The opening act, Para-Dice, of the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve was a shock. It was not at all what I was expecting. In fact I would go so far as to say it was not at all ballet. Perhaps not even dance as I know it. Or movement if one limits the body to what one knows it is able to do. This piece choreographed by Saburo-Teshigawara was most definitely something new. That “newness” begins with the music selection, a minimalistic exercise in high pitches. As difficult to listen to, as it was, perhaps, to dance to; the music created a haunting, reverberating environment of another world for the dancers. That essence was deftly interpreted by the choreography and costumes. Teshigawara created a dynamic day-glow installation of modernity. The piece summed the future up and at the same time reminded us that the future is a part of us, now. The exaggerated movements of the dancers’ bodies combined with perfectly subtle or stark costumes added to the effect of the unknown. It was all very new, however importantly incorporated elements of reality. For example while many of the dancer’s movements were motions or series of motions that one never thinks to make, the fact that they were human and that a lot of these bizarre movements were built upon a basis of the body made the experience more realistic. I was most impressed with the dancers themselves, for the precision of their work and the elaborate dance sequences they gracefully performed. It was an impressive feat, however perhaps not as enjoyable as it could have been. Yet must all dance be enjoyable? For the dancer or the audience? I was impressed with the freshness of this act, the dancers are skilled and well trained and the work they are doing is beautiful, though sometimes strange.
~ H. Phoebe d’Heurle