Nijinsky
I guess it has been awhile now, but on September 30 I had the opportunity to see a contemporary dance performance titled Nijinsky. The performance examined the life and inner workings of the ballet genius Nijinsky during the period when he lost his mind. I had heard of Nijinsky and his ballet accomplishments, but I had no idea that he was diagnosed as schizophrenic, a disease which ended his career and his life very early. This show really brought this to my attention.
The dancing was phenomenal! It was an all male cast, and as Miss Barbara says there is nothing like watching a male dancer… whether we like it or not, they are just able to accomplish different movements from women. There were three dancers in particular that you could barely breathe when they were moving it was so wonderful. It was a very intimate theatre space, and we were sitting in the second row, which meant the dancers were practically sweating on us. In this venue it truly felt as though the performance was an interaction between the dancers and the audience. The music and lighting created an environment that truly made you feel you were in someone’s head and imagination and totally out of reality. I have goose bumps all over just reflecting on it. My favourite pieces were the ones that mixed ballet and contemporary dance in a truly chaotic way they were beautiful.
After the show the choreographer and the composer came out to take questions from the audience. I was so excited because there were tons of areas I hoped people would ask about; particularly about the set design, the creation process for the music, how the particular subject was chosen etc… For me it was a TOTAL culture shock when I found the choreographer did not speak English (he spoke Mandarin) and the composer spoke some English, but no Chinese language (he was French). This was so shocking because I felt I had really connected with the performance, and it never occurred to me that I would not be able to understand the oral expression of the creator. I REALLY reminded me of the power and the importance of dance as a medium to express ideas… because, if it is done well… a creator can transmit their message across all language barriers! This is something that the world needs more of. Unfortunately, the conversation with the choreographer and the composer took place almost entirely in Cantonese and Mandarin so we only heard what was said after we left the theatre from our friend Michelle.
This show REALLY reminded me why I love dance, how important the theatre is, and why it is SO great to live in a BIG city that has access to a much bigger variety and quantity of theatre performances at a much lower cost. I have made a vow to myself that I have to really take advantage of this during my time here, because it is something that is not always possible at home. I was also SO happy to discover the Nadya also shares my passion for watching contemporary dance! She also has a great description of the performance on her blog ( ). I think dance performances, as with many things in life, they are better when they are shared, because then you get to see the images through more than one lens.
I have tickets for three more shows this month, so I really can’t wait. How much does this cost? The highest priced tickets to three very high quality shows, in the HK Cultural Centre (the nicest venue in the city) goes for only $90 CAD!! You would barely be able to see one, maybe two, shows for that amount in Calgary.
The dancing was phenomenal! It was an all male cast, and as Miss Barbara says there is nothing like watching a male dancer… whether we like it or not, they are just able to accomplish different movements from women. There were three dancers in particular that you could barely breathe when they were moving it was so wonderful. It was a very intimate theatre space, and we were sitting in the second row, which meant the dancers were practically sweating on us. In this venue it truly felt as though the performance was an interaction between the dancers and the audience. The music and lighting created an environment that truly made you feel you were in someone’s head and imagination and totally out of reality. I have goose bumps all over just reflecting on it. My favourite pieces were the ones that mixed ballet and contemporary dance in a truly chaotic way they were beautiful.
After the show the choreographer and the composer came out to take questions from the audience. I was so excited because there were tons of areas I hoped people would ask about; particularly about the set design, the creation process for the music, how the particular subject was chosen etc… For me it was a TOTAL culture shock when I found the choreographer did not speak English (he spoke Mandarin) and the composer spoke some English, but no Chinese language (he was French). This was so shocking because I felt I had really connected with the performance, and it never occurred to me that I would not be able to understand the oral expression of the creator. I REALLY reminded me of the power and the importance of dance as a medium to express ideas… because, if it is done well… a creator can transmit their message across all language barriers! This is something that the world needs more of. Unfortunately, the conversation with the choreographer and the composer took place almost entirely in Cantonese and Mandarin so we only heard what was said after we left the theatre from our friend Michelle.
This show REALLY reminded me why I love dance, how important the theatre is, and why it is SO great to live in a BIG city that has access to a much bigger variety and quantity of theatre performances at a much lower cost. I have made a vow to myself that I have to really take advantage of this during my time here, because it is something that is not always possible at home. I was also SO happy to discover the Nadya also shares my passion for watching contemporary dance! She also has a great description of the performance on her blog ( ). I think dance performances, as with many things in life, they are better when they are shared, because then you get to see the images through more than one lens.
I have tickets for three more shows this month, so I really can’t wait. How much does this cost? The highest priced tickets to three very high quality shows, in the HK Cultural Centre (the nicest venue in the city) goes for only $90 CAD!! You would barely be able to see one, maybe two, shows for that amount in Calgary.
posted by Lizzy at 10:53 AM
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