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Sadler's Wells, London, 15 - 19 November
1115# Rambert 19 Nov
By Barbara on Fri, 13 January 2012 at 08:37:01 AM
I am an avid Sadlers Wells goer and have seen Rambert many times and have always been wowed - until this performance. I found the choreography for the first 2 pieces to be boring and old fashioned. The 2nd piece was totally lost on me - perhaps because I am older than 10. I was left very dissappointed and wondering whether I will go to future Rambert performances.
1089# Sadler's Wells programmed
By Teresa Guerreiro on Mon, 26 December 2011 at 08:25:31 PM
An amazing group of dancers were well served by the Merce Cunningham piece that started the programe and the new Javier the Frutos - and intense, disquieting work that promised much and never disappointed. But in the middle was a vacant and vacuous piece, Seven for a Secret... that never really got anywhere and fell into the grotesque trap of having grown ups acting like children for no discernable purpose. What a let down! Those dancers deserve much better.
1088# Rambert
By Julie on Thu, 22 December 2011 at 10:13:58 AM
None of this work was going anywhere... I come as often as I can to Sadler's Wells, But for the first time I really didn't enjoy the show. It felt like a waste of talents. Many dancers were stunning, but it could not save the poor quality of the choreographies, the lack of ideas and stories.
I used to think that money spent for a ballet at Sadler's was always money well spent. But I certainly won't take the risk again with the Rambert company.
1087# Sadler's Wells, 17th November 2011
By Derek Lee on Wed, 21 December 2011 at 10:15:17 AM
Personally I did not like Rainforest, that type of dance/music in my book will be an experiment gone to far. I think it is a piece that you either love or hate, sadly it was the latter
Seven secrets appeared initially to be better. Maybe it was because of sitting through rainforest that I became picky. At first I enjoyed this bright and breezy romp, but I kept on waiting for something special to happen. I am not a dancer, so for all I know it may have been a technically demanding piece done effortlessly but unfortunately I don't think that was the case. Maybe I have been spoilt this year watching the Beijing Dance Theatre and Tao Dance theatre but I kept asking myself why on the occasions when dancers were not in sync or appeared to miss the musical clues? Was it by design or accident or the angle of my seat in the stalls, more than likely it was just weak rehearsals. It was with some trepidation that I took my seat for the last piece of the evening. The set was fantastic, then the narration began, the male southern accent very quickly reverted to the dancers native English and who ever thought through it was a good idea to have a dancer narrate whilst trying to catch their breath, have the not heard of actors or voice overs. Other than that little annoyance I thought it was excellent and made up from sitting what had gone from before. I felt the repetition of the same movements were necessary to take you to the climax.It was violent as someone previously mentioned, but it needed to be, simialr to the agtessiveness in Grupo's work earlier in the season. An almost perfect end to a previously disappointing evening. Not sure if I would go out of my way to see Rambert Dance company again unlike the others I mentioned.
1086# Rambert's latest
By Anna on Mon, 19 December 2011 at 05:04:00 PM
A disappointing evening. Seven for a Secret was pleasant enough but, despite the quality of the dancing, the other two ballets were either boring or positively unpleasant.
Anna
1085# Does not really know what it is...
By Richard on Sun, 18 December 2011 at 07:27:11 PM
I love contemporary dance, i like ballet, and my girlfriend trained at Rambert school, so I should have liked the performance 15-19th, but unfortunately for me the three pieces were neither one nor the other and left me cold. Beautiful (ballet) dancers but generally unflattering choreography and uninspiring (typically classical) music. Sorry but contemporary dance should and can and usually does offer so much more than this - see latest piece from Sydney Dance Company at Southbank which was just breathtaking (i would go as far as to say southbank is streets ahead in selecting contemporary performances). I would LOVE Rambert to educate their generally classical audience at Saddlers with some PROPER contemporary dance - i know you could do this because i know what you teach - but I do get the feeling (having seen Rambert about 4 times now, and probably the last) you stick to "safe", which is a pity.
1084# Rambert
By Lorna C on Sun, 18 December 2011 at 10:41:13 AM
The 3 dances created a real contrast. The final dance was very powerful and stunning. The 2nd about the children was beautiful to watch. I look forward to moew from Rambert
1083# Rambert
By Charlotte on Sun, 18 December 2011 at 09:58:46 AM
Dancing was terrific but the choreorgraphy didn't inspire. Dancers were wonderful, they brought an emotional inflection to Rain Forest that transformed my experience of it. Secrets was mystifying and unrewarding. Elysian Fields was interesting in patches.
1082# Seven for a secret
By Sylvia on Sun, 18 December 2011 at 08:10:16 AM
Well I thought it was just me! We were so disappointed. Rain Forest was dated, Seven for a Secret just didn't go anywhere. It was a really good concept which in the hands of New Adventures would have been thoroughly developed. I know how much it costs to choreograph a new dance so this felt like a huge waste and real laziness. Elysian Fields after the tension and pathos of Metamorphosis that we had seen was too long and failed to grip emotionally. We are debating about booking for further Rambert. For us it is Akram Khan and Matthew Bourne.
1081# Jasmine & Rambert
By Paul Holland on Sat, 17 December 2011 at 07:55:14 PM
Firstly, I read your comment Jasmine and thought...awe! - You are not alone. Secondly the feedback from all is united in its overall verdict and specific about each act. Noting the controversy of act 3 which if matured and of a suitable length might have something more poinient to deliver to say in some future event. Also noting that out of the 8 performance I went to in the latter 6 months of last year this was the only one that really disappointed. Sadlers still remains the top choice for me.
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