DEPA | NSW



Sarabande by Jiri Kylian

‘Maybe many of my later works are full of questions more than answers but I find it extremely exciting to be able to come nearer to the question to which I am pretty sure there are no answers.’

Jiri Kylian speaking in a filmed documentary, 1991

Social and Historical Contexts.

Jiri Kylian was born on the 21st of March, 1947 in Prague, capital of the (now) Czech Republic. His Father was a bank manager and his mother was a dancer.

1953 – Enrolled in a school specialising in acrobatics.

1962 – Commenced studying dance at the Prague Conservatorium.

1967 - Awarded scholarship to Royal Ballet School, London.

1968 - Joined Stuttgart Ballet, Germany.

1970 - Choreographed first dance called ‘Paradox.’

1975 - Appointed Artistic co-director of NDT.

1977 - Appointed sole Artistic Director of NDT.

1999 - Resigned as Artistic Director. Now Artistic Advisor and guest Choreographer.

Choreography: see his website for a complete list of works.

Early life.

Czechoslovakia was created in 1918 at conclusion of WW1.The country was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1938 and was occupied by Germans until the end of WW2. It became independent in 1946 only to be invaded by the Soviet Union in 1948 after a coup. The Soviets installed a communist government and so Czechoslovakia became one of many Eastern European countries behind the ‘Iron Curtain‘ of communist domination.

In May 1968 first Paris then all of France became involved in strikes and protests. Originally protesting against a stifling education system, lack of economic prosperity and poor union leadership, about 9 to 10 million workers and students went on strike. Daily headlines showed burning cars in Paris and regular police brutality. The riots ended fairly quickly after big pay rises were offered. This feeling of revolt spread and at the same time a new communist leader in Czechoslovakia - Alexander Dubcek - came to power. He began, cautiously at first, to relax the more odious features of communism (censorship, freedom of speech) and fairly soon, there was talk of the ‘Prague Spring’ and of ‘communism with a human face.’

On 21st August 1968 Soviet tanks rolled into Prague as the Russians put a halt to these reforms and dismissed the government. With reference to the Vietnam War being waged by the USA, one of the most popular items of graffiti of the time played with the words ‘Soviet’ and ‘Vietnam’ to read ‘Czech Sovietnam.’ The crushing of the ‘Prague Spring’ was hugely unpopular and did much to convince the Western World that a meaningful dialogue with the Soviet Union was not possible. Kylian returned to Prague at this time and he joined in the street protests. Realising that he may not be able to leave Prague, he took a train to Stuttgart one week after the arrival of the tanks.

Czechoslovakia did not gain independence until after the fall of communism in 1989. 1

In 1993 it split into 2 countries; The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both joined the European Union in 2004.

Thus, all of Jiri Kylian’s formative years were under a communist regime with its stifling conformity and lack of personal freedoms. Kylian has said, ‘the only colours I remember from my youth are grey, brown and black. And I don’t just mean visual colours; they were also the colours of my feelings. The bleak uniformity imposed upon us was devastating.’ (Lanz.1995, 26)

Long winters with weeks of grey skies would also have contributed to this feeling.

London.

What became known as ‘The ‘Swinging Sixties’ would have been well under way when Jiri Kylian spent his year in London in 1967. He would have had ample opportunity to go and see the Rambert Dance Company (where Christopher Bruce was dancing), the London Contemporary Dance Company under Robert Cohen and the ‘pas de deux couple of the decade’ - Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. Nureyev controversially fled his Russian home when he sought political asylum whilst on tour in Paris in June 1961.

The decade which began in 1960 was characterised by a huge increase in affluence after the austerity of the post war 1950’s. Young people could afford to leave home and spend their new-found wealth on film, theatre, dance, magazines and, in particular, fashion. England’s most successful model ‘Twiggy’ was being photographed by Lord Snowden, recently married to the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret.

His pictures began to appear in a new publishing sensation – the ‘Colour Supplement’ which accompanied the Sunday Times. Other publications were quick to follow.

The availiabilility of oral contraception (which was quickly dubbed ‘The Pill’), the creation of tights and the mini-skirt, the arrival of ‘The Twist’ from the USA which heralded solo dancing at the newly opened clubs meant an extraordinary new freedom for women. Their male friends revelled in long hair, jeans, dark glasses and attempts to look like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones or The Who. Both sexes had the opportunity to smoke marijuana, listen to new music from Pirate Radio Stations broadcasting from offshore ships and both adorned themselves in the new fashions available in Carnaby St, Soho and the Kings Rd, Chelsea.

