Something interesting is showing at Auditorium Theater this weekend. I say interesting because it’s one of the few words I can think of to sum up the Joffrey ballet’s fall program ‘Human Landscapes.’ Comprised of three pieces, Forgotten Land, Pretty BALLET and The Green Table, Human Landscapes explores the human spirit, interpreting life, relationships, romance, and death, in the most interesting of ways.
The first performance, Forgotten Land, was inspired by a painting of women on a beach by Edvard Munch. This piece is supposed to ‘invoke treasured memories of lost homelands, lost lovers and lost time.’ It’s difficult to watch a ballet portraying a painting when one has never seen the painting. And while the dancers were beautiful, I did not get the impression that the choreographer obviously was trying to convey, though I am not an interpreter of ballet or art. It was an interesting piece to say the least, but I had high hopes for the next piece, Pretty BALLET.
I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine a ballet. Any ballet. And now picture the dancers dancing that ballet. Have an image in your mind? If you do, it’s most likely that Pretty BALLET is a pretty accurate representation of your imagination. The performance delivers what its name promises; it is a pretty ballet. The curtain opens and dancers in long tutus stand surrounded by mist, a beautiful dancer with red shoes held in the air, and the women twirl and the men leap; oh what a pretty thing. The ballet is a perfect combination of femininity and masculinity that explores ‘the subject of ballet itself as a balance between romantic ideals and industrious principles.’ Interesting, I guess I am getting better at interpreting ballets.
And finally, like any good tv marathon, the show you want to see is always at the end. The final performance in the evening, The Green Table, was by far the standout performance of the evening for the Joffrey. First premiering in 1932, The Green Table is a rather dated piece, but one that still resonates with audiences. It starts and ends with, what else, a green table. Humorous caricatures of diplomats gather around the table bickering and disputing and until –bang—they incite a war. There enters the character of death, beautifully performed by Fabrice Calmels, which ‘takes’ victims of the war from on and off the battlefield, sometimes in a passionate way, others in a harsh, cruel way. This is the one performance that does not require a whole lot of interpretation, but one that requires thought and appreciation for the ballet as a whole as a representation of death and war.
An interesting evening of ballet awaits you in Human Landscapes. It’s a much more modern, angular fall production, and if you are not a fan of modern ballet, this performance might not be the best for you. However, if you are in the mood for an interesting evening, Human Landscapes shows through October 28th at the Auditorium Theater.
