“Cactus” choreography is interesting. Choreographer Alexander Ekman about modern ballet and social networks Alexander Ekman Swan Lake

Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman began his journey into ballet at the age of ten as a student at the Royal Swedish Ballet School. After completing his studies, he became a dancer at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, then performed for three years as part of the Nederlands Dans Theater troupe. As a dancer, he worked with choreographers such as Nacho Duato. The year 2005 became a turning point in his creative destiny: as a dancer of the Cullberg Ballet troupe, he first showed himself as a choreographer, presenting in Hannover at the International Choreographic Competition the first part of his ballet trilogy “Sisters” - the production “Sisters Spinning Flax”. At this competition he took second place and also won the critics' prize. From that time on, Ekman, having completed his career as a dancer, devoted himself entirely to choreographer's activities.

Along with Cullberg Ballet, he collaborates with the Gothenburg Ballet, the Royal Ballet of Flanders, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Rhine Ballet, the Bern Ballet and many other companies. Although he began his career as a classical dancer, as a choreographer he gave preference to modern dance with its freedom, not constrained by any rules or established traditions. It was in this style that the choreographer felt the opportunity to achieve the main goal that he always sets for himself when creating this or that production - “to say something” to the viewer, “to change something in people, even the image of feelings.” The main question that a choreographer asks himself before starting work on any production is “Why is it needed?” It is this approach, according to Ekman, that is appropriate in art, and not the desire for fame. “I would rather work with a dancer who is less talented but hungry for work than with a jaded star,” says Ekman.

“Master of Ballet” (that’s what Alexander Ekman calls his work), the choreographer, in an effort to “change the image of feelings” of the public, always creates something unexpected - even the music for some productions was written by him. Ekman's productions are always unusual, and therefore attract the attention of the whole world - for example, the ballet “Cacti” was presented on eighteen stages. The use of music seems to be a particularly unexpected solution - and on this basis a witty production is built, embodying a slightly ironic view of modern dance. His first multi-act ballet, “Ekman’s Triptych – Training in Amusement,” received no less fame.

But, although Ekman has made a choice in favor of modern dance, this does not mean that he does not turn his gaze towards classical traditions at all. Thus, having received an offer in 2010 to create a production for the Royal Swedish Ballet, in 2012 he presented the ballet “Tulle”, which is a kind of “reflection” on the themes of classical ballet.

But even if Alexander Ekman turns to the popular masterpieces of the past, he gives them a fundamentally new interpretation - this is “Lake of Swans”, an innovative interpretation of “Swan Lake”, presented by the choreographer in 2014. The dancers of the Norwegian Ballet had a hard time, because they danced... on water, the choreographer created a real “lake” on the stage by filling it with water, which required more than one thousand liters of water (according to the choreographer, this idea came to him while he was in the bathroom). But this was not the only originality of the production: the choreographer refuses to present the plot, the main characters are not Prince Siegfried and Odette, but the Observer and two Swans - White and Black, the collision of which becomes the culmination of the performance. Along with purely dance movements, the performance also contains motifs that would be appropriate in figure skating or even a circus performance.

In 2015, “Swan Lake” was nominated for the Benois de la Dance award, and Alexander Ekman would not be himself if he had not surprised the audience at the nominees’ concert. Despite the fact that he had not performed as a dancer for quite some time, the choreographer himself went on stage and performed a humorous number, “What I’m Thinking About at the Bolshoi Theater,” that he specially invented for this concert. The laconic number captivated the audience not with virtuosity, but with a variety of emotions - joy, uncertainty, fear, happiness - and, of course, there was a hint of the choreographer's creation: Ekman poured a glass of water onto the stage. In 2016, another creation by the choreographer, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” was nominated for this award.

The work of Alexander Ekman has many faces. Not limited to ballet in its traditional incarnation, the choreographer creates installations with the participation of ballet dancers for the Swedish Museum of Contemporary Art. Since 2011, the choreographer has been teaching at the Juilliard School in New York.