In 1962 the Western world became close to a nuclear confrontation known as the ‘Cuban Missile Crises.’ In England, the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament fought against the new illogic of ever-increasing nuclear arsenals. The term ‘MAD’ was used in the press. Depressingly accurate, it stood for ‘Mutually Assured Destruction.’

So; many young people, convinced that life could end tomorrow, partied like there was no tomorrow. They belonged to ‘My Generation’ and sang along with The Who:

‘I hope I die before I get old.’

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London was rightly regarded as THE city to be in and Kylian has said that his one year in London was the most important part of his life to date. He said of his time there that he ‘saw everything.’ London must have seemed a huge contrast after the ‘grey oppression’ of Prague and it is easy to imagine him absorbing a heady mixture of experimentation and opportunity driven by urgency.

The European Dance Scene.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s this, of course, varied greatly from country to country but there was an overall renewal of interest in new ballets and modern dance. This was undoubtedly helped by touring Americans such as Merce Cunningham and Twyla Tharp who gave Europeans a taste of what was happening across the Atlantic Ocean.

Soon, Western European countries began to experiment with these ‘new’ aspects of Dance. Spurred on by financial support and, as a result of audience interest, there began what would later be dubbed the ‘European New Wave’ of experimental dance theatre. During Kylian’s last years of being a company member at Stuttgart and coinciding with his commencement at the NDT, some notable choreographers began experimenting and making work. Pina Bausch, Mats Ek, Christopher Bruce, William Forsythe, Maguy Marin and many others contributed to a vibrant ‘new’ dance scene.

It is difficult to summarise the diversity of what was being made and watched but the following ‘traits’ or charcterestics are evident.

1. ‘Blurred lines.’ There was an emphasis on performance and hybridity: it became less and less relevant to ask, ‘Is this dance/music/theatre?’ Dancers sang and acted; musicians moved, bodies were screens for filmic episodes and art galleries were choreographically subverted for performances.

2. Linked to this multi-modal showing was the influence on dance of other dance cultures (African, Spanish, Asian) other physical disciplines (martial arts, acrobatics, circus skills) and other art forms (music, visual arts, lighting, theatre and written text.)

3. Some choreographers began to experiment with what could be termed ‘extreme physicality’ where bodies were pushed literally and metaphorically up to, and beyond, their limit. Others spent hours in rehearsal studios experimenting with their dancers in a never-ending quest to answer the question – ‘I wonder what would happen if .....?’

4. Also evident was an academic approach: many dance makers began to research past dances, bodies, gender, age and ways of working. Accompanying program notes grew longer and more detailed as if to reassure audiences of the intellectual ‘rigour’ of what was to appear on stage.

5. Perhaps inspired by Yvonne Rainer’s ‘NO’ manifesto, choreographers began to say ‘Why Not?’ to new ideas and topics. An atmosphere of ‘Anything Goes’ permeated many rehearsal rooms. Bodies were tied up, suspended from ropes, placed in movable coffins, cross-dressed and even hidden from view at times. Audience expectations were often thoroughly confounded.

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Perhaps Jiri Kylian was inspired by this heady mix of possibilities when he started

NDT 3 for older dancers. At a time when 40 year old dancers were usually considered to be well past their prime (and usefulness) this new small company of superb dancers in their sixties wowed audiences worldwide with their experience, interpretation and skill.

Kylian may well be considered by some to be less extreme than some of his contemporaries but it is not difficult to see the influence of the above in his choices of subject matter, movement and staging.

Jiri Kylian’s Choreography.

What has influenced Kylian? What are the main features of his works?

Music.

Music plays a huge role in Kylian’s work. As a young dance student at the Prague Conservatorium he had to learn to read, write, sing and compose music. One of his early dance creations – ‘Paradox’ - was danced by himself and a partner to a recording of piano music that he had composed, played and recorded. His early works often featured the late Romantic composers, Bartok, Mahler, and Debussy. In subsequent works he used earlier composers such as Haydn, Mozart and J.S. Bach only to widen his choice to include Schoenberg, Janacek, Webern (one of his favourites) and living composers such as Lukas Foss, Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich. As one journalist has said:

‘One thing is certain: that, with Kylian, nothing happens without music.... his choreographies are not only extremely musical; many of them conduct a congenial conversation with the composition.’ (Scheier, 1994. 14)

The sparse economics of Anton Webern’s works allowed Kylian to use what has become one of the choreographic features of his later dances - a small movement occurs at exactly the same time as a small, single sound is played.

