What is Emio Greco's Obession with Classical Prima Donnas?

An experience of the dansopera De Soprano's from an Italian choreographer 

This show was a grand spectacle on a classical level. This was a collaboration of the Opera Zuid and ICK Amsterdam as part of Emio's evident fixation with opera's heroines. 

The Show Must Go On

A single man begins in nothing but a black turtle shell and clear, platform heels with a full set up for a 8-piece orchestra, percussion, a 'glass harp' and platforms surrounding the stage.

This single man states the names of feminists from throughout history in his masked voice. Slowing the rest of the cast join on stage: 6 dancers, 3 singers, the conductor, and 8 musicians. Their faces were are all covered in chain mail as they stood facing the audience in what seemed like some sort of protest or stance.

The rest of the show goes on as a conversation between dancers, opera singers, and music, between the classical and the modern. Mostly the music and dancers blended seamlessly in harmony. The transition moments were bombarded with digital technics, guitar solos, and video projections interrupting the classical opera scene.

And as with his last piece, Verdi, the women dancers and singers wore their heels high and proud, dressed in draping, translucent slips, and rock&rolled the stage with strong feminist power.

So What Happened to Opera?

Despite the spectacle, the variety, and interaction, I was bored. Perhaps I miss the knowledge of classical Verdi opera's so I can not bring in the story to what I was seeing. And even so I feel that these dance pieces, with such action and variety, should be a story in themselves. I didn't understand the interlacing of the video projections or the moments of self-critique or the story line in general.

So instead I focused on little things; the dancer's movements, and way the singer's interact with the stage, how the conductor works together with the dancers. The dancing was beautiful. The six danced in harmony, and nearly unison but given the freedom to add their own voice to the movement. They are stunning dancers, naturally and this I enjoyed. And I got a little lost in their flow. The beauty wasn't quite enough to keep me engaged in the piece as a whole.

Greco naturally must have a deep interest in Verdi's operas. It's running through the core of the piece. For me, not having the history and knowledge of Italian Arias and story lines, I was missing out on the very foundation of what I was watching.

Day 7: Meg Stuart's Marathon Performance: Sketches/Notebook

This piece was just what I needed to See. 4 hours of scores, sketches and a journey into a Crystal Cave. 

Meg Stuart's Sketches/Notebook was not your average performance. And I don't mean it deviated from the normal structure. I mean that it defiantly left the realm of traditional dance pieces to the other extreme, it was a new creation in itself. 

You step into the theater space to find creatures playing in their element. The stage is transformed into a visually dynamic setting with ramps, chairs in clusters, props, fabrics and pillows of various textures, wardrobes full of costumes, and technical equipment. The show had already started when the audience arrives; we just happen to witness this scene as if joining them for a normal afternoon tea. But nothing was Normal.

I can not begin to go into the details of the whole four hours. What happened in that space from 9:00 until 1:30 in the morning is something so complex and involved, I can only give you a tiny glimpse into what occurred in this spacetime  

There was an element of transparency. The performance was open: in the show the process was very visible to the spectator. The technique, costume, stage & lighting designers were in the same space as the performers, therefore becoming performers themselves.  

Following the openness of the piece, there was an incredible amount of spectator interaction. What started with small things to engage the audience [little nods, handing out costumes, assigning tasks] leading to larger roles in the overall. Audience members were dressed up for a photos shoot, invited into a clumping circle and eventually into a communal improvisation and 'structure building'.

With this audience-spectator interaction, there was a sense of harmony and togetherness. By the end piece, I had been on stage a number of times, including a duet with a cast member and orienting myself structurally. There was definitely a level of trust which the audience had in the performers. I learned the rules they were operating and felt safe within that. I'm curious though how to make the trust go even deeper to the point when you get the audience to interact or do something which is outside of their comfort zone. A moment when they release their traditional ideas of the spectator/performer role and let go into the moment. I had the thought sometimes that I really wanted to join or propose an idea into the space but I never acted on that. How can you create the environment where I felt free to do so? or even required and willing to propose ideas during the performance?

This is a question I want to explore for myself and in my own work. It's a great research!

I loved the visual aspect of the piece. You could see so many layers of details. The spacing of the stage area had an immediate impact with ramps and areas of chairs arranged in a unique pattern. Quickly the element of texture and colors were introduced. With reflective and shiny as a theme, arranged within the space were with different fabrics, transparent plastics, geode rocks, colorful costumes, and a discoball to name a few items. Each were introduced on their own, given a distinct role in the piece related to the other items. It was a magical clash of 

This work is filled with layers of information! It touches sensory stimuli, social-cultural issues, performative tasks, and redefining theater space and time. 

I loved it. I loved the marathon of the extended four hour version. Its duration flooded me with waves from complete engagement to closing eyelids. I was overwhelmed and completely pleased with the direction Meg Stuart went into. All more I can say is I want more of this.