Sheila Chisholm
RIVETTING is the adjective to describe Ashley Killar’s The Miraculous Mandarin. As seen on Artscape’s opera stage, The Miraculous Mandarin is an intellectual choreographic marriage between Killar’s interpretation of Bela Bartok’s dramatic ballet pantomime, Peter Cazalet’s erotic costumes, drab tenement set and Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB).
Based on a story by Menyhèrt Lengyel The Miraculous Mandarin premiered in Cologne in 1926. Although later more favourably received in Prague, the somewhat gory theme caused such a scandal, the ballet was banned and thereafter Bartok’s music was more frequently performed as a concert suite. The sordid tale concerns a pimp (Marc Goldberg), two thugs (Milwhynne Williams and Tusile Tenza); a sex worker (Rosamund Ford); an old rake (Johnny Bovang); a young man (Craig Pedro) and The Mandarin (Ivan Boonzaaier).
Broke, the pimp forces the sex worker to lure a rake and a young man into their shabby, split-level tenement room. But moneyless the thugs deal harshly with them.
It’s when the bejewelled Mandarin appears that the three ne’er do well’s see profitable prospects. After ripping off his jewels the hoodlums decide on murder. First he is suffocated - but doesn’t die.
Then they stab and hang him from a lamp - but still he doesn’t die. Terrified the three escape. Only when the sex worker shows compassion and embraces him does he succumb to his wounds.
Killar’s finely tuned, sensitive choreographic mind and deep musical knowledge sets him apart from choreographers of Denmark’s Flemming Flindt’s ilk and Budapest’s Laszlo Seregi who (unsuccessfully) tackled this dance-drama.
Killar’s cerebral skills keep him true to Bartok’s dramatic structure while stamping out his own mark. Challenging his cast to act, as well as dig deeply into their technical craftsmanship, Killar redefines steps from the classical repertoire to give each a colourful identity. Goldberg’s menacing manner matched his evil intent.
The way Williams and Tenza jumped and turned added menace to their villainous behaviour. And in a most intense performance Ford - wearing skimpy, erotic red, lacy underwear, black suspenders and stockings - sexually gyrated at a window to show off her “wares.” Attracting men with little difficulty she seemed unhappy about her part aiding and abetting her criminal partners.
Totally detached from Bovang’s lustful pawing and Pedro’s youthful desires she had little concern for their later manhandling. Neither did she initially care about the mandarin’s fate.
Until, that is, his miraculous recoveries from her nefarious accomplice’s brutal treatment. While they terrified her, she seemed strangely drawn towards him, eventually overriding her fear to cradle him.
White faced, arms akimbo and dressed in blue Chinese attire, Boonzaaier stood quietly on entering the quartet’s den. Technically and emotionally at his best, except when his whole body shook, Boonzaaier put up little resistance to being robbed, suffocated, stabbed and horrifically hanged from a lamp. But towards Ford he poured out all his emotion. While the quartet drew detailed portraits, it was Boonzaaier’s mandarin that made this superbly constructed ballet a brilliant success.
Not a pretty fairy story, never-the-less Killar’s The Miraculous Mandarin ranks among the best dramatic ballets ever seen on Artscape’s stage.
Light relief came from Killar’s restructuring of John Cranko’s jolly Tritsch-Tratsch Polka. Set to Johann Strauss 11, Cranko first choreographed this trio in 1946 in the ballet room at the College of Music (not the aircraft hanger as has been mooted) with David Poole, and Lionel Luyt as the two sailors and Renee Feller the perky Victorian girl. Reproduced by Poole for CAPAB in 1986 with Mervyn Williams as one of the sailors, this time round Revil Yon and Conrad Nusser danced the sprightly sailors.
Elizabeth Nienaber, danced the perky girl. Killar reproduced another Cranko piece...Beauty and the Beast. Based on a 1740 tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Barbot de Villeneuve and set to Ravel’s Ma Mere l’Oye(Mother Goose) Suite, it’s the story of a handsome prince destined to remain with head and claws of a beast until a young girl loves him.
Last seen in Cape Town in 1952 with David Poole as the Beast opposite Mavis Maastricht as Beauty, Clare Spector partnered Daniel Szybkowski.
With her graceful, delicate port de bras, easy flowing movement and lovely lines she’s delightful to watch. A charming performance. Wearing a hideous bear like mask and clawed hands, Szybkowski’s beast was suitably beastly until love transformed him back to his normal handsome state.
Other Killar ballets were Sarabande - set to Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.
And Towards Illusion- set to Benjamin Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. Designed to “explore the threshold between reality and stage illusions” and showcase what hard work and love a dancer has for their art, Towards Illusions might perhaps have been better served as a plotless ballet.
Hard work, love for their art is a “given” and doesn’t require broadcasting.
Although Killar’s gift for patterns, exquisite use of port de bras and comfortable handling of large groups - sometimes dancing together, in canon, small numbers or solo - the nine variations, tended to look bitty and under rehearsed.
Faring better and welcoming back Laura Bosenberg at her artistic best Sarabande came across as a joyous work using the full CTCB company. Choreographed to Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, Killar costumed the entire company in white, directed lighting expert, Faheem Bardien to light the stage in white. And framed only by black curtains, Killar gave Sarabande special richness by using the stage’s full depth.
Sarabande began with Thomas Thorne, standing alone in a spotlight, downstage, audience left.
Behind him black cloaked figures, in Tricone hats, began weaving their way slowly downstage. Spotting a girl (Bosenberg) whom he recognises, Thorne moves towards her. When they meet they dance together.
The Sarabande, of Moorish origin, was popular during the 16th and 17th centuries in Spanish colonies before centering in Spain and France. Killar borrows from this Spanish influence to capture port de bras and steps in a stylised manner.
As in Towards Illusions, Killar forms groups with the entire company as well as smaller ones forming straight lines, circles and squares. He, interprets Ravel’s rich and rhythmic jazz effects in quick direction changes which embrace the eight positions of the body, seven movements of dancing and he has a penchant for fifth positions of feet and arms.
He often incorporates the five arabesques and likes his dancers to bend forward and back.
A most attractive well performed piece, Sarabande, proved a stunning vehicle to rekindle the Bosenberg and Thorne partnership. When Thorne walks forward holding Bosenberg aloft they brought an exciting climax to Killar’s Shades of Love.
Note, at the matinee on May 22 at 3pm Killar’s Glazunov Variations will replace The Miraculous Mandarin and Robin van Wyk provides a pas de deux from his new full-length Romeo and Juliet ballet.
Evening performances on May 11, 18, 20, 22 are at 8pm.
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