Les Ballets returns to the city

JAKARTA (JP): No stranger to Jakarta's modern dance buffs, Canada's Les Ballets jazz de Montreal dance company begins a three-night engagement at The Jakarta Playhouse tomorrow.

"This is their fourth time to perform here at the playhouse, and each time they have something new to offer," choreographer of Indonesia's Sumber Cipta dance school, Farida Oetoyo, said at a press conference recently.

The stop here is part of the company's fifth Asian tour.

"They have moved with time, and have modernized their dance styles and rhythm," Farida said.

Les Ballets will perform to the music of jazz musicians Keith Jarrett, Alex Tsisserev and the Louis Slavis Septet.

Three choreographed routines will be performed each night beginning at 8 p.m..

Pendulum, choreographed by Crystal Pite, is about a motley group of seven struggling against time, each of them absorbed by individual concerns.

It's in the Air, a contemporary work by Rodrigo Pederneiras, has 12 dancers exploring the possibilities of getting along with others without getting personal. Lovers, performed by eight dancers to choreography by Jennifer Muller, gives an incisive look into the developments in a couple's relationship.

The show is presented by cooperation of the Canadian Embassy and Northern Telecom (Nortel) of Canada. (02)