MÉLANIE LHÔTE
Peak Performances at Montclair State University presented Hervé Koubi’s “Sol Invictus,” Oct. 15.
Choreographer Hervé Koubi describes his work as a mélange of contemporary dance with street dance. “Sol Invictus” — which his company presented on Oct. 15 at The Kasser Theater at Montclair State University, as part of the Peak Performances series — has less in common with those sources, however, than with the popular genre known as nouveau cirque. Audiences love the show’s daredevil gymnastics and the men’s ripped physiques, but anyone looking for substance will be disappointed.
As the piece opens, a man in red makes an aggressive circuit around the stage while the other dancers lounge at the sides, casually observing him. He breaks into a run, speeding up until, to turn a corner, he must lean inward, supporting himself with his hand on the floor. Then the path will no longer contain his accelerating energy, and he flips into a handstand. The stage around him quickly fills with other bodies skipping, turning cartwheels, and balancing upside down. “Sol Invictus” opens with an exhilarating explosion of movement.
MÉLANIE LHÔTE
Dancers in “Sol Invictus.”
Unfortunately, the show has nowhere to go from here. Eye-popping stunts abound, mostly topsy-turvy spins supported on one hand, two hands, or on the performer’s head or shoulders. Manic episodes with everyone dancing at once alternate with passages in which the dancers wander, solemnly wearing a frozen expression. The traveling steps and portentous pauses, the rhetorical gestures (none too precise) and occasional meltdowns are what this piece derives from contemporary dance. Yet nothing ever develops. Each whirling hand-spin naturally stands alone, simply calling for our admiration.
When two individuals come together, we expect a duet. When someone occupies a spotlight, we expect an extended solo. When the dancers’ bodies mysteriously begin to smoke we expect … what? Maybe the fire department. But Koubi never follows through. Each display of prowess and each suggestive incident delivers a fleeting image, quickly abandoned so we can move on to the next. Preparations lead nowhere.
“Sol Invictus” may be designed for viewers with short attention spans, or it may simply lack choreographic imagination. A hodgepodge score contributes to the fragmentation. The music ranges wildly from Beethoven to contemporary composer Mikael Karlsson, who writes for video games and television.
An atmosphere of mysticism surrounds these hi jinks without elevating them. In lieu of narrative, Koubi offers ersatz rituals and a lightweight piece of fabric large enough to cover the whole stage in a translucent golden mantle. Francesca Bazzucchi draws it forward and shelters under it. Later, Badr Benr Guibi wraps it around his waist and preens for the benefit of an onstage crowd. Bathed in golden light, he could be the “unvanquished sun” of the title, or just a runway model. People dance underneath the cloth and on top of it, the head-spinner dramatically winding it around himself as he gyrates.
NATHALIE STERNALSKI
A dancer in “Sol Invictus.”
More compelling than this shtick is the physical presence of the men, who perform the most demanding acrobatic feats and quickly lose their shirts, the better to display their sculpted torsos. Otherwise dressed by Guillaume Gabriel in culottes with black socks, stockings and shoes, these hunks resemble figures in a historical romance, lending the show an air of fantasy.
Three fully clothed women in the 17-member cast supply a veneer of modesty, and the inclusion of one-legged dancer Samuel da Silveira Lima may refute charges of “ableism.”
Yet most often “Sol Invictus” suggests a cheeky beefcake calendar in search of a ladies’ club. Why not own it?
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