Sarabande illustrates Kylian’s wide musical knowledge: a Baroque composer, J.S. Bach, is used both in the original and with an electronic distortion together with the amplified human voice and human body percussion.

Truthfulness, Intelligence and Space.

With the luxury of hindsight it is valid, I believe, to attribute Kylian’s interest in these choreographic features to specific teachers. His website elaborates on his indebtedness to Zora Semberova at the Prague Conservatory whose insistence on ‘Truthfulness’ on stage was clearly important.

Later, at the Stuttgart Ballet, John Cranko inspired Kylian with his policy of supportive relationships within the company and his openness to outside influences.

A major influence followed with Cranko’s appointment of Glen Tetley as a resident choreographer. Tetley not only pioneered a combination of Classical Ballet with Modern Dance but inspired Kylian with his intelligent approach to choreography and his ‘understanding of movement and its relation to space.’ ( Kylian, Website)

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Dance Styles.

Kylian has been influenced by the various dance styles he has seen or studied. Much of his early work shows the influence of Slavic Folk Dance. Sayers writes of the classical technique and neo classical style that Kylian brought from Stuttgart to NDT commenting that his work ‘teems with references to folk dance, which can add another textual level to the dance.’ (Sayers, 2011.212)

From folk to romantic classical and neo-classical he has incorporated jazz ‘whose dynamic, austere and expressive character clearly appealed to him.’(Lanz, 1995.24)

Of course, the NDT is a modern dance company and so it is axiomatic that his work is grounded in, and inspired by, the many pioneers who contributed to the growth of Modern Dance.

A major influence on Kylian was his visit to Australia in 1980 to witness an large Aboriginal gathering and dance event in Arnhem Land. From this he took an abiding interest in the features of the dances of the many Aboriginal cultures he saw.

Taking into account all of the above, it is accurate to describe his style as ‘eclectic.’

A viewer is likely to see smooth, elegant classical lines followed by several sharp, percussive movements which introduce a series of spasms, twitches and jerks before a duet of exquisite beauty segues into a compelling shape only to fall apart.

It seems that anything can happen. And it does!

Diaghilev’s request ‘Astonish me!’ has certainly been taken to heart by Kylian.

(Lanz.1995, 12)

Imagination.

From the mid 1980’s in particular his works show evidence of a fertile imagination. Frequently he refers to the NDT as being like a garden whose borders are small but whose height is limitless to indicate boundless imagination. This imagination is on an endless quest ‘to probe around in the hidden corners of the soul and bring things into the light that usually remain hidden in the darkness.’ (Scheier, 1994.14) Kylian asks himself the ‘big questions’ - What is life? What is dance? What is it to be human?

‘He assigns special importance to the irrationality of life, speaking of senselessness and the coincidences of existence, believing that human comprehension mainly borders on the irrational.’ (Scheier, 1994.15)

‘There is a line in my work which refers to the whereabouts of our existence.... I have no longing for a message or a mission. I believe that the search for characteristics and values which belong to all races of all times is a journey worthy of the effort.’ (Kylian, program notes. Cited by Schaik, 1995.37)

If there is one word that helps explain this major influence on what he makes it is the title of his first dance ‘Paradox.’ A paradox is a seeming contradiction or absurdity, which, on closer examination, expresses a truth. Kylian’s later works abound with paradoxes. ‘No More Play’ shows dancers trapped by the ‘game of life’ - ‘Sweet Dreams’ shows a nightmarish world - can there be such a thing as a ‘Fallen Angel’? The title ‘Bella Figura’ alludes to a paradox; beautiful bodies twitch and contort in their attempts to put on a brave face for the world. 5

Humour.

Occasionally, humour is a dominant feature of a Kylian dance work, ‘Symphony in D’ (1981) and the exuberant ‘Six Dances’ (1986) are obvious examples. Many other dances are more whimsical than funny: perhaps a better word to describe this aspect of Kylian’s output is ‘quirky’ – many dance episodes seem guarenteed to provoke a reaction akin to thinking ‘what on earth is that?

