Two years ago, Alain Honorez, ex-principal of Ballet Vlaanderen, together with his life partner and choreographer Altea Nuñez founded Junior Ballet Antwerp. An ensemble consisting of a group of highly educated pre-professional dancers from all corners of the world. Over a period of two years, these artists of the future participated in exclusive workshops, led by renowned coaches and dance experts, and their stage experience was sharpened. The focus is on the further development of their artistic and technical capacities. Eclecticism is thereby super important in their artistic training.
Ballet is a top sport, both mentally and physically demanding. An important issue is also learning how to deal with stress. In 7 choreographies, strongly varying in style and techniques, the dancers in 'Miniaturen' showcased their progress with an overwhelming package of what is physically achievable. Without treating technical complexity as a concern, the far-reaching expressivity of the music in their dance and acting has full space. Result: an impressive range of their abilities.
Les
In the first choreography (Altea Nuñez and Alain Honorez) the audience gets a glimpse behind the scenes. A choreography based on daily routine. Before dancers can begin studying a choreography or a performance, they must warm up their muscles. By means of a series of exercises at the barre and jumps, the dancer prepares himself for the further course of the day. That takes an hour and a half each time. On stage, a barre is set up on the left and right. All exercises are covered: plié, the foot positions, cambré forward and backward, frappé, grand battement, et cetera in a coming and going of different dancers. Emi Morishita provides live piano accompaniment with recognizable melodies from the ballet repertoire.
Dancers: Emilee Blake, Josephine Bøttger, Leonie De Ripainsel, Laura Flügel, Maria Girardin, Soazig Drion, Natsuki Nishiyama, Rinka Matsuura, Mafalda Preto, Akihito Shimogata, Lucas Bierlair, Daimu Nakayamai
BLINK
This choreography was part of the performance 'Seasons 4.0' to music by Vivaldi and Max Richter. The first full evening production of Junior Ballet Antwerp. Spanish choreographer Juanjo Arqués created a playful and fast-paced choreography deeply rooted in the structure of the music. The 6 dancers meander lightly at a fast walking pace across the stage. After the gray winter comes the awakening of nature. Spring, the sap flows. This is translated into dance in rhythmic panache, powerful, playful and energetic, a childlike joy. Then intimacy grows. Hesitantly, couples seek closeness. They first wear a gray top, after a while it is taken off, like leaves or flowers that are trapped in the bud and then throw off the shell to show their splendor in full in a colorful painter's palette. The dancers are cheerfully on a roll and are bubbling with zest for life in a mix of contemporary dance, full of fluid movements and funny jumps.
Dancers: Nanami Auwerkerken, Mafalda Preto, Leonie De Ripainsel, Natsuki Nishiyama, Daimu Nakayamai, Lucas Bierlair
3x2
These are three short pas de deux, stylistically with much variation. Starting with:
3.1 CONCERTO CON BRIO (part 2), music Dmitri Shostakovich
The French Yannick Boquin, as a world-renowned ballet master, is a highly sought-after and respected teacher at many major companies and ballet schools. He created this ballet especially for Junior Ballet Antwerp. It focuses on the different aspects of classical technique in the art of dance: precision, musicality, footwork and graceful arm movements.
The stage is bathed in a diffuse dark blue light. From a kind of mist, a lonely man steps forward. A girl dressed in navy blue comes from the wings to meet him. The whole thing is melancholic. Man and woman become completely absorbed in each other. There is a lot of pointework and lifts to see. The whole thing looks graceful and tender. At the end, the woman slips from the man's arms and disappears back into the wings. He is left forlorn with empty arms. Was it all a dream? A particularly beautiful couple to watch at work.
