The modern dance world is becoming progressively more experimental, as lighting design and technology advances and enhances designers', choreographers' and dancers' abilities to create powerfully emotional and moving works. Several artists and dancers continue to push the limits of their minds and bodies, such as choreographers Martha Clarke and Russell Maliphant, and dancers Sylvie Guillem and Diana Vishneva.
Martha Clarke, is an American avant garde choreographer and director who was so inspired by Hieronymous Bosch, that in 1984 she created an original work that pushed the boundaries of theatre, music, dance, and aerial dance (and flying). This work was based on Bosch's famous triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights, which is symbolic of the evil of life's temptations. This work was re-presented in 2007, to open the 30th American Dance Festival, and was again presented in a re-imagined version to audiences in an off-Broadway production from November 2008 through April 2009. Paintings are very influential to the choreographer, and her other works are also inspired by the visual arts. To view a short video of her work inspired by Bosch, please click on the link below.
Martha Clarke's The Garden of Earthly Delights:
Sylvie Guillem and Diana Vishneva are two world class professional classical ballerinas who act as muses for choreographers like Russell Maliphant, helping them to visualize and explore their creativity through prescribed movement. Sylvie was recently featured in Maliphant's Eonnagata, which is based on the life of the spy the Chevalier d'Eon, who was possibly the first transvestite spy who dressed as a woman to further his duties in spying for Louis XV, doing so until the day he died. The director was Robert Lepage, and the costume designer was non other than the late incomparable visionary, Alexander McQueen. Much of the choreography is enhanced by stunning and at times confrontational lighting designs, and some of which is clearly inspired by the Japanese dance movement Butoh. Butoh is a performance movement that has no set style, and allows for a variety of diverse images and environments to be created through movement. Butoh first appeared after WW2, as a rejection of the West's modern dance and also of Japan's famous Noh theater. To see more of Sylvie Guillem and an art video based on Butoh dance, please click the links below.
Sylvie Guillem in "Eonnagata"choreographed by Russell Maliphant, directed by Robert LePage with costume designs by Alexander McQueen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyVJUS_YT1k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdjAbhZi-QU
Alexander Mc Queen's retrospective tribute show, "Savage Beauty", from the Met:
http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/video/
Alexander Mc Queen's retrospective tribute show, "Savage Beauty", from the Met:
http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/video/
Butoh art video:
Diana Vishneva is the prima ballerina for the Kirov, and she worked with Moses Pendelton on the choreographic piece F.L.O.W.. Pendelton is a dancer, choreographer and artistic director of MOMIX, which he formed in 1981. His works often feature acrobatics and dance poses that appear to be moving figurative sculptures. Please click the links below to see more of his work with Ms. Vishneva, as the first is a slide show of pictures from the work, Beauty in Motion: F.L.O.W (For the Love of Women):
Diana Vishneva in Moses Pendelton's F.L.O.W.:
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