Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal landed on the Northrop stage Friday night determined to wow the crowd. Mission accomplished. The spirited performance earned a boisterous standing ovation. And Minnesota-born dancer Alexander Hille, a graduate of the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, played a major role in inspiring the outpouring of support.
The 42-year-old company, under the direction of Louis Robitaille since 1998, has a repertory built from a variety of choreographic perspectives. Friday's selections included works from Benjamin Millepied, Wen Wei Wang and Barak Marshall, each showcasing a different aspect of the dancers' emotional and physical range.
Millepied, who will take over as director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet next month, has created a modern masterpiece with "Closer" (2006). A technically and emotionally demanding 17-minute pas de deux for Céline Cassone and Hille, the work is a soaring tribute to love. Set to "Mad Rush" by composer Philip Glass, "Closer" exemplifies how dance can embody music in all of its rhythmic and expressive aspects.
Cassone and Hille performed as if they were one person, effortlessly dancing as if caught up in a light wind. With her flame-red hair adding a bright punctuation of color to the scene, Cassone floated with every lift, swept up as if gliding through a dream. Hille's strength as a partner was apparent in his ability to direct the movement with seamless grace.
Wang's "Night Box" (2012) explores a different type of connection — one built more on encounters than long-term relationships. The work taps into the beating pulse of nightlife by blending aspects of club and contemporary dancing. The choreography is stylish and, on Friday, Morgane Le Tiec prowled the stage with sinewy power. While the hyper-cool work doesn't pull at the heart like "Closer," it relishes the revolutionary act of living in the moment.
The evening closed with Marshall's "Harry" (2012), a dance theater piece that roils with the richness of longing and anger while also delving into more troubling topics war. The chorus of dancers quarrel, vie for one another's attention and the title character undergoes many "deaths" so that the others can figure out why they exist. The work, set to a rollicking score, embraces its eclectic nature, making it a perfect fit for the daring BJM.
Caroline Palmer writes about Twin Cities dance.
