Dancers stand still. A snare drum behind the audience grows louder and louder with each hit. It reaches its peak, and the orchestra erupts into the next section as the dancers swerve away from their position. The percussion continues like a rattling snake, awaiting its next attack. The dancers prepare.
In Benjamin Millepied’s choreography to Pierre Boulez’s “Rituel [in memoriam Bruno Maderna],” conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the story lies in the dancers’ relationship to sound. The dance piece — co-commissioned by the LA Phil with the Orchestre de Paris – Philharmonie, the New York Philharmonic, and L.A. Dance Project — dramatizes the instruments into a tale of betrayal, revenge and power with the percussive instruments as its guide. As one of Millepied’s more narrative works, “Rituel” merges fast-paced sequences and motifs with shockingly tense plot points crafted out of a toxic duet. Much like the movement, the piece slithers and attacks when you least expect it, representing an exciting step forward in Millepied’s choreography.
Benjamin Millipied’s “Rituel” with the LA Phil – Dancers: Jeremy Coachman, Courtney Conovan – Photo by Farah Sosa, provided courtesy of the LA Phil. L.A. Dance Project.
The layout of the performance immersed the audience in the music. Musicians were planted at various spots in the audience. With each instrument introduction, a new spot was revealed. Meanwhile, the dance followed the same directive, weaving throughout the stage, regardless of where the musicians stood or sat. Although the instruments were scattered, the dancers wove them together with the performance’s embodiment of the music.
Millepied’s choreography specifically aligns with the percussion of Boulez’s composition. With each hit, the sound shapes itself to the body, pulling a hand or leg into motion. It can be a simple hop during a staccato section or a shaking outward hand as the percussion or strings tremble. “Rituel” also includes a phrase that gets deconstructed and re-constructed throughout. In it, there is a poignant movement where the hand swings inward toward the core, forcing the dancer to contract. The hand continues into an infinity-like loop toward the head. As the hand passes over the top of their heads, it pushes them into a new section like a slingshot. Altogether, the choreography replicates the attributes of a snake. The looping arm makes the body curve and slither while the shaking hands embody a rattle. This synthesized rattle between the dancers and the musicians makes your heart race. Purposeful or not, it helps drive the narrative forward.
Benjamin Millipied’s “Rituel” with the LA Phil – Dancers: Audrey Sides, Jeremy Coachman, Hope Spears, Courtney Conovan, Daphne Fernberger, Lorrin Brubaker – Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen – Photo by Farah Sosa, provided courtesy of the LA Phil. L.A. Dance Project.
The story centers on Courtney Conovan who pulls Jeremy Coachman away from the ensemble, punching him in the stomach over and over. Their tug and pull presents a conflict that no one else on stage can witness. They travel away from the crowd until Daphne Fernberger enters and sees it all. The choreography creates breathtaking swells of energy as all the dancers shape into tableaus. They’ve banded together. The tableaus explore themes of rescuing. In one, Fernberger stands taller than the others with her hand up to the sky while another hand reaches below, piercing through another dancer’s arms creating a circle. One eventually alters the course of the narrative. In one swoop, they ensemble gathers into a symmetrical shape with their hands pointing out, shaking — rattling. They finally strike.
Benjamin Millipied’s “Rituel” with the LA Phil – Dancers: Hope Spears, Daphne Fernberger, Audrey Sides, Jeremy Coachman – Photo by Farah Sosa, provided courtesy of the LA Phil. L.A. Dance Project.
The work is surprisingly violent, pitting dancers against one another. “Rituel” represents a moment of vulnerability in Millepied’s choreography, creating movement with a strong narrative and a profound statement about the power in numbers. He innovates with Boulez’s composition, turning each instrument into a character of their own. In this dramatized world, a story of actions and consequences reveals itself through impactful motifs and breathtaking plot twists that send chills down the spine.
Benjamin Millipied’s “Rituel” with the LA Phil – Dancers: Jeremy Coachman, Courtney Conovan – Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen – Photo by Farah Sosa, provided courtesy of the LA Phil. L.A. Dance Project.
In the final moments of “Rituel,” vengeance arrives. Coachman strikes Conovan in the stomach the same way she did to him. Others join in, replicating the same slow-motion punch until she retreats to conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen’s feet. She curls, like a snake, and rests. Although everyone is still, watching the story come to a close, the heart still races as if the rattling remains.
For more information about the LA Phil, please visit their website.
To learn more about L.A. Dance Project, please visit their website.
Written by Steven Vargas for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Benjamin Millipied’s “Rituel” with the LA Phil – Dancers: Lorrin Brubaker, Daphne Fernberger, Jeremy Coachman,Courtney Conovan, Audrey Sides, Hope Spears – Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen – Photo by Farah Sosa, provided courtesy of the LA Phil. L.A. Dance Project.
