Dance lovers promised 'Paradise' next week

JAKARTA (JP): Joy, happiness and rapture are the nuances of Paradise, a contemporary French dance which will be performed here at Teater Tanah Airku on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The 60-minute dance, presented by the Montalvo-Hervieu dance company, is a feast of imagination and inventiveness, an explosion of happiness and energy.

This work by choreographer Montalvo is constructed on contradictions -- the contradictions between styles of dance and breaking the barriers between reality and its representation.

Different dance genres meet each other on stage, showing the difference between narrative dance, classical ballet and dance originating in the streets.

Montalvo goes to the extreme and sharpens the characterization of each of these styles. The ballerina dancing on point seems sharp, slim and tall.

The second apparent element is breaking the barrier between reality and the picture of reality. While the dancers perform on stage, images of these same dancers are projected on huge double screens hung behind the stage.

Montalvo is a noted dance choreographer who is well-known for his witty, playful and humorous dance pieces. He has won various international awards, such as the International Competition of Nyon (Switzerland) in l985.

He also received second prize at the International Choreographic Dance Competition of Paris in l986 and first prize from the Solo Dance Theater at Cagliari in l987.

He wrote several dance compositions, including Les Demoiselles de Saint Lo for dancer Dominique Hervieu, Double Trouble, Hollaka Hollala, Pilhaou-Thibaou and La gloire de Jerome.

Tickets for the one-day performance are available at the French Cultural Center on Jl. Salemba Raya No.23, Central Jakarta. (raw)