His interest in paradoxes and the absurdity of existence mean that quirky, sardonic, ironic, bizzare moments are very much a feature of his later works.

Distillation.

Kylian has spoken of his dislike for Abstraction; referring instead to his process of ‘economy of means.’

‘Getting to the essence takes a tremendous amount of work; one distils until one gets there. My notebooks are packed with information, designs, associative material. I finally absorb it all, throw it away and begin to choreograph. The material is slowly pared down until a cube emerges that may seem abstract, but that wouldn’t have its particular qualities if one hadn’t drilled down through all the strata to the point in which one was actually interested.’ (Scheier, 1994.15)

This trait of careful preparation and meticulous sifting through images, ideas, music and movement was noted by another dance critic when she commented on a later work, Archimboldo;

‘Kylian’s works are driven by fluent intellect, and by this I mean not only that the movement flows onwards, but that its structure and layering feel as if they are in place after a long process of reasoning, after an objective questioning that has allowed everything extraneous to be pared away.’ (Nugent, A. 1995, 34)

Part of this process of distillation is his liking for objects (such as apples, rococo dresses, and swords) that have multiple symbolic and metaphoric meanings.

Another part is the inclusion of facial expressions and movements and, hand and arm gestures – again, many with multiple associative meanings.

It follows that analysing a Kylian work can be an immensely rewarding detective hunt for ‘hints and allegations’, allusions and associations.

The Black and White Ballets.

‘The opening of the 1988-9 season marked the beginning of a new creative period. Kylian asked himself new questions as well as working out themes that had lain dormant in his mind for some time. This artistic rebirth is unmistakably visible in his fascinating piece No More Play.’ (Lanz, 1995.149)

What followed was a series of dances that later became known as the ‘Black and White Ballets’ primarily because of the abandonment of colour. These dances clearly show several new features of Kylian’s work so it is important that they are viewed together as a group. 6

The Black and White ballets are:

No More Play 1988 These five are currently available

Falling Angels 1989 for purchase on DVD

Sweet Dreams 1990

Sarabande 1990

Petite Mort 1991

Un Ballo 1991

Whereabouts Unknown 1993

Some important features of the above works include:

1. The themes/intentions are generally concerned with life, love, existence...etc.

So, these dances are not necessarily easy to classify in terms of ‘logical meaning.’ The viewer can expect: - symbols, metaphors, paradoxes, questions without answers, contradictions, puzzles and games.

2. The music choices are wide ranging - see above.

3. There is almost no colour, most have no sets, there are few props/objects but when these do occur they are very significant. (Dresses, apples, foils, T shirts.)

4. There is an imaginative and effective lighting design which is often used to hide or reveal dancers and body parts.

In addition, there are certain other specific characteristics:

* The edge of the stage is black and dancers emerge from and disappear into this anonymous blackness.

* There is much use of body percussion - slaps, claps, stamps.

* The pendulum, the arc, the clock are all to be found!

* The concave spine is often used.

* There is a very expressive use of hands, arms and face.

* There are beautiful, sculptural, visually arresting duos, trios and quartets.

* Some lyrical phrases are matched with sharp, angular ones plus movements that seem ‘bizarre’ and ‘out of kilter’ - i.e. twitches, spasms, grimaces, - not necessarily what you would expect to see in a dance.

Sarabande: Brief Analysis and Major Features.

Movement.

Sarabande is characterised by a large number of gestures particularly of face and hands – many of these are either readily recognisable or, suggest meanings. There is less emphasis on locomotion. It seems that the dancers only travel to reach another stage space. There are very few jumps; some turns occur particularly during the last 6 short solos.

Much use is made of symmetrical shapes – many of which are at low level. Angularity and sharpness seem favoured over round and curved shapes. (There is evidence that many dance movements are gender-coded by the spectator. Angularity and sharpness are seen by some as inherently masculine whilst roundness and smoothness seems ‘naturally’ feminine.) 7

There is a particular emphasis on hands, arms, face and facial expression and there is an overall focus on the upper body/torso.

There is an extensive use of vocal sounds which are made by the dancers and electronically amplified. Body percussion features strongly – particularly slaps.

