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Beverley Brommert
A succinct dictionary definition of choreography - "the arrangement and design of dance" - does scant justice to the intricate process of creating a new ballet from scratch, as becomes apparent during a conversation with South African choreographer Kirsten Isenberg.
This accomplished practitioner of the art was invited by Debbie Turner (founder and director of the newly minted Cape Ballet Africa) to devise a work for inclusion in the fledgling company's maiden production, a triple bill titled SALT.
When asked whether this commission is daunting, Isenberg's response is a spontaneous and emphatic "Yes!" Not surprising, since in addition to the usual pressure of producing a new work, her ballet is the first of a trio forming the collage to be presented on opening night... by a brand new company.
Fortunately she has a positive attitude to challenges, and finds her current project as rewarding as it is intimidating.
"It helps when one is working with a group of such talented young dancers," she comments, adding that her new work has a sizeable ensemble of 12.
So, with a completely free hand in conceiving and executing a ballet for a significant event, where does one begin?
"For me, it's the music that comes first. Rachmaninov's second piano concerto is hauntingly beautiful, and when I researched it, I discovered that it was composed when Rachmaninov emerged from a dark period in his life. Suffering from depression following a hostile reception to his last composition, he sought help from a psychotherapist, to whom he dedicated this concerto on regaining the will to continue his work. As a neoclassical ballet, my new piece is more abstract than narrative-driven, and this music evokes a dream landscape that exactly resonates with the oneiric quality of my dance, hence the title: Reverie".
Just as the composer rediscovered a zest for life after depression, the thrust of Reverie is to depict affirmation after negativity. This accounts for the dominant colour of the work: shades of pink from dusky to blush, with various shades between, to suggest renascent optimism.
Ballet-lovers will relish the purity of line, en-pointe execution, and ethereal costuming of Reverie, in which classical language serves a neoclassical concept. Like many a dream, the work is brief (only the first two movements of the concerto are used); its emotional odyssey lasts just 22 minutes, belying its density of content.
Isenberg goes on to explain how the fluid transitions between positivity and negativity are conveyed: "The female lead in the second movement is isolated, until she realises that other dancers also form a part of her dream, and she gradually retrieves a sense of identity and belonging. Her fellow performers drift on and off the stage, with two male dancers joining her in a pas de trois..."
With commendable humility, the choreographer hastens to add that it is not for her to prescribe to an audience how to interpret her work; like an abstract painting, an abstract ballet will resonate differently with different viewers.
As one of three works staged in SALT, Reverie's theme of healing a wounded psyche suggests the restorative value of that eponymous mineral.
Isenberg's final comment? "This new venture (the launch of Cape Ballet Africa) is a bold step forwards, and creating a new work for it seems appropriate: nothing ventured, nothing gained. What hopefully will be gained is a lasting legacy of beauty."
Reverie will be performed as part of Cape Ballet Africa’s inaugural season SALT at the Baxter Theatre from 21 to 28 September 2024. Tickets can be booked through Webtickets.