Geometry and Grace

Val Caniparoli has been called a choreographer of uncommon ability and rare dramatic vision. He has contributed to the repertoire of more than thirty-five dance companies, including San Francisco Ballet, where he was appointed resident choreographer in the 1980s. But he has never choreographed a new work on a dance company in Europe – until now. He is currently in the studios of Scottish Ballet, creating a piece on the dancers for their upcoming autumn mixed bill, Geometry and Grace. Eve Mutso, a Scottish Ballet soloist who is originating one of the main parts in Caniparoli’s new work, says about his choreography: “I think it’s really powerful and has a really fierce energy, with sort of ethnic movements mixed with purely classical lines, and these breathtaking still moments which kind of calm you down. So it’s a real mix of everything.”

Caniparoli’s self-described “eclectic and schizoid” style is the result of his rather unconventional career. Whereas most professional ballet dancers train intensely throughout their childhood and join a ballet company straight out of high school, Caniparoli didn’t start ballet until much later. He had always been interested in all forms of dance: the old ballroom style of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, ethnic dancing (which inspired one of his most acclaimed works, Lambarena), modern dance, social dance, even ice skating. But it wasn’t until after university, where he studied everything from English and speech education to music, theatre and design, that it dawned on him that he could be a dancer as a profession. He auditioned for the San Francisco Ballet School, and, despite his age (at that time, you couldn’t join San Francisco Ballet School after the age of 16), they recognised his talent and accepted the university graduate, on a prestigious Ford Foundation scholarship.

“I think my background of not starting dance so soon in a way shaped how I choreograph”, says Caniparoli. “It might have been different if I were 5 or 6 when I started.” It certainly allowed him a wider perspective than those of dancers who have been immersed in the narrow world of classical ballet their whole lives, and provided him with a broad base of knowledge and ideas from which to draw inspiration. Perhaps his strongest influence is his background in theatre. In addition to studying theatre at university, Caniparoli has had extensive experience choreographing for opera and theatre companies, most recently co-writing and -directing The Tosca Project for the esteemed American Conservatory Theatre. Thinking about this experience, and how it influenced his choreographic process, he says: “It was musically based but you had to approach it differently. The actors want motivation before any kind of movement, and the dancers want the movement before motivation. So there’s this whole thought process, I had to figure out how to come in between – so it has affected me.”

This unique ability to “come in between” is frequently commented on by critics, who praise Caniparoli’s choreography for its “implicit theatricality” without being overblown and detracting from the physicality of the movement. Mutso recognises this in his new work: “It’s a really emotional piece, without being too dramatic. It gives a lot of chances for couples to dance, and it’s like living though these real emotions which I think audiences can really relate to.”

The main inspiration for the piece didn’t come from a relationship, however. It came from a much simpler idea: the flight of birds. Caniparoli was intrigued by the idea of flight as a metaphor for life, and of loss of flight—being grounded—as a metaphor for death.

Caniparoli came to Glasgow with that general idea, but not knowing exactly how it would manifest itself in his choreography. But rehearsing in Scottish Ballet’s beautiful studios, full of natural light from the vast windows in the slanting ceilings, provided that extra nudge. “There are so many seagulls in Glasgow… in these studios I’m looking up here and I’m constantly seeing seagulls fly by. I’m choreographing and all of a sudden they appear and then they go away and that’s inspirational too.”
There’s something special about the fact that the piece draws inspiration from birds on both sides of the Atlantic. Given the fact that that body of water seems to create a significant divide in the dance world, one hopes that Caniparoli’s work will be equally well received on this side as it is back home. Caniparoli is philosophical about this: “There is a difference, I think, even in Europe, from country to country. But I haven’t altered what I’m doing. You just never know: what works in London may not work in Madrid, or in New York City.”

For Mutso, Caniparoli’s different style is appreciated: “I really like it, and it’s nice to do something completely new and fresh. I’m really curious to learn more.”
Geometry and Grace will feature Caniparoli’s new work alongside two pieces by British choreographers. The epitome of British classical elegance, Ashton’s Scenes de Ballet, will be contrasted by the exciting, relentless energy of Ashely Page’s Fearful Symmetries. Scottish audiences are lucky that their national ballet company takes on such stylistically diverse works. As for the three pieces in Geometry and Grace, the increasingly versatile and proficient Scottish Ballet dancers are uniquely placed to show each of these works in their best light.