Damien Jalet & le Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève Onbashira Diptych – Skid et Thr(o)ugh

A longtime associate of Chaillot, théâtre national de la Danse, Damien Jalet has fine-tuned his approach to choreography from one piece to the next. From Vessel to Planet (wanderer), the choreographer has relentlessly exposed movement to the elements, nature as much as the work of visual artists. Skid, presented in the same program as Thr(o)ugh, looks at bodies both vertically and horizontally. Moving across a sloping stage, the dancers of Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève seem caught up in a sequence of physical and emotional situations. Considering the constant cycle of slides and falls, the choreography is a wonderful homage to resilience. Thr(o)ugh features a spinning cylinder conceived by artist Jim Hodges that has the performers moving ceaselessly. This risk-taking stance originates from a Japanese ritual, Onbashira, where men slide down slopes on tree trunks. The danger evoked here collided with reality as Damien Jalet found himself a witness of the November 2015 Paris attacks. “Shows are like rituals and rituals have a purpose. Personally, the purpose of Thr(o)ugh is this: It is my first attempt to articulate something through the body that I still can’t verbalize.” Set to the music of Christian Fennesz (like Skid), this piece defies gravity in its own way, experiencing life in dance. 

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