Freiburg

A rare quality in contemporary dance, irony has always been a distinctive trait of the Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi. In every one of her productions, from her solos, such as her latest work Suspended Chorus, and in her group pieces (the European hit Graces), she always finds a way to lift the spirits of her audience, encouraging them to participate and reflect. This is no different in Grand Jeté, a piece created at the invitation of Michele Merola for ten lively dancers from his MM Contemporary Dance Company, with Gribaudi herself joining as the eleventh performer and deus ex machina of the stage action. As the title suggests, the starting point for the piece is the most virtuosic of ballet jumps, whose powerful aerial thrust must sooner or later bring the performer back to the ...