Royal Ballet mixes tradition with innovation

At the opposite end is guest choreographer James Cousins. The Scottish artist comes from the contemporary school of dance and accepted the challenge precisely because the conventional ballet form is rather a novelty for him, a novelty he intends to play with (and possibly subvert). “This will be my first time working with dancers en pointe,” Cousins says. “This new challenge is my main inspiration for this project. I want to discover how far I can push the dancers and develop my style using pointe work.”

Coupe Maison veteran Jonas Vlerick (he’s participated in six editions and counting) is also seizing on the opportunity to experiment. His Theropoda transforms its six performers into dinosaurs. “My piece is partially inspired by images of prehistoric birds and dinosaurs,” he says, “and partially by scientific theories of adaptation, evolution and extinction.” It’s a technical exercise as well as a thematic statement. “I like animalistic movements,” he continues. “They stimulate the dancers to find their personal limits. The style is very detailed so it is hard for the dancers to remember the steps. It’s a real challenge.”

One dancer in particular is putting his stamp on Coupe Maison in a big way. Christopher Hill decided to go all out for this, his first choreography. Not only is he creator, director and star of Everything Commences in the Dark but he has also taken on the mantle of soundtrack composer (and performer!) as well as costume and lighting designer. In fact, his contribution to Coupe Maison is an entirely one-man operation, DIY in the strictest sense.

It’s an ambitious move but Hill’s objectives are modest; he wants only to learn and grow. “This is my first Coupe Maison and my first choreography,” he says. “It’s been a conscious decision not to have too many expectations apart from being open to the process, accepting what comes out of it and learning as much as I can about the creative process.”

It was quite a process. Hill worked through five drafts of the soundtrack in his home studio, fine-tuning as the solo choreography evolved in similar steps. It was a clever way of forestalling the critic’s inevitable chicken-and-egg question. “I suppose ultimately both the music and choreography influenced each other equally,” he laughs.

The big tent of the Royal Ballet of Flanders houses all these personalities and perspectives (and then some). This year’s Coupe Maison is bigger and better than ever with the addition of the Mini Coupes programme. Four dancers-turned-choreographers, including Theropod’s Vlerick, welcome you to the company’s studios for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at shorter rough cuts of new pieces that aren’t quite ready for the main hall. Think of it as an appetiser before the main course.

21 November-1 December
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Theater ’t Eilandje, Kattendijkdok Westkaai 16, Antwerp