Michael Parmenter's Les Noces is a vividly theatrical
exploration of Stravinsky's remarkable score. With masterful
clarity, Parmenter reveals the humour and chaos in the dynamics of
the peasant wedding.
Sudden leaps back and forth between the sacred and the profane,
the ritual and the satire, from formality to the boundaries of the
unruly and wild. Parmenter danced as the Groom in Don Asker's
production of Les Noces in Australia in 1982 where he fell in love
with the work. All the musicians - pianos and percussionists,
soloists and a choir - were on the stage with the dancers.
"Stravinsky's insistent rhythms seemed to rise up like an
earthquake beneath one's feet."
Credits
Seasons: 2006
Choreography: Michael Parmenter
Design: John Verryt
Music: Igor Stravinsky