This programme at the Linbury was part of the Dance Umbrella event held in London in October. It was a triple bill of dance dedicated to the centeneary of Merce Cunningham's birth and culminating with a piece choreographed by MC himself. This last, Sounddance, featured eight dancers from CCN - Ballet de Lorraine who emerged from a laong curtain along the back of the stage. Draped in the same apricot colour as the dancers' tops, the stage created a harmonious look that contrasted with the disharmony of the music by David Tudor. It was a splendid end to a splendid evening. I've no idea if there was any meaning of if it was purely abstract but it was certainly a feast to watch.
Sounddance followed the spectacular For Four Walls, also featuring dancers from CCN - Ballet de Lorraine. This involved probably twenty dancers with the stage reduced by a half hexagon of mirrors that gave three reflections of them and the audience. This was incredibly effective in creating a theatrical effect. Dancers came and went, sometimes in great swirls like a flock of birds. All this to a dramatic piano with the dramatic pianist - Vanessa Wagner - playing a piece by MC's partner, John Cage.
Finally, or firstly, we had then trio that comprise Compagnie Amala Dianor, including Amala Dianor himself. The piece, Somewhere in the middle of infinity, was thoroughly contemporary - AD himself having been a hip hop dancer. The three conveyed well the feeling of three young men 'united somewhere in the midst of infinity.'
All in all, a great evening that was accompanied by an educational and illuminating programme.
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