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ImPulsTanz 2009: Jetzt bist du dran – George Blaschke

George Blaschke gets off to a running start with Rachmaninoff music and a tall thin dancer in a grey prison suit climbing the walls and sprawling on the floor. Really compelling movement.

Petr Ochvat © Georg Blaschke
Petr Ochvat © Georg Blaschke

The idiom is a bit dated and Chaplinesque but strangely compelling. Alas after about ten minutes it’s over and two other gentlemen walk out from the back of Kasino. Everything is very cordial, they nod and greet the dancer and then sit down.

We watch the dancer rehearse some more and then a home movie is shown of the three men on stage in a rehearsal studio. The two gentlemen sitting turn out to be a choreographer and a dancer. The sixty year old choreographer Harmen Tromp learned this material directly from the original dancer/choreographer Andrei Jerschik (Linz 1902-1997). And he taught it to the forty year old teacher George Blaschke. Who is now passing it on to the young Czech dancer Petr Ochvat.

Jetzt bist du dran © Georg Blaschke
Jetzt bist du dran © Georg Blaschke

George Blaschke is a piece about passing material on from one generation to another. Perhaps the passing of choreography should be an impenetrable mystery to audiences. To me it’s just a given. That’s what happens.

In this context, the pickings here are slim.

Ten minutes of compelling dance and ten minutes of dull rehearsal and ten minutes of rather mediocre film.

On the plus side, I would like to see the dancer perform again. I would like to see more of the choreography again.

I’m not sure about the advisability of taking 12 euros from people for what is a non-show and a rather bare bones demo. Apparently I was in the minority and most of the people attending were actually on a whole evening ticket which included Maguy Marin and so you got a lot of minimalism for your 25 or 30 euros.

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