Sans, a piece for three men by French choreographer Martine Pisani, is coming to Southbank Centre on Friday 5 March. Here are three reasons we in the Southbank Centre Dance team like this piece.
- The piece makes you smile.
No matter what we say, one thing is for sure: sans is playful and entertaining. - It’s got fantastic performances by the three men on stage.
Theo Kooijman, Laurent Pichaud and Olivier Schram are very different in terms of background and physical presence, and the choreographer has used this to its full potential. There is a strong connection between the three of them, as well as a confident and comfortable bond with the audience. - sans is simple yet satisfyingly complex.
Much of the movement is pedestrian (i.e. not strictly technical in a classical or contemporary sense), there is a simplicity and spontaneity to it, but it’s not improvised. As you watch the work, you can actually get an insight into some of the structural elements that may go into the making of a dance piece. Choreographers use different techniques to create the movements themselves, and the phrasing that links everything together. One for example is mirroring, and there is a great section half way through sans where the men are copying and in a sense seeming to mimick each other. Later, they play with the convention of partnering, including the potential difficulties of working with partners of different sizes. Another good example is when they try to communicate with the audience. Without the convention of mime (in story ballets, dancers use clear mime gestures to convey certain meaning and create a narrative), their attempts become more and more desperate and, inthis instance, comical.
So sans is funny, with great performances and a simple yet complex structure. We hope you join us in March to see why audiences are still enthralled by this work, ten years after its premiere. Tickets available from Southbank Centre website.
Filed under: Performance Tagged: | martine pisani
