The Watteau Duets

The title for The Watteau Duets is taken from the French artist, Jean-Antoine Watteau whose 18th Century paintings depicted characters in the comedy of love. In this 20th Century look at the subject, the idealized baroque vision of the delight is turned into what the French call a apache dance – a battle of the sexes depicted as a war dance with a sense of humor.  Pointe shoes, rather than being ethereal, are used as weapons. David Linton’s score, one of the firs tot ever use sampling, mixes live music with a recorded track. The musicians not only play a variety of instruments from drums to gongs and keyboards, but also engage in an existential comedy in counterpoint to the dancers. During the duets, the audience sees the couple go form secret mutual interest, to complicity and erotic pleasure followed by settling in with hang-ups and bemusement.

Source: Armitage Gone! Dance

More information: www.armitagegonedance.org