Every piece performed on stage answers to different patterns and languages, therefore, it is adapted to the times in which it is performed. Last May 11th, we could witness the world premiere of Consagración (Rite) by Danza Contemporánea de Cuba (Contemporary Dance of Cuba), based on The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinski, this time choreographed by the duet Cristophe Beránger and Jonathan Pranlas-Descours, with in the celebrations of the month of the French culture in Cuba.
Young Stravinski, around 1910, had already showed some credentials to write ballet music, reason for which Serguéi Diáguilev had requested his talent for the performances of Petrushka and L'Oiseau de feu in 1910 and 1911 respectively, and in 1913, he managed to have the premiere with the original music of The Rite of Spring.
On the night of Friday, May 11th, we faced a coherent choreography from beginning to end. Dancers full of energy, talent and skilled enough toper form with dexterity, resistance and refinement, a difficult polyrhythmic choreography, similar to what Stravinski proposed in the musical score. There was a clear translation through movement and gestures of Stravinski´s proposal and what the choreographers thought.
In a good way, the costume design made by the choreographers themselves together with Vladimir Cuenca contributed to the effort, as well as the lights design by Olivier Bauer, trying to keep away from being the star, but only an intimate part of each of the elements of this unit, that was like an eclectic well settled block.
However, it is necessary to have the music serving the performance in order to achieve a perfect mechanism, and in this case, there was not a perfect balance. You have to understand music from its roots and then internalize itin order to bring it to the contemporary times later, like this last version we are referring to.
The forte dynamics in the piecemust not be turned into a sonorous shrillness trying to create some effects, besides the care we should always have while playing interwoven lines in pieces of rough but cantabile textures.
Like wise, the most noble and melodic parts must have their own lines in order to achieve the multicolor sonorous palette proposed by the composer. For the sensitive or specialized audience, the ear must go together with the eye, hence the care in the visual and sonorous balance.
During the performance we could also enjoy other two pieces Más allá del polvo (Beyond Dust), choreographed by Miguel Altunaga, and Equilux by Fleur Darkin, both with their own languages and very well performed by our main company of contemporary dance, which grows and is fruitful every day.
Translation by Alberto Morales