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Again Laurent Hilaire organizes an Evening of one-act ballets, again students of 20th century choreography should go to MAMT. In two trips it is now possible to cover seven choreographers - first Lifar, Kilian and Forsyth (), and then Balanchine, Taylor, Garnier and Ekman (premiere November 25). "Serenade" (1935), "Halo" (1962), "Onis" (1979) and "Tulle" (2012), respectively. Neoclassical, American modern, French escapism from neoclassical and Ekman.

The Musical Theater troupe is dancing Balanchine for the first time, and Taylor and Ekman have never been staged in Russia. According to the artistic director of the theater, soloists should be given the opportunity to express themselves, and the corps de ballet should be given the opportunity to work.

« I wanted to give young people the opportunity to express themselves. We do not invite outside artists - this is my principle. I believe that the troupe has amazing soloists who work with great appetite and reveal themselves in a completely unexpected way in the new repertoire.(About Onis)

…Great choreography, wonderful music, twenty women - why refuse such an opportunity? In addition, by preparing two casts, most of the women in the troupe can be occupied.(about “Serenade”)” from an interview for Kommersant.

Balanchine created Serenade for adult students of his ballet school in America. " I just taught my students and made a ballet where you can't see how bad they dance" He denied both the romantic interpretations of the ballet and the hidden plot and said that he took the lesson at his school as a basis - if someone is late, they will fall. It was necessary to occupy 17 students, so the drawing turned out to be asymmetrical, constantly changing, intertwining - often the girls hold hands and intertwine. Low light jumps, mincing dashes, blue translucent chopins, which the dancers deliberately touch with their hands - everything is airy and marshmallow. Not counting one of the four parts of Tchaikovsky’s serenade “finale on a Russian theme,” where the dancers almost start dancing, but then the folk dance is veiled by the classics.

After Balanchine’s neoclassicism, the modernism of Paul Taylor, who, although he danced with the former in “Episodes,” looks in contrast, worked in Martha Graham’s troupe. “Halo” to Guendal’s music is simply a textbook on modern movements: here are V-shaped hands, and toe-toe, and a jazz preparatory position, and a pass in the sixth from the hip. There is also something left of the classics here, but everyone dances barefoot. Such an antique looks more like something in a museum, but the Russian public was even too enthusiastic about it.

Just like “Onis” by Jacques Garnier, who at one time fled from academicism and plot, focusing on the dance itself and the human body. Two accordionists are in the corner of the stage, three dancers are lying down. They stretch, sway, stand up and start a rollicking dance with spins and stomping and slapping. Here are both folklore and Alvin Ailey, whose technique Garnier studied in the USA (as well as Cunningham’s technique). In 1972, together with Brigitte Lefebvre, he left the Paris Opera and created the Theater of Silence, where he not only experimented, but also conducted educational activities and was one of the first in France to include the works of American choreographers in the repertoire. Now Lefevre came to Moscow to rehearse Garnier’s choreography, which obviously pleased the Russian dancers, and Lefevre herself even discovered new nuances of this choreography thanks to them.

But the main premiere of the evening was the ballet “Tulle” by the Swede Alexander Ekman. In 2010, the Royal Swedish Ballet invited him to stage the production. Ekman approached this matter philosophically and with irony (as he did with his other creations). “Tulle” is a reflection on the topic “what is classical ballet.” With the inquisitiveness of a child, he asks questions: what is ballet, where did it come from, why do we need it and why is it so attractive.

“I like the ballet tutu, it sticks out in all directions”, “ballet is just a circus”- the unknown people say at the very beginning, while the dancers are warming up on stage. Ekman seems to be examining the concept of “ballet” with a magnifying glass, just as in the video projection on stage the camera lens slides over a ballet tutu - in the frame there is only a grid, everything looks different up close.

So what is ballet?

