Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – BAM’s Next Wave Festival admirably focuses on both emerging and established artists with Yoann Bourgeois’s MINUIT and Shen Wei’s NEITHER

• By drediman
• October 12, 2016
• No Comments

The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s expansive Next Wave Festival marches on, and what’s becoming evident is the festival’s dedication to giving exposure to both emerging (the use of the relatively new BAM Fisher has been inspired this season) and established artists. Two of my recent BAM adventures illuminated this observation.

Yoann Bourgeois and Laure Brisa in “Minuit” at BAM

Before catching his Minuit (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at BAM Fisher, I was unfamiliar with French acrobat Yoann Bourgeois work. I’ve long been of the belief that there’s tremendous poetic and theatrical potential in the circus arts (at least in theory), even though I’ve been frequently less than satisfied with actual experiences. Minuit is one of the few cirque pieces I’ve seen that has been able to capture the essence of human existence through movement and flight without all the predictable flash and gimmickry that comes with the genre (the other circus artist that comes to mind is Mr. Bourgeois’s countryman, the visionary James Thierrée). In the brief but utterly hypnotic Minuit, Mr. Bourgeois, along with Marie Fonte and Jörg Müller – two sensational acrobat/actors – and the lovely Laure Brisa providing the haunting musical accompaniment (by Philip Glass and Ms. Brisa), have conjured up the sinuously intangible feeling of playing with time as it relates to our inner lives.

The company of Shen Wei Dance Arts’ “Neither” at BAM

I’ve long been a fan of Shen Wei’s extravagant visions. Over the years, the baby-faced choreographer and his company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, have established themselves as one of the most recognizable names in the contemporary dance world, having performed at such revered institutions as Lincoln Center, the Park Avenue Armory, and the Kennedy Center. His latest piece for BAM’s Next Wave Festival was Neither (RECOMMENDED), a fascinating if somewhat convoluted piece set to Morton Feldman and Samuel Beckett’s hour-long “anti-opera”. As with his previous works, Shen Wei has devoted substantial effort into creating a striking and fully-formed visual landscape for Neither (comprised of a white chamber with a series of doors). Although I found much of the choreography to lack the instantly memorable imagery of his other dances, I ultimately was moved by what I took as a choreographic depiction of transcendence, moving from darkness and imposed formality to light and true wisdom.

MINUIT
Physical Theater
Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble at BAM Fisher
1 hour, 5 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed

NEITHER
Dance
Shen Wei Dance Arts at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
1 hour (without an intermission)
Closed