The fusion of music and dance requires careful collaboration so that both genres can complement each other.
Les Ballets Jazz Montreal's “Dance Me” combines the emotionally powerful songs of Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen with the movement language of contemporary ballet companies.
The show, sponsored by the La Jolla Music Association and performed Wednesday at the San Diego Civic Theater, proves a match made in heaven.
Cohen approved the project, which included more than a dozen of his own compositions, but died at the age of 82 a year before the premiere.
But his presence has traveled to three continents, been the subject of a PBS show, and been interpreted by three internationally renowned choreographers (Andis Foniadakis, Annabelle López Ochoa, Ethan Rustem) for over a dozen continues to live on in works including dance pieces.
While each dancemaker offers a unique interpretation of Cohen's songs, the fluid athleticism of the 50-year-old BJM Companyth The show will be a consistent tribute to the anniversary in 2022.
Interpreting Cohen's deep and complex themes with movement required a different set of skills and sensibilities. Dancers must grapple not only with tempo and melody, but also with the brutally honest and emotional content of Cohen's lyrics.
“It's dangerous,” agrees Alexandra Damiani, a former BJM dancer who became the company's artistic director in 2021.
“When done well, it's magic. Leonard Cohen's music stands on its own, but dancing is another way of listening and understanding. Through the power of language and movement, the audience hears the songs differently. You can listen to it. It provides a new way to experience it. I think that's very enriching.”
“Dance Me” was created by BJM's former artistic director Louis Robitaille and premiered in 2017 as part of Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations.
The production remains an ambitious touring production, enhanced with ambient sounds and video projections that evoke the cycle of life's seasons, and the choreography suggests the contrasting themes of Cohen's lyrics.
Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal is known for its athleticism, integrating classical and modern techniques.
Recorded shortly before Cohen's death, “It Seemed the Better Way” is a moving duet choreographed by López Ochoa, expressing a spiritual struggle with a close lyrical partner.
Choreographer Foniadakis uses quick movements and powerful lifts in “Boogie Street” that make the dancers look like billowing sculptures.
And the waltz-like “Dance Me to the End of Love” is accompanied by a vocal track from the 2009 “Live in London” recording.
In his sandpaper-like voice, Cohen sang a song that could be interpreted as “a love song until death do us part,'' but the lyrics are based on the words of a man who was led to a crematorium during the Holocaust to the accompaniment of a string ensemble. It was inspired by prisoners in the concentration camp. .
Dance to your beauty with a fiery violin
Dance through the panic until I can gather safely.
Lift me up like an olive branch and be a dove home
Dance until the end of love
For dancer and BJM artistic coordinator Andrew Michael, “Dance Me to the End of Love” is one of the most demanding numbers in the show, a performance that requires “building trust.”
The piece, choreographed by Rüstem, involves all 14 members, with each dancer performing a quick and dynamic pas de deux as they approach Mikael.
Mikael, who joined the company in 2017 and has appeared in more than 200 Dance Me productions, said: “This section is a strong one for me because I'm always the only person on stage, and I'm always the only one on stage. It's like a conveyor belt.”
“I dance intimately with all the dancers in the company, and those momentary connections are beautiful and seen in real time. It's quite draining, both physically and mentally, because you're constantly changing your energy. But… It really made me learn not only about myself, but how to dance with others.”
Cohen writes authentically from a place of longing, loss, passion, and celebration, and his artistry connects with the common humanity of audiences around the world.
An inductee into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cohen's songs have been interpreted by numerous recording artists.
Perhaps his most famous work, “Hallelujah” has more than 50 versions and has been performed by everyone from Andrea Bocelli and Justin Timberlake to Rufus Wainwright.
And although this concert's program includes “Hallelujah,” it's more sung than danced.
“The idea was for the company to join us on stage and appreciate Cohen's work,” Mikhail explained.
“This is a song that we all love and can relate to. I look out into the audience and sometimes I hear people singing along with the dancers. It's a beautiful moment in the show.”
Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal: “Dance Me” with music by Leonard Cohen
when: Wednesday 7:30pm
where: La Jolla Music Society, San Diego Municipal Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., San Diego.
ticket: $23.50-$108.50
phone: (858) 459-3728
online: conrad.org
Latrell is a freelance writer.