Watch Her

“This powerful piece does not disappoint.

Thirty-nine dancers in gorgeous costumes by Yannik Larivée performing in Larivée's arresting box set with oddly placed windows and narrow doors, enact an almost gothic tale of love, loss and obsession. Lera Auerbach's modern/baroque score is a fascinating rethink of Pergolesi's 1736 masterpiece Stabat Mater .

The formality of the dance reflects the formal structure of the music. The men, in particular, are often rigidly upright with their arms clasped behind their backs. When hormones rage, jackets come off, but soon reappear as a sop to polite society and public image.

The throughline is Sonia Rodriguez (who has never appeared so choreographically cold), and her more gentle alter egos, Bridgett Zehr and Heather Ogden. Rodriguez The Siren teases the very life out of Kevin D. Bowles (and other men) who are fixated on her, while Rodriguez The Cruel exercises indifference with equal measure. The ensemble at large seems to be acting out various aspects of Rodriguez's personality, be it passion, cunning or apathy.

The movement itself is a paradox. Everyday movements mingle with virtuoso turns and jumps in a jam-packed sea of restless physicality. The stage is awash in tightly controlled entrances and exits. The very density and speed of the movement, and the continual ebb and flow of dancers in various combinations, contribute to the work's complexity.

The final result is a searing depiction of the beautiful in-crowd and their marginalized victims. This dark work will continue to reveal its riches for years to come.”

-The Globe and Mail

Photos courtesy of National Ballet of Canada