Preview Toucan Play That Game
Ali Schofield talks to artistic director of Rambert Dance, Mark Baldwin
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A lithe woman bearing a massive feathered creation by milliner Stephen Jones ambles into view in a Swarovski-spangled gown, in time with a specially composed score by a world renowned composer. The above sentence could feasibly describe the headline show at London Fashion Week. Perhaps less obviously, we’re actually referring to Rambert Dance Company’s newest collaborative tour, Eternal Light: The Tour, which has its last performances at Leeds Grand this fortnight.
But then, artistic director Mark Baldwin was never one for quiet introspection in his choreographic works, and ‘Eternal Light’ is no different.
“I didn’t want it to be one of those pieces that just goes on being lyrical without excruciatingly gorgeous music and excruciatingly gorgeous dancing,” says Baldwin. “I wanted something to give it a little bit of a twist and that’s where the toucan came in. Everyone was like ‘woah what’s a toucan doing there!’ but that was the idea and it is spectacular, suddenly there’s just a huge bird.”
The theme is ethereal, drawing on Second World War poetry as inspiration. The way this translates in the famed art director Michael Howell’s design and Jones’ millinery is in bombastic, spectacular technicolour. While famous names and sponsorship from Swarovski are wowing elements of Rambert’s new tour, the “excruciatingly gorgeous music” comes from the involvement of acclaimed composer Howard Goodall, well-known for the ‘Blackadder’ and ‘QI’ themes, among others. An exciting collaboration for dance lovers and music fans alike, Eternal Light has also seen the release of choral CD Eternal Light: A Requiem, coinciding with London Musici’s 20th year.
Baldwin says, “Howard Goodall knows all the choirs up and down the country and he wanted to write something for us, and to write a requiem for young people, I suppose.
“He came up with the idea of doing a piece which included local choirs, which I loved. It wasn’t just like bringing something from London and then going away again - joining in makes people connect with it more.”
The Leeds date welcomes Leeds University Liturgical Choir. As well as ‘Eternal Light’, the tour includes ‘Hush’ by Christopher Bruce and finishes with ‘Infinity’, a frenetic piece by Australian choreographer Garry Stewart with music from DJ Luke Smiles.
“That’s an amazingly athletic piece - all the dancers had to learn to do yoga so they can stand on their head for a long time and learnt tumbling as well so they would mix that in with their technical abilities and contemporary dancing,” says Baldwin. “It’s a really good piece to see.”
With all this excitement for the dancers, one wonders if Baldwin ever misses the role, enjoying, as he did, a career as a dancer at Rambert for 10 years before leaving and returning as artistic director in 2002.
“As a dancer all you’ve got to concentrate on is what you do,” says Baldwin. “You’re exercising all day and really concentrating on the repertoire that you know, delivering the best you can, growing, learning and trying to improve yourself. Of course when you come back as artistic director its kind of the opposite way around - you’re not judged on your own expertise, you’re judging everyone else on theirs.
“I miss dancing but it’s like being a football player, you’ll stop at some point so you need to be getting ready for that.”
Fiji-born Baldwin had already carved out a choreographic repertoire with a company he established while at university in New Zealand in the 70s.
“We used to put the shows together, mainly to music that we liked - there wasn’t a royalty issue so you could use someone else’s music quite easily. It does take a lot of energy and a lot of youthful arrogance,” Baldwin says. “But if everything fell away I would know how to do it again.”
As the star-spangled Eternal Light: The Tour arrives in town this fortnight, we have a feeling he won’t need to worry.
4-6 June, Grand Theatre, 46 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NZ, 0113 222 6222, 7.30pm, Sat mat 2.30pm, £11.50-£21.50
For chance to win tickets and CDs, visit www.leedsguide.co.uk/competitions
Posted on Thursday 14th May 2009
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