This is a drill, counting - on the stage the ballerinas do synchronized exercises, in the speakers there is a loud clatter of their pointe shoes and ragged breathing.

These are five positions, unchanged - tourists appear on the stage with cameras, as if in a museum they are clicking dancers.

This is love and hate - ballerinas talk about their dreams and fears, pain and euphoria on stage - “ I love and hate my pointe shoes”.

This is a circus - a couple in harlequin costumes (the ballerina has feathers on her head like horses) perform complex tricks to the hooting and screams of the other dancers.

This is power over the viewer - the American composer Michael Carlsson made an electronic adaptation of “Swan” with aggressive beats, the dancers with cold-blooded grandeur perform snatches of quotes from the ballet, the symbol of ballet, and the viewer is nailed like a concrete slab by this powerful aesthetic.

“Tulle” is a light preparation of ballet, ironic and with love, this is when silent art is given the right to speak, and it reasons, self-irons, but confidently declares its greatness.

Text: Nina Kudyakova

Alexander Ekman. Photo – Yuri Martyanov / Kommersant

Choreographer Alexander Ekman about modern ballet and social networks.

In the repertoire of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater appeared “Tulle” - the first ballet in Russia by Alexander Ekman, a 34-year-old Swede, the most prolific, sought-after and talented choreographer of his generation, who has already choreographed 45 ballets around the world, the last of them in Paris Opera.

— You have a rare gift for staging plotless comic ballets: in Tulle, for example, it’s not the characters and their relationships that are funny, but the very combinations of classical movements and the peculiarities of their execution. Do you think classical ballet is outdated?

— I adore classical ballet, it is magnificent. And yet it’s just a dance, it should be fun, there should be a game. I don’t distort the classic movements, I just show them from a slightly different angle - it turns out to be such an easy absurdity. And misunderstandings may arise, especially on the part of the actors: working as if in a drama is not very familiar to them. I always tell them: “Don’t be a comedian. It’s not you who should be funny, but the situation.”

— So, theater is still more important to you than ballet?

— Theater is a space where two thousand people can feel connected to each other, experience the same feelings, and then discuss them: “Did you see that? Cool, huh? This kind of human unity is the most beautiful thing in the theater.

— You introduce speech into your ballets - lines, monologues, dialogues. Do you think the audience will not understand your plan without words?

“I just think it’s more fun this way.” I like to present surprises, surprises, and amaze the audience. Consider speech to be my specialty.

One-act ballets of the National Dance Theater of Madrid
14.07.11.

I'll start with something unpleasant, but easily described.

"Flockwork" 07/14/11.
I honestly applauded after Ekman’s opus.
Of course, not to the creation, but to the artists who are forced to suffer with this ugliness. They, poor things, worked, tried, practically tortured themselves with this disgusting thing. How disgusted they must have been!

The audience, gathered, of course, for the sake of Duato, also applauded quite unanimously. Which, in my opinion, was gratitude for the dedicated work of the dancers, who were loved for the two previous ballets.
But in fact, the public, it seemed to me, was very skeptical. When the “laughing” artist came out and tried to provoke the audience to laugh, someone giggled slightly, and then somewhere near my box a remark was heard: “You can’t wait...” (practically “No pasaran!”), then- then everyone who heard it laughed :)))

The similarity between Ekman’s creation and Preljocaj’s “Creation” was clearly striking: there is washing of flags, there is washing from barrels, there are moving walls, there are tables, the complete grayness of costumes and surroundings here and there. And in conclusion, just when I thought: “Okay, at least there’s no nudity here,” - and literally three minutes later slides with images of topless performers of both sexes began to be projected onto the backdrop. At the same time, the live performers continued to dance (if you can call it that) for no apparent reason. Here you had to either stare at the video of naked breasts or look out for the dancers. In general, Ekman does not care at all about the work of artists, not to mention their potential.
This “young, promising” would-be choreographer has absolutely nothing to say, so he kills half an hour as best he can. But imagination is not enough for anything.

