Becca Ballet: Wisdom on the toes, beautiful aftertaste

From April 19th to 21st, the Lausanne Bega Ballet returned to the National Theatre after a 13-year hiatus. Four classics by choreographer Maurice Bega, "Seven Dances of the Greeks", "Adagio Duet", "Firebird" and "Ballero", formed a delightful dance evening. The four works are either delightful or thought-provoking, showing the wisdom of dance with the toes, unique comfort and beautiful aftertaste.

With the lights dimmed, the sound of the waves sounded, and "Seven Dances of the Greeks" hit the heart with minimalist pleasure. The male dancers were topless in white trousers, and the female dancers wore only black tight-fitting practice clothes. There was no stage set, no gorgeous ethnic costumes, and the sound of the waves was only danced by singles, doubles, threes, and many people. Many people expected to get a glimpse of Greek folk customs, but unfortunately very few. The work shows the sunny Mediterranean region, healthy physique, pure life, and a mathematically rigorous world order - these are the foundations of ancient Greek beauty. Especially in the male dance section, the actor's mastery of force, speed, rhythm, and control is perfect, and finally expresses a sense of beauty that seems to be the embodiment of a mythical character, free but precise, elegant but rational, and inherits the Greek spirit with the tip of the foot. This work is evaluated as "the most Greek" of Becca's works, which shows its charm.

"Firebird" is a work specially prepared for this visit to China. Stravinsky's tune is derived from the story of Russian folklore, so that the "Firebird" ballet has been adapted by famous choreographers many times in the more than 100 years since its birth. But Bega's adaptation is the most in line with the Chinese audience's aesthetic, emphasizing the meaning of the firebird like the phoenix nirvana and rebirth from the ashes. The Central Ballet also introduced Bega's version of "Firebird", which has become one of the reserved repertoire of Zhongba until today.

When 40 topless male dancers repeated simple dance moves around a huge red round table on the black stage, the shock of simplicity lingered in the audience's hearts for a long time. In order to complete Becca's classic "Ballero", the dance company invited several dancers from Beijing Sports University to participate in the performance. With the repeated cycle and increasing volume of the "Ballero" dance music, the stage showed a strong life force like a pulse. The solo dance on the round table and the group dance under the round table gradually increased, from the initial slow and restrained to the later rapid, wild, simple and full of power, but also once again showed the wisdom of dance.

In Beijing, Julian Favreau, the current artistic director of the dance company, also appeared in person with his partner in "Adagio," a short work based on Beethoven's music, showing a moving chapter in the intimate relationship between men and women in war. Favreau also performed a solo dance on the table in "Ballero."