LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYZ
Conquering the globe with appearances on stage and screen, BalletBoyz is one of the most audaciously unique and groundbreaking influences in modern dance. The distinctive style merges remarkable dance, both robust and nimble, with music and film. The UK company’s 2014 U.S.A. tour doesn’t make a lot of stops, but they are slamming into downtown for three performances only November 7-9, 2014 at the Ahmanson Theatre, a much more intimate venue for dance than the Dorothy Chandler, where Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center usually hosts visiting companies.
The program consists of two extended, virtuosic modern dance works, both of which premiered in 2013 at Sadler Wells. “Serpent,” choreographed by Liam Scarlett (who was made The Royal Ballet’s first Artist in Residence in November 2012) is set to a symphonic, haunting score by UK composer Max Richter. Ten shirtless men, lithe and sinuous in buff-colored tights, display a cross between exquisite poetry and visceral strapping power.
Choreographed by Russell Maliphant (winner of the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography), the equally mesmerizing “Fallen” is accompanied by a percussive score by French cinema composer Armand Amar. Expect more grace and power along with allusions to paramilitary movement, and boosts and drops that have a dream-like quality. Both works feature astoundingly inventive lighting by Michael Hulls.
The exceptional young dancers (known as “The Talent”) were handpicked to perform in this tour by Artistic Directors and former Royal Ballet lead dancers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, who founded the popular company in 2001. The men, aged 18-25, are from diverse dance backgrounds. They do, however, share one thing in common: stunningly brawny good looks.
The London Observer wrote, “BalletBoyz is a title Nunn and Trevitt never much wanted. But it’s stuck to them like glue ever since, in 1999, the two of them made a video diary for Channel 4 about life in the Royal Ballet, and somebody somewhere in the TV company decided that the project needed ‘youth’ appeal. Fourteen years and countless productions later, they’re certainly not boys, and their 10-strong, all-male company, The Talent, doesn’t do ballet. Instead, it does 21st-century choreography with a muscular and occasionally dangerous edge. If Nunn and Trevitt have changed the dance landscape, it’s … because they understand how to present new work in a way that makes it accessible and exciting.”
photos by Panos
BalletBoyz
Glorya Kaufman Presents
Dance at The Music Center
Ahmanson Theatre, 245 N. Grand Ave.
Friday, November 7 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 8 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 pm
for tickets, call (213) 972-0711
or visit www.musiccenter.org
for more info, visit www.BalletBoyz.com