The 2018 BalletX fall series welcomes three world premieres across the sea

BalletX’s 2018 Fall Series, opening November 28 at the Wilma, brings exciting new pieces from international choreographers whose works explore a troubling but hopeful horizon, and tyranny, in dance.

In November, BalletX cut the big red ribbon on its new rehearsal and administrative facility on Washington Avenue. It was an important milestone for the company and for the growing landscape of dance in Philadelphia. But I was there for a sneak peek of “Yonder,” the new piece by rising Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma premiering in BalletX’s fall series. Later, I had the opportunity to talk with Kuindersma and choreographer Cayetano Soto about their work.

Rising seas and poetry

Kuindersma said that she drew her inspiration from Landfall, the experimental album by Laurie Anderson and the Kronos Quartet that mourns the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in New York City. “Yonder” does not retell that story, but uses it, and the rising seas caused by climate change, as a metaphor for the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that confront us. Yonder is the horizon, she said, and we are all points moving toward it — our hopes and dreams are out there; we have to keep trying and we have to connect with other people to reach them.

“Yonder” reflects Kiundersma’s own story of obstacles overcome. She lost out on a BalletX fellowship, but the connections she made brought her this commission. Visa delays meant a struggle to cross a literal rising sea. At any point, she said, she could have turned back. She persisted, but said that she is not telling her story alone. This brought me back to the metaphor: If she worked without time constraints, every member of the company would have their moment as the point striving for the horizon.

Ballet has been telling fairy tales for centuries, of course, with fantastical sets and a whole vocabulary of mime. But when I compared her piece to a short story, Kiundersma corrected me. She said, that for her, dance is poetry. It is about focusing on the metaphor to allow the audience to interpret the piece according to their own experience. Even poems have meaning, though. When I asked what she wanted audiences to take away from her piece, Kiundersma said, “Hope.” Thanks to the dancers and the choreographer, Yonder really is poetry in motion.

Choreographed tantrums

Choreographer Cayetano Soto hails from Barcelona but says that because of what he sees happening in his country, especially in Barcelona, he now considers himself a European first. BalletX fans know his satiric works “Schachmatt” and “Malassangre,” but “Napoleon/Napoleon” is the first dance he’s created for the company.

The title evokes “Emperor Syndrome,” a psychological phenomenon of childhood in which kids tyrannize adults. On one level, Soto concretely describes the syndrome in dance: dancers ride tricycles and throw temper tantrums to the imperial sounds of Khachaturian and Shostakovich. But it wasn’t until he saw the syndrome cropping up in adults, influencing even his own life, that he decided it was time to make a satiric piece embracing the childlike without being childish.

Soto said that his dances always have layers, so audiences can take the work at face value. With a sly smile, he added that he never talks clearly about politics, but if he did, “Napoleon/Napoleon” might be it. Wink, wink.

BalletX presents its 2018 Fall Series at the Wilma Theater (265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia) November 28 through December 9. Tickets ($25-$55) are available online or by calling 215-546-7824.