Mark Baldwin's to spice up the Jakarta dance scene

Mark Baldwin's to spice up the Jakarta dance scene

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): Distinctively whimsical compositions characterize the Mark Baldwin dance company. The company's repertoire, to be performed at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta tonight and tomorrow evening, will consist of four dances.

In Excursions, the flashy free-flowing movements of dancers Mark Baldwin, Lynne Bristow, Shelley Baker and Paul Old will reflect music by Samuel Barber. In this piece, Baldwin undulates his shoulders and moves his arms in elegant motions, occasionally twitching his hands in a 'journey' exploring other dance movements. His appearance sends challenging energy waves to the other dancers.

Tension between station form and dynamic movement is intense in Out Of Doors -- the second dance. Accompanied by the intense and agitated nature of John Sweeney's captivating performance of Bartok's piano suite of the same name, the dance presents the darker side of the human imagination through the central solo performance of Lynne Bristow. Supported by only two other dancers, Shelley Baker and Paul Old, the composition is kept simple.

In Concerto-Grosso, Baldwin's creation is animated with the rhythmic footwork of the dancers. Sans their leader, the dancers explore Handel's music through bold, rapid and fluid movements. Baldwin sets his dancers on splendid tracks through the music. The movements ripple grandly through their bodies, their legs thrust into space and their backs tilt into proud curves.

The final dance, More Poulenc, features the quartet from the first dance and presents dialogue-like movements to Poulenc's Soirees de Nazalles, performed again by John Sweeney. Here, the dancers elaborate their themes in a savory composition of contrasts enriched with deadpan comedy.

The Troupe

Exploring choreographic concepts using some of the Britain's most experienced dancers, Baldwin is able to convert the most simple fragment of a dance composition into a wild, syncopated concert of movement, color and humor. He manages to do so by innovatively manipulating the unique qualities of each of his dancers.

Varying from project to project, his ideas and dancers enhance each piece with fresh individual style. His small and modest dance company includes three other main members: Paul Old, Lynne Bristow and Deborah Saxon. The touring troupe consists of five dancers, including Baldwin himself.

Mark Baldwin, the leader of the pack, was born in Fiji and trained in New Zealand. He worked in London with the Rambert Dance Company, the oldest dance company in England, for 15 years. Baldwin's first piece of choreography, Island to Island, was taken into the company's repertoire. A solo from the same work won the choreographic award for the best male solo at the first Suzanne Dellal International Choreographic Composition in Tel Aviv, Israel in l992. He created many leading roles for the company and established his own company in the spring of l993.

In the same year, he received the Bonnie Bird Award and the New Choreographer's Award from the London Arts Board. He was chosen choreographer-in-residence at Saddler's Wells, funded by the British Arts Council. Baldwin also received the Ballroom Blitz Commission for the production of Canelines at the South Bank Center. He achieved his first major success when his work was chosen for the arts festival at Spring Loaded in l994.

Baldwin's witty but distinguished style of movement is a result of his extensive dance experience. He is one of the few choreographers who uses Lifeforms, a computer program for dance choreography, and some of the dances in Jakarta will incorporate this software.

Lucy Bethune was member of Rambert Dance company from l978- l990. She created roles in the works of Richard Alston, Christopher Bruce, Michael Clark and Siobhan Davies. For three years she worked freelance in Paris, performing in opera and theater productions, and she also danced in the opening and closing performances of the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville.

Since returning to London, Bethune performed in The Skriker, a new play by Caryl Churchill and in various smaller projects at the Chisenhale Dance Space. She has also choreographed 14 short pieces, two of which were performed as part of Rambert's repertoire and another which was created for the National Youth Dance Company of Great Britain.

Lynne Bristow first performed with the Mark Baldwin Dance company at the 1993 Rome Festival. She trained with the Anita Belli School of Dancing and in l979 was accepted to the White Lodge Royal Ballet School. In l984 she joined the Royal Ballet Company and was promoted to a soloist in l990.

In l992 Bristow worked freelance and performed Very and Our by the Jonathan Burrows Group; Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a film by William Tuckett; Far end Garden, a documentary film by J. Burrows and In Case of Love, a work by Itzak Galili of the Netherlands.

Paul Old trained at the Australian Ballet School and danced with the Australian Ballet and Australian Dance Theater. In l987, he joined the Rambert Dance Company, where he created many leading roles, including the soldier in The Soldier Tale by Ashley page and Touchbase by Merce Cunningham. In l993, Old left Rambert to choreograph and dance freelance.

Trained at the Arts Educational School in London, Shelley Baker joined the Rambert Dance Company from l990-l993. She toured with Michael Clarke in l994 and joined the Mark Baldwin Dance Company in l995.

The troupe also includes Adrian Plaut, the company's tour manager, who doubles as technical and lighting supervisor, and John Sweeney, pianist for the music of More Poulenc and Out of Doors.

The Mark Baldwin Dance Company tour in Indonesia is sponsored by the British Council in collaboration with the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta and the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).