Compagnia Aterballetto dances to Igor Stravinsky at McCarter Theatre.
By: Pat Summers
Three puppets come to life long enough to enact a tale of unrequited love: P. loves the Ballerina who loves the Moor. Love and violence mesh in the story of Petroushka.
Accompanied by their attendants, a bride and groom prepare for their wedding in a strangely joyless way. Marriage appears to have more to do with duty than with passion in Les Noces (The Wedding).
Both stories will be dramatized in dance to the music of Igor Stravinsky by Italy’s Compagnia Aterballetto at McCarter Theatre Nov. 2. In their American premiere, the dances have been re-imagined for the 21st century by Mauro Bigonzetti, the company’s acclaimed artistic director.
A few years ago, anticipating this Stravinsky evening, Mr. Bigonzetti, head of the company since 1997, re-thought the two stories with Nicola Lusuardi, the troupe’s dramatic supervisor. Their working notes indicate the pair saw the works as "profoundly different," and yet, and yet…
Even though Petroushka springs from folklore and Les Noces is decidedly allegorical, they seemed to share "a limited situation of love that walks on the doorstep of ambivalence and risks the borderline of violence." The question became one of how to handle disparate story lines yet with some emotions in common in just one evening of dance.
For Les Noces, Mr. Bigonzetti and Ms. Lusuardi struggled over what might be said about weddings in this cynical and divorce-ridden century. They concluded that "love duly accepts the wager to eternalize itself (as in ’til death do us part’)" along with all the possible risks. For them, the dance intends to show both a belief in the existence of eternal love and "being duty-bound to tell it to others by getting married."
Petroushka involves circles within circles, beginning with its three main characters being only puppets at a fair or are they? In an off-stage life, desire, seduction, jealousy and violence reign, ending in the death of Petroushka at the hands of the Moor. The tale shows us "how much the fascination that is exerted on us by an object is an ambivalent jumble of erotic and overwhelming pulsions," write Mr. Bigonzetti and Ms. Lusuardi.
To Stravinsky’s musical representation of the two stories composed for Serge de Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in the early 20th century Aterballetto will bring its color and drama, along with the signature style it has become known for in appearances around the world.
Mr. Bigonzetti’s Les Noces production in static black and white suggests the submissive, disciplined nature of the ceremony that makes the relationship official. "Is this trip really necessary?" lovers might ask.
In his Petroushka, he transforms the Russian Harlequin of Folkine’s original choreography into a marginal young man dressed in camouflage pants and black T-shirt. The Ballerina is a Barbie doll-type in short skirt and high white leather boots. A clothing shop setting permits the explosion of color as garments in every shade move with the action of the dance.
Totaling 20 dancers, with an equal number of women and men, Compagnia Aterballetto is diverse in both its membership and productions. Classically trained, the multi-ethnic company has performed classic to contemporary dances: August Bournonville to George Balanchine; Alvin Ailey to, of course, Mr. Bigonzetti.
Similarly diverse are the composers Mr. Bigonzetti has selected to accompany the troupe in his own dances. He has made works to classical and romantic and modern mainstays, as well John Cage, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Costello. Bruno Moretti composed the score for Vespro, created in 2002 for New York City Ballet.
Aterballetto the prefix stands for Association of the Theatres of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy is the first permanent ballet-producing body apart from opera house companies there. Since its founding in 1979, the company has built a varied choreographic repertoire including dances by Amedeo Amodio, its first artistic director.
Works from international choreographers including Ailey, Lucinda Childs and Glen Tetley further enriched the company’s offerings, as did obtaining production rights for major pieces from 20th-century dance luminaries: Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, Antony Tudor; José Limón, David Parsons and Maurice Bejart. Collaborations with cutting-edge composers, set and costume designers, artists and actors have helped consolidate the quality that is an Aterballetto hallmark.
Said to be readily recognizable for its classical base with a contemporary touch, the company has a style described as "sharp, fast and versatile," as well as "notably twisty, twitchy, eclectic and off-center." Praising Vespro performed by New York City Ballet, a critic cited its distinctive originality and inventive choreography: "Never have bodies looked so elastic."
Born in Rome, Mr. Bigonzetti was initially a dancer who drew appreciative notices. Now, he says in a phone chat from Italy, "choreography is my life." In his mid-40s, he has been credited with breathing new life into the troupe. He says only, "I changed a lot of the dances and the culture of the company."
Mr. Bigonzetti describes his dancers as "international," mentioning their "very different experiences." However, reviews of Aterballetto performances invariably cite the verve and versatility they have in common, and these characteristics apparently start at the top: "Technique without expressivity is like gymnastics," Mr. Bigonzetti says.
He’s currently excited about creating his own vision of Romeo and Juliet, to Sergei Prokofiev’s score. The "long and difficult" course toward its premiere at an Italian festival includes attention to sets and costumes as well as the dance. And with music for string orchestra composed by Bruno Moretti, of Vespro fame, he’s making a second dance for New York City Ballet.
Mr. Bigonzetti’s Les Noces and Petroushka, first seen a couple years ago in Italy, will have their U.S. premiere in Princeton. What with all the vitality this company seems to epitomize, McCarter’s evening of Aterballetto and Stravinsky is unlikely to be a sleeper, in any sense of the word.
Compagnia Aterballetto will perform Les Noces and Petroushka at McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton, Nov. 2, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39-$42. For information, call (609) 258-2787. On the Web: www.mccarter.org. Aterballetto on the Web: www.aterballetto.it