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Premieres by Forsythe and by Malakhov "Human Writes" in Zurich and "Sleeping Beauty" in Berlin "Human Writes", the first project of The Forsythe Company at the Zurich playhouse in a long-term cooperation, premiered on October 23, 2005 at the Schiffbau Halle 1 in Zurich, Switzerland. "Human Writes" is a performative installation that reflects the history of human rights and the continuing obstacles to their full implementation. In a joint project with Professor Kendall Thomas of the Columbia University School of Law, The Forsythe Company focuses on the act of inscribing basic rules for both the individual and society. Together with over thirty dancers, William Forsythe himself is taking part in the four hour performance that concentrates on the articles 19, 22 and 26 of the Human Rights Declaration, where every man is entitled to freedom of opinion and expression, to education and to realization of the cultural rights. Some excerpts from the papers: "In vain you're waiting for a certain dramatic or choreographic moment, for a change of general importance or for a coordinated event seizing the whole room. You'll also be disappointed if you want to see the guest performers from Zurich or the members of the Forsythe Company dance in the well-known manner. The whole thing remains a striving and struggling for letters, with embarrassing, silly scenes happening spontaneously next to insistent and inspiring scenes." Neue Zürcher Zeitung "To the rising and falling of an electronic drone, it is demonstrated here what we had not understood in a physical way until now: that the human rights were written down as the utopia of the Western, supposedly civilized world. (...) The act of writing made impossible in a joint effort thus conveys the essence of the utopia: that it cannot be realized. "Human Writes" is a large-scale synonym for the collective helplessness to enforce human rights." Süddeutsche Zeitung "It is fun, this performance. A little bit too much fun for the serious topic that Forsythe has chosen. In this atmosphere, no picture can form of the effort to enforce human rights. There are only self-imposed, superfluous contortions, self-established and grotesque bans. Thus you do not feel the deep grief that once was the cause to formulate the Human Rights. It may not be easy to write something down with the point of your nose, but it's not really hard. It's just a game." Die Welt Links: www.theforsythecompany www.schauspielhaus.ch Vladimir Malakhov's version of Petipa's "Sleeping Beauty" premiered on October 26 at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. The cast was led by Mariinsky principal dancer Diana Vishneva as Aurora, Malakhov himself as Prince Desiré, Michael Banzhaf as Carabosse and Beatrice Knop as Lilac Fairy. 
"Sleeping Beauty", Staatsballett Berlin. Vladimir Malakhov and Diana Vishneva © goetz/wrb Excerpts from the reviews in the Berlin papers: "To take the fairy tale serious and also the classical tradition, but at the same time to create something fresh and new by clearing away the patina of age and old-fashion: you can see this approach in the whole staging. But it only convinces to a certain degree. Malakhov has made severe cuts in the lengthy ballet - yet he not only tightened it, but he cut it into pieces. And so he misses out on the main thing: the love between Princess Aurora and Prince Desiré! (...) This Sleeping Beauty is kissed awake absurdly fast, she jumps from her bed and, the prince pointing to the ring finger of his hand, already we are at the wedding: tell me, where is love?" Berliner Zeitung "The shortened "Sleeping Beauty" only takes up two and a half hours in Malakhov's version. We have enough time for danced divertissement, as the actual love story develops in a frenzy. Where Nureyev had upgraded his part also on the technical level, Malakhov cut it back again. (...) Malakhov and Vishneva master the crowning pas de deux with bravura, but the dream couple did not look supernatural." Der Tagesspiegel Links: www.staatsballett-berlin.de Autor: Angela Reinhardt |
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