To all you lovers of dance and spectacle I suggest you book seats at tonight’s performance of the JSLN Dance Company’s Variations of Pointe. The production and the venue combine to offer up two delicious secrets at once – a beautiful purpose-built theatre hidden away in the heart of leafy Clifton, and a little-known but highly professional troupe of dancers capable of sensitive story-telling – it’s a winning combination guaranteed to give your weekend the perfect start!
Variations of Pointe presents an intriguing and highly entertaining triple bill that reflects Artistic director Sören Magnus Niewelt’s desire for classical and populist narratives to be explored through classical ballet, but also through other dance forms. Embarking on the company’s debut UK tour, JSLN is bound to make a lot of friends between now and the tour’s end in Halifax at the end of June. It is worth pointing out that if you miss them at the Redgrave, there will be performances at the Mission Theatre in Bath on 13th and 14th June.
The evening started with Niewelt’s adaptation of Fokine’s Petrouchka from the time of the Imperial Russian Ballet, danced to music by Stravinsky. Two girls come upon a large box and wonder what is inside. A sorceress/dollmaker appears and encourages them to open it. Inside they find three marionettes, Petrouchka, a Moor and a Ballerina Doll, lolling lifeless until the sorceress brings them to life.
Company Co-Founder and Principal Dancer Jessica Larbig dances the Ballerina, and gives a delightful performance as a wooden-limbed femme fatale. Exquisitely costumed by Ana Maria Faber, first Petrouchka, adorned with harlequin-like pantaloons, and played by the Australian dancer Sean Williams, then the Moor, bedecked with startling turquoise jacket and plumed hat, played by Hungarian dancer Attila Kiss vie for the Ballerina’s attentions with near fatal results. Visually reminiscent of The Nutcracker, this is magical storytelling in dance to an exciting and demanding score.
The second piece is unashamedly populist in outlook, but JSLN’s take on the well-known TV series ’Allo ’Allo, pulls off an unlikely comedic coup. Dancers Caroline Rees, as the aggrieved wife Edith, and Monique Aaliyah as the steamy waitress/lover Evette, created good tension with the torn and compromised figure of Café owner René Artois, danced by Kiss. There was complex and impressive choreography around the handling and passing over of a stolen painting originally destined for Hitler’s own collection, and always good interpretation and razor-sharp timing to an eclectic mix of songs that include Golden Eye, Springtime for Hitler and Ne Me Quitte Pas.
Finally, JSLN presented their neo-classical piece Transitions of (I)dentity, which enjoyed success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In this piece we follow an individual’s quest for identity, the ‘Soulsearcher’, bolstered by spirits of courage and communication, until her growing confidence has a positive affect on the society she lives in. Danced with pure movement to some uplifting pieces by Vivaldi, Principal Dancer Larbig again impressed, as did Estelle Botella, whose crisp movement and ever-present smile was a constant delight.
Played to a small audience last night, the company still gave it their absolute all and impressed with their professionalism. They manage to convey a real love of what they do, and it cannot be long till they win the recognition they deserve. ★★★★☆ Simon Bishop 6th May 2016
Officially opened in 1966 by alumnus Sir Michael Redgrave, the Clifton College Theatre as it was known then, was renamed The Redgrave Theatre in his honour after his death in 1985.
The design for the Redgrave was based on the Mermaid Theatre in London. It boasts a generous and comfortable auditorium and a large stage that rivals any theatre in either Bristol or Bath. Originally the theatre was only for college use, but in the 1970s it was decided that it would be hired out to local amateur dramatic groups. Since then the Redgrave has gone on to host to a wide variety of professional touring companies that include dance, music and theatre. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School puts on an excellent Christmas panto there every year that has enjoyed huge success locally.
