through light and shade, dancing on winding paths between heaven and earth. The accompanying compositions were written by Nitin Sawhney, musical partner of Akram Khan for many years.

Akram Khan unites tradition and innovation: «I have to go back into my Bengali culture, back to Kathak, in order to understand the contemporary… through the contemporary aesthetic, ‹my› Kathak has a meaning again,» he says of his work methods between the cultures.

Source

I checked the online ticket shop several days ago… and it was written “not available”. The festival’s website was saying “local ticket sale”. Today I was at the theater one hour before the show… and I was told that they kept 20 tickets for “local sale”, all the other tickets were sold out long time ago. And only tickets for balcony last row were available… ok. It was pretty far, but good I had my glasses. It is Theater 11. Also good that the balcony has a 45° slope…

yes, I’m digging this kind of performances…  natural/skin colours. a meaningful light play. emotional moves, religious/tribal… and of course good music. no complex and heavy decorations or costumes.

and this is how far I was :)

today I’ve been to a dance performance… and it was a pure pleasure experience.

The Oracle

Concept and Direction Meryl Tankard
Choreography Meryl Tankard & Paul White
Set and Video Design Régis Lansac
Performer Paul White

Music Igor Stravinsky

This sensual and intense dance work by celebrated choreographer Meryl Tankard explores the conflicting forces of nature and man, masculinity and femininity, violence and nurturing, strength and vulnerability.
Inspired by the sometimes disturbing human forms in Scandinavian artist Odd Nerdrum’s work, The Oracle is set to Stravinsky’s seminal composition for the infamous 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring, which caused riots at its Paris premiere.

The above description says much… but I want to say more :) really, it is a perfect combination of moves, emotions, music, video, human body… and oh that human body! just ideally sculptured and the flowing (but also very difficult) moves and the lights showing every muscle, shape… then the sweat and deep breathing. emotionally, really strong. I watch it…and think - is it real? during the performance - I tried a few times to think about the message of the performance, but the visual part was so intense that I coudn’t do anything but be absorbed in the aesthetics of it. 

I was really glad that, at the end of the performance, the audience was told that there will be a discussion/meeting. - here I’ll find out about the message…and I’ll see the performer off stage.

And the performer is just a young smiling friendly guy… seeing him in normal clothes you would never suspect of what he’s capable… and this is even more fascinating! and he said that he can’t wait to eat a wurst (sausage) that was being grilled outside :)) yes, you need serious food for having a body like his and being able to move like him :D

but really, the pictures are nothing compared to the live experience

(not my photos, right click for source)

been today to the Zurich Opera… for ballet. “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude/Duo Concertant/Duo aus 27’52”/In Spillville”

it was a 4 piece performance, all pretty different among each other. the whole thing was alright, with the exception of - during 2 of the 4 pieces one could hear the ballerinas’ shoes hitting the floor… maybe it was part of the performance, but to me it was distracting/disturbing.

BUT, most importantly

I loved the performance from this video - Giulia Tonelli and Olaf Kollmannsperger, Jiří Kylián: Duet of 27’52”, Music: Dirk Haubrich

everything, the music, the choreography, the dancing/acting, the visuals (light, shadows)… in reality looks better than in this video.