CityLife

Rambert draws on Darwin - by request

ALL WHITE ON THE NIGHT: Rambert Dance Company

EVEN if the world suddenly seems to be full of media-babble about Charles Darwin, celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth and marking 150 years since the publication of his book On The Origin of Species, Rambert’s Comedy Of Change, coming to The Lowry from Wednesday, could well prove to be the most remarkable and memorable creation of them all.

At the request of no less than Darwin’s actual great grandson Stephen Keynes, a long-standing friend of his, the company’s artistic director Mark Baldwin has returned to the world of science (after the brilliant Constant Speed in 2005) to create his third major work for the company.

Darwin’s theory that all things change is at the very root of the inspiration for this project which was three years in the making and includes a specially-commissioned score by renowned British composer Julian Anderson, with production design by the multifaceted French-Algerian artist, Kader Attia.

“We’re showing the human body in its animal form and dancers are a species too,” says observes Baldwin.

Composer Anderson has a natural connection with Darwin via his father Professor E S Anderson, who was a celebrated micro-biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society. Comedy Of Change is his third ballet with Mark Baldwin, after 2001’s The Bird Sings With Its Fingers.

As with the Russian impresario Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes 100 years ago, Baldwin predicates his creative choices around collaborations between choreographers, composers and artists.

Production Designer Kader Attia – born in Algeria, raised in Paris, and now based in Berlin – is an artist who works in many mediums but focuses primarily on the difficulty of being an outsider in a politically and socially charged environment. 

Equally key to the project has been the scientific advisor Professor Nicky Clayton. A fellow of Clare College who, in 2005, became the youngest female professor ever appointed at Cambridge University, Nicky has always been fascinated by birds – by their glamour and elegance, their movement and rituals, their melodies and labours.

Her studies focus on members of the crow family, including jackdaws, rooks and jays, challenging common-held assumptions that only humans can plan for the future and reminisce about the past. Her work has led to a radical re-evaluation of animal cognition and the evolution of cognition.

“A large part of my life is spent dancing – ballet, jazz and particularly Latin dance like salsa and tango,” she says. “Of course, birds dance, too. I have a favourite video clip that I show my students of the Swallow-tailed Manakin – it’s the avian equivalent of tango and, not surprisingly, these birds are found in Argentina.” 

It was another film clip that she showed him that particularly inpired Baldwin, though.

“It was this remarkable film of these little birds in Papua New Guinea who spend 80 per cent of their time practising dances because it is such a crucial part of their mating ritual and so the continuation of the species.

"There were lots of their moves that I have been able to simply steal!,” he laughs.

Amazing plumage

“The way some species have this amazing plumage that they only show as part of the mating ritual, where it becomes absolutely crucial, led us onto ideas about conceal and reveal.

“Evolution means change so we’ve been looking at ideas of past and future, same but different.”

In addition to Comedy Of Change, the Rambert repertoire at The Lowry will include Carnival Of The Animals by Siobhan Davies and A Linha Curva. 

“Carnival of The Animals, set to Saint-Saëns’ beautiful and melodic music, is arguably Siobhan Davies’ most popular and endearing work. She’s Britain’s most accomplished female choreographer. and This is a witty and funny very friendly piece,” he says.

A Linha Curva, meanwhile, will feature no less than 26 dancers, as well as a samba band onstage.

“The Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili and I both used to go to Brazil a lot when we were freelancers and that’s where we met,” Baldwin remembers. “I’ve wanted to try to convey some of the vibrancy and excitement of the music and dancing that we used to see and love, I think this piece achieves that, complete with the scanty costumes. In fact the dancers aren’t wearing much at all!”

Music for this and the other pieces will be provided by Rambert’s own orchestra.

Music director Paul Hoskins says observes that “in recent years, Rambert Dance Company has seen the role of music become ever more central to our thinking and planning. I am very excited that our exceptional players will now come under the same roof as our wonderful dancers.

"We all see this new arrangement as a logical and hugely beneficial step in Rambert’s evolution. The existence of Rambert Orchestra leads to all kinds of creative possibilities.”

Rambert Dance Company’s Comedy Of Change tour is at The Lowry from Wednesday, September 23 until Friday, September 25. £10 - £21.50. Call 0870 787 5780.