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Paris Opera Ballet in Mats Ek's "Appartement" by Michael Montgomery
The work is constructed in eleven uninterrupted scenes, each representing a different room or reality, the bathroom, the television, the kitchen, the march of the vacuum cleaners, just to give you an idea; Ek has ideas in abundance. The "salle de bains" starts as a solo for Marie-Agnés Gillot where Mats Ek’s use of the language of the mundane, immediately displays his genius. The patting movements accompanying the ritual of the "toillette"; never separated from the dance, the deep subconscious interior relationship with the objects surrounding us. All phantasmagorically brought to light in this work. The painted front Opéra curtain is lifted to reveal
another reality, with an identical Opéra curtain further
upstage, this technique is subsequently used throughout the ballet
to define new spaces. "Le Passage Pietons" is a space Ek names specifically in the programme notes, as the space just in front of the bistro Mistral, beside the Théâtre de la Ville. Where he spent much time observing people over the years. It was here the piece exploded in an energetic melange of athleticism, gesture, vocalization and human force, which set my solar plexus buzzing; a sensation that did not leave till hours later. This was followed by an extraordinary kitchen pas de deux, danced by Clairemarie Osta and Kader Belarbi, it was here that his expression of mundane reality won me. Steeped in the suppression of the domestic condition, the role playing inherent in the normal family context, this duet is rather sad, the antagonists always connecting in a frustration or not connecting at all ; at the same time she is preparing dinner in an oven. The duet ends shockingly, with the wife producing the smoking baby to serve to her husband. Perhaps the comic highlight of the evening was The March of the Vacuum Cleaners. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes Mats Ek. Kicking off with Gillot and her Hoover, the stage is soon wittily ablaze with an army of housewives on the march. You have to see this to believe it. Ek uses an almost Irish Dance vocabulary to hilarious effect. I think, it’s his answer to Riverdance. A little later comes the Grande Pas de Deux, danced by Nicolas Le Riche and Celine Talon. For this a door is used and we realize it is an encounter, she is the visitor - he is receiving. This was a universal encounter which could have taken place in any time or location in the world. A complete witness to an encounter between two bodies and two souls, I will go as far as to say, a work of genius ; Le Riche was superb, a phenomenon of our time and Talon captured Ek’s essence entirely. This leads us to the "Barrières de Protection", where emergency barrier tapes are spread criss-crossing the stage which is left to the band, Fleshquartet : whom we have realized have been providing the music, live, from behind the final upstage barrier. They certainly give good dance music. And by the ensuing Finale you remember what great dance, executed by perhaps some of the greatest dancers existent on the planet, looks and feels like. The without doubt IKEA like decor and the costumes were effective - 100% , and designed by Peder Freiij. The exemplary lighting, executed by Eric Berglund. I predict a long shelf life for this work of art, for it is no doubt that – an incredible, honest testament of the human condition. Created by a living genius.
Please join a discussion of this performance in our forum. Edited by Azlan Ezaddin. |
The
orchestra pit was raised to dance on at the Paris Opera, not
a common occurrence there, for the eagerly awaited world premiere
of Mats Ek’s, "Appartement". With merely a bidet
placed on this extension into the audience, we were plunged into
the intimacies of the human existence in a raw, observant and
breathtakingly intense form – living will never be the same
again.