Onde de Choc

 

In the latest of my philosophical discursions into form, I am considering O Vertigo as a ballet company. Perhaps the most traditional of this year’s New Territories, Onde de Choc has a bespoke score from Michael Nyman, a funky sound board that responds to the dancers’ movements and a technically superb cast. Yet it sticks to an old fashioned movement style, neither flashy nor widely experimental, relying heavily on the lighting and music to disguise a lack of communication with the audience.

To describe a work as ballet is far from an insult – and that isn’t the real problem with O Vertigo – but it does reject the idea that this is contemporary dance. The concentration on group work, the pas de deux and solo is not unfamiliar to fans of Swan Lake and the abstract theme – apart from a spot of twisted shaking, the choreography rarely plays with non-dance movement – is similar to many contemporary ballets. The best thing about Onde de Choc is the dancers: the sound board is rarely used as more than a fancy bit of kit. Its weaknesses are in its failure to communicate an idea – any idea – in a coherent manner.

It’s a disappointment that the company hasn’t used its obvious resources to either consciously deconstruct ballet or follow a more radical line. Of course, my objections are purely subjective: I am looking forward to hearing from ballet fans who read my original comments as an insult, and I’d like to insist that I love ballet, especially contemporary ballet. But as much of New Territories proves, dance is capable of more expressive, more challenging creations.