MONTPELLIER DANSE (FR)
JUNE 22-28, 2009

Festival los Veranos en la Villa/Matadero Theater, Madrid (ES)
July 2, 2009

Montpellier Danse combines the blissful weather of the south of France with an excellent swath of dance companies from young and experimental through experienced and traditional (not necessarily in those pairings!).  Originally confined to a few theatres in the old centre, Montpellier Danse now programs in venues around the Languedoc-Rousillon region (thankfully providing bus transport for professional visitors).  In its 29th edition this summer, it was laying a little low in order to spring a grand 30th anniversary event in 2010.  Nonetheless, there were plenty of performances and a good number of colleagues with whom to discuss them afterwards over a glass of the regional rosé.  As the website says, Montpellier Danse is “Un paradis pour les amoureux de la danse.”

Among the artists performing that last week of June were a number of French companies. Local choreographer Didier Théron teamed up with former Trisha Brown dancer Keith Thompson on Democratic Combine, shown outdoors.  The two are somewhat hampered by costumes filled with air – kind of fat suits – that provide comical balance problems.  The high winds at the opening performance added to the challenge.  Yet the piece has a deeper layer, an investigation of teamwork and collaboration.  The Bagouet Studio in the Choreographic Centre is an excellent black box space (when its skylights are covered – a light-filled rehearsal studio when they’re open) that seats about 150 and has a stage that is more than 15m deep (green again…).  David Wampach and Héla Fattoumi/Eric Lamoureux presented work there that questioned identity – Wampach’s Auto looking at gender issues and illusion while Fattoumi/Lamoureux’s Manta explored the role the veil plays for Muslim women.
Angelin Preljocaj (whose Empty Words, parts 1 and 2, was seen at DDF 2008) performed a tour de force solo for himself inspired by and incorporating the text of Jean Genet’s Le Funambule.  At the intimate Opéra Comédie, a stunning set and gorgeous lighting enhanced the work’s power.  American choreographer Stephen Petronio (seen at IDFI in 2004) created Tragic/Love, a full-company work for the Ballet de Lorraine based on letters written to the Juliet Foundation, in Verona.  Yes, people actually seek advice on love-related problems from Shakespeare’s famous character!  Brazilian choreographer, Bruno Beltrão, and his company, Grupo de Rua, presented H3, an astounding and sophisticated piece, which was based on but not stuck in hip-hop vocabulary.

Of course, there were many more I missed – Emanuel Gat, Raimund Hoghe, Vera Mantero, Mark Morris, Filiz Sizanli and Mustafa Kaplan….  I always leave vowing to stay longer NEXT year!

The following week I took an overnight trip to Madrid to see an exquisite programme presented by the Baryshnikov Arts Center that had been touring in Europe.  Three Solos and a Duet were performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna, both riveting.  Two of the four pieces (the duet, Place, and Solo for Two (danced primarily by Laguna with a cameo by Baryshnikov) were choreographed by Mats Ek.  These works brought out both the depth of the performers’ technical virtuosity and their confident and elegant stage presence.  The other two solos, performed by Baryshnikov, were Alexei Ratmansky’s Valse-fantasie and Years Later by Benjamin Millepied.  The latter charmingly incorporated film of the young Baryshnikov, ebullient in his adolescent physicality, observed by his older persona.

The Teatro Matadero, on the grounds of an old slaughterhouse just a few Metro stops from the centre of Madrid, is part of a fascinating cultural facility.  And the 38° sunny weather was a real treat for 24 hours after the thunderstorms in Dublin the previous night!