It is important to note that the beginning of the filmed version of this dance shows the rococo dresses seemingly hovering in space whereas the live dance clearly shows these dresses on the stage. Thus; the opening image is of a bare stage with 6 emptly dresses and the accompanying Bach Violin Partita. After approx 1’ 30” a dramatic chord announces the sudden lifting of the dresses to reveal 6 men lying on the floor. It is a particularly startling visual and aural image.

Dynamics.

Much use is made of sudden, quick, percussive movements. Many gestures shift from slow and sustained to staccato and back again. Stillness is frequently used. The main solo is characterised by writhing, wringing gestures emphasised by the fact that the dancer does not locomote. By contrast the last 6 short solos feature fluid, flowing gestures, turns and side to side locomotion.

The overall time use sees lots of short episodes of ‘natural’ (non-metric) rhythms accompanied by voice and body percussion. Much use made of irregular accent and metre. The whole dance sees frequent dynamic changes alternating sustained with percussive.

Space.

Each dancer’s kinesphere is emphasised by his individual placement on stage. There is considerable variation in size from small, intimate gestures to large, extended movements. Most of the time bodies face the front but there are sections where profile is used and occasionally the dancers face the rear of the stage thus emphasising their back. ‘The back is the most important part of the dancer and it can be truly very expressive’ (Kylian. 2001, 47)

The dance features low/medium level movements with high level rarely used.

It appears that pathway is not an important aspect – dancers travel only to get to a new stage space. There is a contrast to this element during the last 6 short solos where use is made of straight line pathways from side to side.

Use is made of the whole stage with each dancer in his own kinesphere in various places. During the main solo the five remaining dancers are on stage right and they use the black curtain as a prop/support. It is noticeable that there are very few instances of any body contact between dancers. For much of the dance all six men move in unison but alone. The viewer may well read ‘conformity’ and ‘isolation’ into this feature.

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Form.

With regard to Kylian’s interest in paradox, contradiction and irrationality, an argument could be made for ‘Collage’ form.

‘While a collage is not necessariliy incongruous or illogical the form certainly lends itself to these possibilities. It will support themes of insanity, dreams, chaos ... While the content and resulting form may appear illogical, it is essential that the form work

as a whole.’ (Blom and Chaplin, 1982, 98.)

Conversely, the opening scene depicting ‘birth’ and the last image of gradually disappearing, laughing faces that turn to crying, almost screaming, could suggest a type of ‘Narrative’ form. The viewer could interpret what happens inbetween these two powerful images as a progression towards oblivion.

[Kylian has always been inspired by the visual arts and, in particular, by Edvard Munch. (Lanz. 1995, 226.) Parallels could be drawn between Sarabande’s very last image and Munch’s most famous painting, ‘The Scream.’]

Visual Effects.

As with each of the first five Black and White Ballets, the stage is bare and is surrounded by black curtains.

The Rococo dresses are used until after approximately 7 minutes when they are raised (containing the T shirts of the dancers!) These same empty dresses are also used in ‘No More Play’, Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Petite Mort’. There are connotations of femininity and church bells whilst their emptiness is bizzare and unsettling.

The dancers are dressed in light T shirts and dark trousers. The dancers remove these T shirts at 5’35” and they become props – with various meanings suggested depending upon how they are used. After the blackout at 10’40” the dancers are revealed with their trousers down around their ankles so these too, become props evoking images of both vulnerability and imprisonment.

The dancer in the main solo moves with a writhing, sinuous control entirely within his own kinesphere as if the dropped trousers anchor him to the spot.

The lighting design helps direct the viewer’s attention to the dancers’ upper bodies. As with all of the Black and White Ballets the lighting is superb and it forms an essential part of the choreography.

There are four blackouts during the dance. These would seem to function to ‘mark’ episodes in the collage but could also be part of an emphasis on ‘dark’ versus ‘light.’

Aural Effects.

The music is the third movement of five in J.S. Bach’s Violin Partita No. 2. Bach named this movement ‘Sarabande’ after the dance of the same name. (See below.)

At time it is electronically altered to provide a soundscape.

During the main solo a dull roar is audible.

There is much use made of the six dancers’ voices electronically amplified. There are screams, yells, clicks, groans, whoops and many more.

Particular use is made of body percussion. There are slaps, claps and stamps. 9

Motifs.

It could be argued that the form of the dance itself functions as a motif: unison movements but in separate, isolated spaces together with the blackouts and episodes could be seen to help portray alienation, isolation and lack of continuity.