Dancers: Rinka Matsuura & Daimu Nakayama
3.2 LIVE NOW, THINK LATER, music Sidney Bechet & NSI
This particularly amusing choreography is by Russian choreographer Xenia Wiest. She created this work in 2013 on commission for the famous Kremlin Gala in Moscow. A diagonal strip of light is visible on stage. Bird sounds can be heard. A man and a woman move in slow motion. The man feels offended because the woman completely ignores him. On drum rolls and the captivating music of Sydney Bechet, an impressive feat of not only dance but also acting talent unfolds. How irritation and annoyance always play a role in the man/woman relationship. The man can explode like a volcano. The choreography shows all nuances of the human experience. Because of the wit and sparks of humor with which this happens, it leaves you wanting more. Grandiosely performed and danced by…
Dancers: Lara Wolter & Akihito Shimogata
3.3 A PIECE OF PEACE, music The Newton Brothers (world premiere)
French choreographer Stéphen Delattre is a driven creator who draws inspiration from the synergy of both classical ballet and contemporary dance vocabulary. The music has something claustrophobic about it. The two dancers cling to each other, glide over and around each other. The whole is cleverly put together. The desire for warmth, love, security, peace with oneself in a broader sense is something everyone longs for. 'A Piece of Peace' is like a sensory, organic mating dance to contemporary music in cosmic mode.
Dancers: Marta Dias & Lucas Bierlair
METAMORPHOSIS (part 2), music Philip Glass
British choreographer David Dawson is the artistic patron of Junior Ballet Antwerp. In November 2019, during a creative process with the JBA dancers, he choreographed the first dance steps of METAMORPHOSIS, a new ballet that would premiere in Antwerp in spring 2021. Covid decided otherwise. His style is known for transforming classical ballet. What is seen in 'MINIATURES' is the second part of this 5-part work. Pianist Emi Morishita provides live accompaniment. On a repeating musical thread, the dancers move in groups of 3 / 3 / 4 and at one point form a single whole, a fusion with extremely synchronized movements. Only to fall back into smaller entities and merge into one whole again.
Dancers: Laura Flügel, Lara Wolter, Josephine Bøttger, Soazig Drion, Rinka Matsuura, Marta Dias, Maria Girardin, Natsuki Nishiyama, Lucas Bierlair, Daimu Nakayama
CLAROSCURO, music Hector Gonzalez Sanchez, Clint Mansell, Philip Glass, J.Klimek
After the intermission comes a choreography by Altea Nuñez that she originally created for the dancers of Ballet Vlaanderen in 2014 as part of Choreolab. Already the choice of music alone makes this choreography a creative cocktail. Music is and remains a deeply human form of expression that becomes image in dance through solos, duets, mass scenes. The lines sculpted, yet fragile. Summarized in distance and closeness. The opening image is a tableau vivant. CLAROSCURO tells the story of a 17th-century baroque painting that comes to life and in which the characters from the painting step out and in a graceful way discover a new three-dimensional world, only to eventually freeze again in a tableau vivant. Everything is in beautiful balance from beginning to end.
Dancers: Marta Dias, Emilee Blake, Lara Wolter, Rinka Matsuura, Laura Flügel, Leonie De Ripainsel, Lucas Bierlair, Akihito Shimogata
ALONE / TOGETHER, music Frederico Albanese, world premiere
American choreographer Nicolo Fonte is known for his bold and original vision of dance. During the creative process, he reflected on the consequences of the pandemic for young people and in particular for young dancers. This resulted in rhythmic complexity and translates the inner movements of the mind into physical movements. The body serves as expression and means of expression. He succeeded in framing and making the uncontrollable reality understandable for the audience in a classicism steeped in warmth and emotion. One dancer in a white outfit is surrounded by dancers in a dark blue suit. The tails of the vests swirl around the bodies, giving the whole a tremendous dynamism. Particularly beautiful is when the lighting illuminates the heads and hands in contrast with the blue suit. The whole has something magical, references Japanese visual language. Also when the dancers sit in a circle with one particularly expressive dancer, Akihito Shimogata, in the middle, expressing his emotions. The choreography further contains a skillful series of configurations and motifs in a visual and auditory relationship. The beautifully chosen music by Frederico Albanese stimulates body movement.
Dancers: Emilee Blake, Marta Dias, Laura Flügel, Rinka Matsuura, Natsuki Nishiyama, Soazig Drion, Leonie De Ripainsel, Nanami Auwerkerken, Lara Wolter, Mafalda Preto, Maria Girardin, Josephine Bøttger, Akihito Shimogata, Lucas Bierlair, Daimu Nakayama
Junior Ballet Antwerp… There is enormous potential in the group. The emphasis is placed on musicality and interpretation of the music and rhythm. It was fantastic. 'Miniatures' in its entirety: impressive!
WHEN: 11 & 12 May
WHERE: hetpaleis, Antwerpen