Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata”
Jacob’s Pillow Dance 2016 | Gauthier Dance & And Still You Must Swing
Francesca Ciaffoni and Sandra Bourdais of Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart with Cristina Vetrone of ASSURD in Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata”
Week 3: Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart
Gauthier Dance is back at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this week. Last year, they had a run of sold out shows in the Doris Duke Theatre. Last year they brought half the company to the Duke. This year, the whole company is here in the Ted Shawn.
They are performing a piece I recognized from years ago – Cantata by Mauro Bigonzetti was performed here by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. The piece has a live accordion player and singers – Grupo Musicale ASSURD. These are the same musicians who played live with Les Grands, and they are incredible. As soon as they started performing it, I thought to myself, “I know this piece!” It’s a great show. Gauthier Dance always has a bit of humor in their performance and elements of surprise.
The company has a European flavor that reminds me of contemporary companies like Nederlands Dans Theater 2. The dancers are killer – they’re very technically trained, and their movement just sticks with you. The whole company is friendly and nice and grateful to be back at the Pillow.
Anna Süheyla Harms and Garazi Perez Oloriz of Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata”
Maurus Gauthier and Garazi Perez Oloriz of Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Po-Cheng Tsai’s “Floating Flowers”
Anneleen Dedroog, Reginald Lefebvre, Sandra Bourdais, and Maurus Gauthier of Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata.”
Anna Süheyla Harms of Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart with Lorella Monti and Enza Prestia of ASSURD in Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata.”
And Still You Must Swing
And Still You Must Swing has a cast of all-star dancers – Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Jason Samuels Smith, Derick K. Grant, Camille A. Brown (this year’s recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award!) All fantastic performers who are just so exciting to watch.
The performers riffed with live musicians, playing back and forth with dance, the piano, bass and drums. The whole audience went crazy after the performance. They loved it!!
Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, and Derick K. Grant in “And Still You Must Swing”
Derick K. Grant, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Camille A. Brown, and Jason Samuels Smith in “And Still You Must Swing”
Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in “And Still You Must Swing”
“…tap — born from slavery and inherently a mode of resistance, even when it may appear otherwise — offers a way forward. On a different night, And Still You Must Swing might have been pure revelry, bringing nothing but delight in the dialogue between the music of the feet and the live band. On Thursday, the stage became a space for mourning, but not at the expense of joy. Tap, as embodied by this ensemble, can hold it all.”
The Ballet Program At The School of Jacob’s Pillow.
The Ballet Program At The School of Jacob’s Pillow
When the ballet students of The School at Jacob’s Pillow were here the first few weeks, they spent hours on the Inside/Out stage, and I love shooting on that space. Making a beautiful photo is my first thought when I’m out there, but I am also constantly challenging myself to deliver a variety of photos – photos that allow you to view them from different perspectives, that tell the whole story. I try to incorporate the stage, the surroundings, and the audience. I try different angles – right, left, wide frame, close, and I think of the tech crew’s perspective. Once I get a shot that I like, I try to move on quickly to get something else.
I was able to photograph the students in two separate settings and move around during their rehearsal. The sun was bright and heavy light reflected off of the white floor. The live performance was very different – the light was low and the Saturday evening audience was full, so I had to be more discreet.
The Ballet Program At The School of Jacob’s Pillow.
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