The sounds made by the dancers could also be motifs.

It is difficult describing movement accurately in words but the reader may wish to use the following as a starting point to identify some motifs:

* A ‘shhh’ gesture.

* Two hand circling the face.

* The repetition of ‘floppy arms to the side’ around 8’00.”

* Second position symmetry.

* The writhing/wringing dynamic.

* The trousers down around the feet.

* Bare torsos.

A Brief History of the original Sarabande.

This dance has a disputed origin. It may have come from New Mexico to Spain or have begun in Spain itself and then travelled across to the New World only to return.

Contemporary writers observed that it was a lascivious dance where obscene movements and lewd gestures were the norm. In Spain in 1583 a royal edict prohibited the singing of the ‘Zarabanda’ and a few years later the word ‘Sarabande’ was used to refer to a woman of poor reputation.

During the latter part of the 1500’s and first two decades of the 1600’s it was gradually adopted by the courts of Western Europe where it became gentrified, sedate, polite and socially acceptable, ending up as one of the ‘Pre Classic Dance Forms.’ (Lockhardt and Pease, 1982. 159)

During the 1600’s the royal courts of Western Europe all featured dancing as an essential part of court life and political advancement. The Sarabande would have been danced alongside the Bouree, Gavotte, Pavanne ... etc.

J.S. Bach wrote his Second Partita for Violin around 1720. The dances at court had gradually shifted to ‘dances on stage’ and more extended scenarios and plots were to be seen around 1720. However, the music for the pre classic dance forms became known as a ‘suite’ and several composers continued to write in this style.

Interpreting Sarabande.

Black and White Ballets.

Sarabande has been rightly viewed as belonging to a group of seven dances all of which share some similar characteristics so, any valid reading of this dance must take into account the other six ‘Black and White Ballets.’ As mentioned above, the first five of these are commercially available on DVD. Kylian’s website gives some still photographs of ‘Un Ballo’ and approximately 10’ of the 42’ of ‘Whereabouts Unknown’ may be viewed on this website. 10

The Black and White Ballets are all part of Kylian’s choreographic quest for meaning in an irrational world. Their overall themes are: The Game of Life, Life’s Big Questions such as ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What happens after death?’ ‘What is life all about?’ ‘What is the difference between dreams and reality?’ Specific to Sarabande is the topic of Masculinity and the question, ‘What does it mean to be a man in today’s society?’

Contemporary Masculinity.

There is compelling evidence in the Western World that to be born male is statistically disadvantageous. In Australia, most youth suicides are male and the gaols are full of men. Many more men than women abuse alcohol and are killed or injured in road accidents.

Girls are increasingly winning the academic prizes at school. They have traditionally been better at English and the Humanities and they are now beginning to beat the boys at Maths and the Sciences. When a marriage breaks up it is usually the woman who leaves and, once separated, it is usually the woman who copes better with a single existence. Life expectancy for men is roughly six years fewer than for women.

This paper is not the appropriate place to investigate this problem in any depth. There are dozens of books and journal articles on the subject. One author, Biddulph, lists the underlying problem of being male as, ‘loneliness, compulsive competition and lifelong emotional timidity’. (1995, 4) This timidity is such that one could argue that many men are emotional cripples with the caring, feeling, nurturing part of their brains forever stunted.

For many men, the above compulsive competition, loneliness and emotional timidity leads to a façade of show, fake confidence and bravado – in other words – to

‘Macho Man.’

Here is an essential paradox: from vulnerability springs aggression. Anger masks fear, and deep within Macho Man is Miserable Man.

Kylian’s Sarabande contains many gestures, sounds and movement phrases that allude to the above problematic situation affecting many men.

(Much of the material in this section is from The Men’s Movement a keynote presentation by the writer at the 7th International Dance and the Child Conference. July- August 1997. Kuopio, Finland. (Spurgeon, 1997. 8-17.)

The Main Solo.

Lanz, who wrote a comprehensive biography of Kylian in 1995, states that ‘the essense of Sarabande is concentrated in one particular solo. Kylian choreographed it for Jean Emile, an athletically built black dancer with a beautiful technique and enormous charisma.’ (1995, 193.)