And next to Duato's ballets, Ekman's "Blooper" looks even more of a nonentity.
As wonderful as Duato is, Ekman is just as pathetic and repulsive. The program may have been specially designed according to the principle “feel the difference”: where is the genius and where is the person who longs to be a choreographer without any reason.
(Perhaps it was indeed Duato’s ex-assistant, who now manages the troupe and left it immediately after Martinez came to power, who organized such “demonstration performances” for a reason?)

I only enjoyed it in a couple of half-minute episodes, when the active, albeit simple, dancing began - I couldn’t take my eyes off the plastic Spaniards! For the remaining 24 minutes they crawled, jogged, talked, moved furniture, washed themselves, and pretended to laugh.
Incl. I couldn’t help but applaud them: artists are forced people. It's not their fault that they lost Duato and got Ekman.

Today I repeated the hike. For the soul.
Naturally, she didn’t stay with Ekman.
Incl. the poor, wonderful National Dance Theater of Spain had to do without my applause in the finale of the program.

The programs are named after choreographers. Following the first - ​“Lifar. Kilian. Forsythe" - ​showed a dance quartet: "Balanchine. Taylor. Garnier. Ekman." In total there are seven names and seven ballets. The ideas of the persistent Frenchman, ex-étoile of the Paris Opera, are easy to read. Iler is in no hurry to lead the team entrusted to him along the historically established path of multi-act plots; he prefers a serpentine of one-acts of different styles (two more programs of a similar format are planned). The troupe, which in the recent past experienced the departure of almost three dozen young artists, has recovered with record speed and looks worthy in its premiere opuses. The progress is especially noticeable considering that Iler does not yet open the theater gates to “invited” artists and diligently nurtures his own team.

The first performance in the premiere was “Serenade” by George Balanchine, which the Stanislavites had never danced before. This romantic elegy to the music of Tchaikovsky begins the American period of the great choreographer, who opened a ballet school in the New World in early 1934. For his first students, who had not yet fully mastered the grammar of dance, but dreamed of the classics, Balanchine staged “Serenade,” which was Russian in spirit. Crystal, ethereal, weightless. The artists of the Muztheater conduct the performance in the same way as the first performers. It’s as if they are carefully touching a fragile treasure - they also lack internal mobility, which the choreographer insisted on, but there is a clear desire to comprehend something new. Submission and reverence for a poetic creation, however, is preferable to the cheerfulness and courage with which troupes confident in their skill dance the Serenade. The female corps de ballet - the main character of the opus - comes to life in the dreams of a sleepless night, when it is already retreating before the dawn. In the plotless mood composition, Erika Mikirticheva, Oksana Kardash, Natalya Somova look great, as do the “princes” Ivan Mikhalev and Sergei Manuilov who dreamed of their nameless heroines.

The other three premiere productions are unfamiliar to Muscovites. “Halo” is a ​sunny, life-affirming gesture by Paul Taylor, a ​modernist choreographer, discussing the nature of movement. The dynamic, spectacular dance is constantly transforming, reminiscent of an independent character, breaking the usual poses and jumps, arms are sometimes braided like branches, sometimes thrown up like gymnasts jumping off sports equipment. The choreography, which was perceived as innovative half a century ago, is saved by drive and humor, lightning-fast switching from serious maxims to ironic escapades. Barefoot Natalya Somova, Anastasia Pershenkova and Elena Solomyanko, dressed in white dresses, demonstrate a taste for graceful contrasts in composition. Georgi Smilevski is responsible for the slow movement - the pride of the theater and its outstanding premiere, who knows how to bring dramatic tension, style and festive beauty to the solo. Dmitry Sobolevsky is virtuoso, fearless and emotional. Surprisingly, Handel’s ceremonial music is easily “accepted” by the fantasies of Taylor, who unfolds a real dance marathon on stage. Both performances, recreating different styles of American choreography, are accompanied by the theater's symphony orchestra conducted by the talented maestro Anton Grishanin.

