posted September 26, 2001 14:01            

09.25.01 - Review
Compagnie Flak (José Navas)
Haman/Navas Project
Salle Ludger-Duvernay, Monument-National
Festival International de Nouvelle Danse

Choreographed and performed by: José Navas
Music: Benjamin Britten, Allan Hovhaness
Cellist: Walter Haman

If you have a friend who likes ballet but is a little unsure about whether they would like contemporary dance, this would be a great show to bring them to. No one is ever naked (although they do remove their shirts and Navas does a quick change on stage), the dancing is recognizable as "dance," the music doesn't have any electronic bleeps and blurps, and the sexual politicking is relatively tame. José Navas and Walter Haman have constructed a soulful piece that focuses on a relationship between two men, allowing a glimpse into their shared world.

The set was simple but lovely. It consisted of a cityscape projected on to the upstage wall with three cables strung horizontally across the span of the stage like the strings of a cello. Chairs were strewn about, suggesting a wind-blown rooftop. José Navas winds and unwinds himself between the taut cables until cellist Walter Haman arrives and picks up one of the chairs in the middle of the performance space and sits with his back to the audience. Haman, a principal cellist with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Italy) and the Napa Valley Symphony (California) plays superbly. Accompanied by Haman, Navas moves to the floor where he twists his arms and body in contorted positions, travelling around the stage in a long arc.

The ardour the two men feel for each other is unmistakable when Navas places one hand over Haman's eyes and the other on his chest, Haman playing all the while. When Haman moves upstage and slowly smokes a cigarette, he makes this request of Navas: "Would you do something for me? Would you wear the red shoes?" Navas obliges and dances a fast, twirling number in red high heels. It's not a drag queen act though; it's as if the shoes belong to Navas in everyday life and they seem perfectly well suited to what he is doing. Navas moves smoothly and effortlessly with clean gestures that are reminiscent of ballet but still maintain a modern quality.

The Haman/Navas Project is a skilled artistic collaboration of seductive chemistry.

Haman/Navas Project

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posted October 06, 2001 09:39            

Jack Anderson reviews briefly in the NY Times (second item):

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For about an hour, José Navas danced while Walter Haman played unaccompanied cello pieces by Allan Hovhaness and Benjamin Britten. The dancing looked thoughtful. The music was melancholy. Marc Parent's lighting remained muted.

There was nothing fancy about this production. Even its title was simple: "Haman/Navas Project (2001)." Nevertheless, it soon became poignant.

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posted February 08, 2002 08:21            

quote:

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Haman/Navas Project comes to town

Navas is back Feb. 12 to 16 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, with a programme of new work, created in collaboration with American cellist Walter Haman. The Haman/Navas Project promises to make "a concert out of dance and a show out of music."

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posted February 17, 2002 13:13            

Two Artists, Connected by the Music
Dancer Jose Navas and cellist Walter Haman find harmony in a fusion of their talents.

By VICTORIA LOOSELEAF

quote:

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Venezuela-born choreographer Jose Navas--the driving force behind Compagnie Flak, the Montreal-based group he founded in 1995--had previously only worked with living composers. As for working with a classically trained musician on stage? No way, said Jose.

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