This solo is the longest of the nine solos and there is a deliberate focus on the soloist alone with the other five dancers providing a unison backgound sequence on stage right. Instead of Bach’s Partita or the sounds made by the cast, a dull roaring is audible.

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During this solo his trousers are around his ankles and this literally restricts his ability to move from the spot. Thus placed, the trousers suggest ‘hobbling’ which refers to fastening the legs together to prevent free motion. Horses can be hobbled by a fetter: a metal bar or a rope tied around their legs and, in 1911, there was a brief fashion item called the ‘Hobble Skirt’ which featured a tight lower ankle length rim – so tight that it hobbled the wearer by severly limiting mobility.

The trousers also suggest the inhumane practice of fitting leg irons to captives in order to prevent free motion.

Metaphorically, the position of his trousers can evoke the phrase ‘to be caught with your pants down’ which means to be vulnerable and at a disadvantage.

There is a major paradox here:

The movements made by the dancer seem to convey control, power, sensuality and dominance and yet he is simultaneously shown as limited and defenceless.

Lanz states, ‘Never before has Kylian put the spotlight on male dancers to this extent –exposing their virile beauty and splendour, their vulnerability and their apprehensive insecurity.’ (1995, 193.)

This solo presents images of confinement and Lanz also alludes to Michelangelo’s ‘prisoners’ images: those unfinished sculptures that showed parts of bodies seemingly trapped in marble. Kylian himself has likened his choreography to Michelangelo seeing what is already there in the marble and just ‘scraping away the unnecessary bits.’

(Kloos. 1991, 60)

Summary.

On the background of Bach’s Sarabande, Jiri Kylian is continuing his search for answers to a simple question asked by children: ‘Why?....’ Simple structures, banal situations, visions of dreamlike episodes, flashbacks, fractured motorics of dance and pantomime; they are all ingredients of this choreographic ‘cookery’ and ensure that the question will never be answered.’ (Sarabande: Program note.1996)

‘I am also painfully aware of the fact, that whatever we do or make is doomed to disappearance, and that our “Planet Earth” will be burnt to ashes and then frozen to death and finally will become a totally insignificant dwarf within the universe.’

(Jiri Kylian in the Introduction to his website: )

I believe that it is valid to assume that Sarabande represents the pretence and façade of masculinity within the context of the irrationality and absurdity of modern existence. Amongst its major features are the contrasts of opposites (movement and stillness, sound and silence, light and dark) and some of the paradoxes inherent in modern masculinity.

David Spurgeon 2014

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References.

Bach, J.S. Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor. Sarabande. BWV 1004.

Biddulph, S, 1994, Manhood, Finch, Sydney.

Blom,L.A. and Chaplin, L.T. 1982, The Intimate Act of Choreography, UPP, Pittsburgh.

Board of Studies NSW, 1999, Dance Stage 6 Syllabus, BOS, Sydney.

Hulscher, H. 1991, ‘Jiri Kylian Choreographer,’ NOS-TV/RM ARTS Co-Production.

Broadcast on SBS 1991

Kloos, H. 1991, ‘Jiri Kylian; Three’s Company,’ Dance Magazine, June 1991, p56-60.

Kylian, J, in Guzzo Vaccarino, E, 2001, Jiri Kylian, L’EPOS, Palermo.

Translated from the Italian.

Kylian, J,

Lanz, I, 1995, A Garden of Dance: A Monograph on the Work of Jiri Kylian, NDT,

Amsterdam.

Lockhardt, A.S. and Pease, E.E. Modern Dance, W.C. Brown, Iowa.

Melbourne Arts Festival, 1996, NDT Program Note, Playbill, Melbourne.

My Generation, 1965, Single, Brunswick, UK, Written by Pete Townsend,

Sung by ‘The Who.’

Nugent, A, 1995, ‘Archimboldo’ Dance Theatre Journal, Vol 12, No 1, p 34.

Sayers, L. A. 2011, ‘Jiri Kylian,’ in Bremser, M. and Sanders, L. (Eds)

Fifty Contemporary Choreographers, Routledge, London.

Schaik, E.V. 1995, ‘Master of Ceremonies, Seeker of Truths,’

Ballet International/Tanz Aktuell. Oct 1994. p14-17.

Spurgeon, D. 1997, ‘The Men’s Movement.’ Keynote presentation, 7th International

Dance and the Child Conference. July- August 1997. Kuopio, Finland.

The Book of Common Prayer.

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