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Richard Alston is renowned for making dances that
speak directly about the expressiveness of movement and music and
their combined power to move and elate.
His touring company always brings the promise of
a programme that is both striking and exhilarating. Musically inspired,
articulate and expressive, Alston’s choreography continues to gather
ever more enthusiastic audiences each year.
"At theatre's like the Theatre Royal in Norwich
they actually come up to us at the end of the show and tell us how
much they've loved it," enthused Alston.
"The audience for dance is building. There
was a time when there was a huge range of all sorts of experiments,
but that could sometimes put people off.
"I think in a funny sense there's less product
touring than there was 10 years ago and people are therefore more
confident of the quality of the work that is on tour."
Spring tour 2003
For his latest tour, Alston's company has put together
a programme of three sharply contrasting works in Stampede,
A Sudden Exit and Touch And Go.
"We try and have a variety of music in the
programme," explained Alston.
"In this tour it ranges from medieval romantic
19th century to contemporary tango. We try and have different kind
of dynamics and I suppose you would say emotional temperatures.
"There's no point having an entire evening
of high drama - we'd all be totally exhausted."
Hot, bright and spicy Stampede has a marked Mediterranean
feel. Alston’s latest creation, Stampede, is danced by the company
of 12 and set to the exotic, Moorish-influenced sounds of mediaeval
Italian music.
A Sudden Exit is an intimate, intensely personal
work inspired by Brahms’ extraordinary late piano music played live
on stage by virtuoso pianist Jason Ridgeway.
Touch And Go completes the line up featuring the
insistent and irresistible pull of Argentinean tango.
Maria and Antoine dance Touch And Go |
Creating Touch And Go
"Ballroom tango is quite stylised and artificial,
Argentinean tango is a different kind of dynamic," explained
Alston.
"I think more and more people are being intrigued
in this emotionally intense but enjoyable and effective dance form."
"A concept comes from being really excited
about hearing a piece of music or a particular performance.
"This was a particular recording of Piazzolla's
tangos. Astor Piazzolla was the master of Argentinean tango, the
new tango, tango nuevo. I heard these pieces and really thought
God I've never done anything like that before - dare I?
"I've tried to make a dance which is still
true to the kind of language that I use when I make my choreography.
"In all my pieces the first thing that I hear
is the music, I have kind of gut feeling or that I would really
like to share something with an audience and see people moving.
Not too that music, but with that music. I want the two to co-exist
in a pretty close relationship.
"Rhythm has linked music and dance ever since
the beginning, but the exciting thing is to try and have a lively
relationship so the dance doesn't slavishly follow the music.
"I really like to know exactly how a piece
of music is structured and get a feel of it. The aim is then the
sum, of putting dance and music together, is greater than the parts."
"I think music is a
huge way of people finding out more about what's happening and relaxing
and becoming involved in what the performers are doing and becoming
excited by the energy of what they do.
"It's a very direct form, it's not surprising
that it appeals hugely to young people but having said that I think
our audience is quite remarkable in the spread of it's age and I
like that very much."
The Richard Alston Dance Company is at Norwich's
Theatre Royal on 4-5 February, 2003.
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