After Tchaikovsky and Handel there is a soundtrack and a duet of accordionists Christian Pache and Gerard Baraton, “accompanying” a 12-minute miniature by the French choreographer Jacques Garnier “Onis”. The performance to the music of Maurice Pache was rehearsed by the ex-director of the Paris Opera ballet troupe and like-minded person of Laurent Hilaire, Brigitte Lefebvre. In the “Theater of Silence”, founded by her together with Jacques Garnier, in a series of experiments with modern choreography, the first show of “Onis” took place forty years ago. The choreographer dedicated it to his brother and performed it himself. Later he reworked the composition for three soloists, whose dance in its current presentation resembles tart homemade wine, slightly hitting the head. Guys, connected if not by kinship, then by strong friendship, cheerfully and without any whining talk about how they grew up, fell in love, got married, nursed children, worked, and had fun. A simple action accompanied by unpretentious plucking of nugget “harmonists”, which usually sound at village holidays, takes place in Onis - a small province of France. Evgeny Zhukov, Georgi Smilevski Jr., Innokenty Yuldashev are youthfully spontaneous and enthusiastically perform, in fact, a pop number flavored with folklore flavor.

Swede Alexander Ekman is known as a joker and a master of oddities. At the Benois de la Danse festival for his “Swan Lake”, he wanted to install a pool with six thousand liters of water on the stage of the main Russian theater and launch dancing artists into it. He was refused and improvised a funny solo with a glass of water, calling it “What I’m Thinking About at the Bolshoi Theater.” His “Cactus” is also remembered for its scattering of eccentric finds.

In Tulle, Ekman dissects not dance, but theatrical life itself. Shows its sweaty underside, its ritual basis, and sneers at the ambitions and cliches of the performers. The overseer in black, Anastasia Pershenkova, with a wobbling gait on pointe shoes, from which her troupe leader heroically does not descend, looks like a flirtatious model diva. The actors concentrate on practicing the stupidities of naive pantomime, repeating the boring steps of the exercise again and again. The tired corps de ballet falls into despair - the exhausted dancers lose synchronicity, bend over, stomp their feet, and slap their feet heavily on the stage. How can one believe that they recently glided on their fingertips.

And Ekman never ceases to amaze with his eclecticism, bringing on stage either a couple from the court ballet of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, or inquisitive tourists with cameras. Against the backdrop of the mass madness that has engulfed the stage, the orchestra pit “jumps” up and down, screen images of unknown eyes and faces change, and the translation line rushes at a galloping pace. The score, composed by Mikael Karlsson from hit dance rhythms, crackling and noise, the clatter of pointe shoes and claps, the score in the rehearsal room and the moo of the corps de ballet practicing the swan step, is dizzying. Excessiveness harms the harmony of the humorous plot, taste suffers. It’s good that artists are not lost in this mass choreographic fun. Everyone is basking in the element of playful play, joyfully and lovingly making fun of the crazy world behind the scenes. The best scene of “Tulle” is the grotesque circus pas de deux. Oksana Kardash and Dmitry Sobolevsky, dressed in clown outfits, are having fun with their tricks, surrounded by colleagues counting out the number of fouettés and pirouettes. Just like in the film “Bolshoi” by Valery Todorovsky.

The music theatre, always open to experimentation, easily explores the unfamiliar spaces of world choreography. The goal - ​to show how dance developed and how professional and spectator preferences changed - ​has been achieved. The performances are also arranged in strict chronology: 1935 - "Serenade", 1962 - "Halo", 1979 - "Onis", 2012 - "Tulle". Total - almost eight decades. The picture turns out to be interesting: from the classical masterpiece of Balanchine, through the sophisticated modernism of Paul Taylor and the folk stylization of Jacques Garnier - to the chaos of Alexander Ekman.

Photo at the announcement: Svetlana Avvakum