Bangkok Post : Three faces of MODERN DANCE

Dance is always a work in progress, constantly evolving, refining, reinventing itself. It's a mantra that choreographers like Taiwan's Lin Hwai-Min, Ukraine's Radu Poklitaru and Spain's Carmen Mota live by. All three will showcase their individual approaches to dance during the Bangkok's 11th International Festival of Dance and Music. Carmen Mota's canvas is flamenco, Lin Hwai-Min infuses elements of tai chi and eastern philosophy into his idiom and Radu Poklitaru runs with the philosophy of ballet liberating it from the confines of rigid classicism.

The youngest of the three, Poklitaru takes classical ballet and blends it with many different styles. To codify his views on dance, he formed the Kiev Modern Ballet Theatre in 2006. Lin Hwai-min had exactly the same thing in mind when he set up Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in 1973, as did Carmen Mota when she set the ball rolling for her Carmen Mota Dance Group in 1977.

Individually each of them is changing the meaning of "classic", and together they are taking dance into the future, ensuring that it remains relevant as it keeps pace with changing expectations. None of them, however, can be accused of presiding over the end of "classical dance", for each is creating new classics which enshrine and showcase traditions.

Poklitaru will be the first to present his viewpoint: his Kiev Modern Ballet Theatre will stage the two-act modern ballet Carmen TV on September 13 - a modern balletic interpretation of Georges Bizet's well-known classic, and an engrossing interpretation of a Verdi classic, the one-act opera-ballet La Forza del Destino on September 15.

Like all his choreographies these are experiments and a search for novelty with an unexpected approach to classical theatrical plots. As in every Poklitaru production, the aim is to show the complicated inner workings of the human psyche. As a choreographer, Poklitaru appreciates free dance, which denies nothing, and embraces every dance style.

"If I find a classical move that makes the point, then I use it, just as I will use a movement from modern dance," he said. "When one has no taboos, one's palette is richer. It may seem to be eclectic, but when I use many styles I feel truly free."

His work penetrates deeply into the mystery of human nature, unveiling hidden truths through dance and unsurprisingly Poklitaru is considered at the forefront of modern dance and ballet in Europe today.

"I would like to believe that I am," he said. "I'm on the front line of my creative way, searching for my own unusual face... always searching for something, unsure in final the result and in the rightness of the art's 'main way'." As he searches, his astounding choreographies create an enviable level of interest.

On September 22 and 23, Lin Hwai-min's company takes this encounter with dance to a different plane when Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan presents Lin's most celebrated choreography, Moon Water which premiered in 1998, and has since impressed critics everywhere. The choreography also topped the New York Times list of the best dances in 2003.

Moon Water (or Shui Yuei) is a metaphor for the Buddhist proverb, "Flowers in a mirror and moon on the water are both illusory", and the ideal state for tai chi practitioners, "Energy flows as water, while the spirit shines as the moon". Lin interprets this in a choreography that employs the movements of tai chi and has set it to a "Selection from Six Suites for Solo Cello by JS Bach." The inspiration for this work was the River Ganges in India, which he encountered on numerous trips to Bodhgaya.

Lin sees himself as "a struggling soul trying to figure out the path through a maze of every new work". Everyday life, impressions and sentiments that accumulate and settle like dust are his inspirations. "They cry out, demanding to be realised as a work," he says.

Cloud Gate's repertoire is filled with gems like Moon Water. All have roots in Asian myth, folklore and aesthetics, but Lin brings to these old beliefs and stories a contemporary and universal perspective. Intriguingly, the company's two dozen dancers include in their training Tai Chi Tao Yin, meditation, martial arts, Chinese opera movement, modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy. When Lin founded the Cloud Gate Theatre of Taiwan, it was the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking community, and today, it continues to break new ground.

Carmen Mota takes the fiery tradition of flamenco and infuses it with a contemporary vision, and while updating the genre she ensures that it remains true to its traditions. Mota, however, is not doing a balancing act with her choreographies: she is making a decided statement with each beat of the castanet and swirl of the skirt.

