On the eve of International Women’s Day, renowned Canadian company Ballet BC presents an electric trio of performances led by women Sadler’s Well
On the eve of International Women’s Day, Sadler’s Wells invited BC Ballet, Canada’s premier contemporary ballet company, to present a captivating triple program – one by Emily Molnar (the company’s artistic director), Crystal Pite and Sharon Eyal. Contemplative and impactful, poignant and then electric – the dynamic female-led program reflects Molnar’s commitment to presenting works that demonstrate the role of classical form at the origin of contemporary art. The acclaimed director, choreographer and former performer of The National Ballet of Canada and Frankfurt Ballet – under the direction of contemporary master William Forsythe – took charge of Ballet BC in 2009 and transformed a drab outfit into a vitally focused institution. on creation. “When I got the part, I was told, ‘Emily, it’s about putting bums in the seats,’ and I said, ‘Well, if that’s the case, I’m not going to. not be very good, because I see our audience as thoughtful individuals – whether they have dance experience or not,” she says. “So the urge is to be creative and have a conversation around: Why and how do we dance? And what does that mean for the public today? It’s also about adapting to what comes up. I refuse to to dumb down either the art form that interests me so deeply, or the public.
The opening of the triple ticket is by Molnar 16+ one bedroom, a seductive abstract poem about the nature of time, chaos and the unknown that is subtly informed by the writings of Jeanette Winterson, Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolf. soul, transport Solo, Echo, set to Brahms and Yo-Yo Ma – written by acclaimed Canadian artist Pite (formerly of Ballet BC and Ballet Frankfurt) whose earlier creation, flight model, recently premiered at the Royal Ballet – is the centerpiece of the evening. The haunting work, inspired by Mark Strand’s poem Lines for winter, arouses wonder, before the pace picks up again with Bill by Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal, Sadler’s Wells latest associate artist. A finale that, in Molnar’s words, “is like looking at the past and the future at the same time.”
On tour a trio of works by women…
“I didn’t originally compose it with the idea of presenting an evening of female choreography, but my vision has an overall objective, which is to support women – to support the female voice, whether it is emerging or established, in everything I do – so when these three pieces came to life in the repertoire, it was an opportunity to say to yourself: “Oh, that would make a pretty good program”, before saying: “Oh wow , it’s only women. Isn’t that lovely.
On Ballet BC’s place in the international dance community…
“The company is driven by art. It’s not about doing work for us, but about bringing an idea to our dancers who can go deep and fast in the creative process, and who are really versatile. As you see, there is work cutting edge, and then there is something like Bill, which is walkable and incredibly articulate in the sensory body.
On connecting with humanity through dance…
“I approach dancers above all as human beings, it’s about what they are in the street as well as on stage. As we often discuss, when you play and move past it being an exercise in vanity or identity building, you’re there to share something, and then it’s about the potential of people in below. As a young performer, I remember thinking that if I was going to stand in front of thousands of people and ask them to listen, I had better have something to say. And that is the incredible gift and responsibility of the artist. It’s up to us to absorb as much of it as possible and then bring it back into the act of creativity, the act of doing, so that our art is relevant and connected to humanity and hopefully has a facet capable of reaching people at a different level than other means. So, yes, it’s dance, but it’s also the world and life, and how dance relates to it.
By revisiting past works…
“I originally did 16+ one bedroom in 2013, then completely reworked it in 2016. My point of view as a choreographer, and the philosophy of the company, is that creation is always on the move. You want to work to live and breathe. My wonderful mentor, William Forsythe, taught me that things are always changing – that they can and must. So if you’ve changed and you see [the piece] differently, then change it: let it continue to be what it should be. »
On gender inequality in dance…
“In the world of ballet, you see more of a gap in leadership roles. In contemporary dance, we have an awful lot of companies founded and led by women, as well as many female choreographers. Ballet, by its very nature , is a female-dominated art form – most ballet companies in Canada were founded by women – so I think there’s a lot of room to recognize our talent, because although there is a lot of dancers, how we treat them and how we pay them might be more of a question.
Dance Consortium presents Ballet British Columbia is touring the UK throughout March.