The performance Fuego! (October 10 and 11) brings all the traditional fiery rhythms of flamenco to the stage but with a contemporary twist as live flamenco music and vocals meld with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Private Investigations of The Dire Straits among others, to create a new soundscape that is the perfect foil for flamenco's energy and breathtaking movements.

"I wanted to familiarise a wider international audience with flamenco, without alienating those already entranced by traditional Spanish dance," Mota said.

"Therefore I opted for a fusion of choreography with design, lighting and costumes for a different stage.

"I took the liberty of applying techniques used in large-scale productions all over the world, while respecting the key values that make Spanish dance so amazing."

The result is absolutely extraordinary and breathtaking. The first act is a fusion of modern dance and traditional flamenco - a sort of Spain meets Broadway.

The second act shows the traditional side of flamenco, with Mota bringing into play her experience of over 50 years in professional flamenco dance and international entertainment, as well as her feel for a theatrical build-up.

These three choreographers are both the traditional and the contemporary face of dance, and in their creations aficionados will find a fulfilling experience.

Bangkok's 11th International Festival of Dance Music is presented by Bangkok Bank, B Grimm, Bangkok Post, Dusit Thani Hotel, King Power Group, Siam Cement Group, Thai Airways International, Tourism Authority of Thailand and Toyota Motor Thailand Co.

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THE PROGRAMME

Bangkok's 11th International Festival of Dance & Music

Venue: Thailand Cultural Centre

Time: 7:30pm, with an extra 2:30pm show on Sept 26-27

Mon, Sept 7

La Traviata, three-act opera by Moscow Ekaterinburg Theatre

Tickets: 4,000/3,000/2,200/1,700/1,000 baht

Wed, Sept 9

Tosca, three-act opera by Moscow Ekaterinburg Theatre

Tickets: 4,000/3,000/2,200/1,700/1,000 baht

Thur, Sept 10

Symphony Concert by Ekaterinburg Symphony Orchestra

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Fri, Sept 11

Madame Butterfly, three-act opera by Moscow Ekaterinburg

Tickets: 4,000/3,000/2,200/1,700/1,000 baht

Sun, Sept 13

Carmen TV, two-act modern ballet by Kiev Theatre, Ukraine

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Tue, Sept 15

La Forza del Destino, modern opera-ballet by Kiev Theatre

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

!Thur, Sept 17

Punarnava, Indian classical dance by Kathak Kendra

Tickets: 1,500/1,200/1,000/800/400 baht

!Tue, Sept 22 & Wed, Sept 23

Moon Water by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Sat, Sept 26 & Sun, Sept 27

Cinderella on Ice by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Tue, Sept 29

Carmina Burana, contemporary ballet by Spellbound Dance Tickets: 1,500/1,200/1,000/800/400 baht

Thur, Oct 1

"Evening With Jazz" by Starch jazz band from Switzerland and Beets Brothers jazz band from the Netherlands

Tickets: 1,500/1,200/1,000/800/400 baht

Sun, Oct 4

Romeo and Juliet, ballet by Shanghai National Ballet

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Tue, Oct 6

La Sylphide, two-act ballet by Shanghai National Ballet

Tickets: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

Thur, Oct 8

Mariza, world's leading Fado singer, Portugal

Tickets: 2,000/1,600/1,300/1,100/600 baht

Sat, Oct 10 & Sun, Oct 11

Fuego! by Carmen Mota's Flamenco Dance Group, Spain

Tickets: 3,000/2,200/1,700/1,300/600 baht

Fri, Oct 16 & Sat, Oct 17

Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, New York

Tickets: 2,5000/2,000/1,600/1,200/600 baht

- Tickets available from Thai Ticket Major, tel 02 262 3456 or visit http://www.thaiticket major.com (24 hrs).

Relate Search: Taiwan Lin Hwai-Min, Ukraine's Radu Poklitaru, Bangkok's 11th International Festival of Dance & Music, Kiev Modern Ballet Theatre in 2006