Advertisement

Oscar Wilde is a source of inspiration for Dance Now! Miami





The brilliant Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) published only one novel. Still, if he hadn’t written anything else, it would have been enough to earn him a prominent place in the history of literature.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” first appeared in July 1890 in an American literary magazine. Since then, it has been adapted for film, theater, and dance on numerous occasions.

Dance NOW! Miami (DNM) is now presenting its version. They call it “Dorian’s Reflection,” and it had its world premiere on May 15 at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Its premiere in Miami is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, at the Miami Theater Center.

“Dorian’s Reflection” is a choreographic staging created by Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini, founders and artistic directors of DNM. We talked with both of them.

How was “Dorian’s Reflection” received in Broward?

BAUMGARTEN: We are thrilled … the concert on May 15 received a huge standing ovation, which is not something we expect from our audience.

Why “The Picture of Dorian Gray? Why right now?

SALTERINI: As with most of our significant collaborations, Hannah and I have been working on “Dorian’s Reflection” for over two years. Being a gay man, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was one of the first novels I read, a staple in gay literature. While in the 1980s, it was just an exciting piece of literature, today, it has become much more relevant. We live in a society where the public image, the filtered, retouched, and “botoxed” version of ourselves, is at the forefront of virtually all social interactions. Our authentic self can reveal a different, often darker image.

Since 2000, the “Dorian Gray Syndrome” has been recognized as a set of symptoms present in men with pathological resistance to aging.

SALTERINI: There are easy-to-use apps that can transform practically any image into something different. They are full of people who present themselves not as they really are but how they would like the world to see them. The clash between the two is often a dramatic and fertile ground for the development of art.

BAUMGARTEN: The work has an original score by Davidson Jaconello, a Canadian dancer and composer who works from Berlin with artists such as Jiří Kylián; costumes by Haydée and María Morales; lighting by Bruce F. Brown; and sets designed by Diego. My contribution was to create the ballet scenes, the libretto itself. I took some liberties with the story but maintained a narrative arc that expressed my and Diego’s ideas and interpretations for the piece.

Is the staging an “adaptation” of the novel?

SALTERINI: No. Of course not. The novel was the starting point, but as we analyzed the narrative, we immediately became interested in seeing the deterioration of the main character. His pain and descent into darkness became the dance rather than an interpretation of each scene in the novel. We allowed the movement to demonstrate his moral decay while the image remains intact. It is the first time Hannah and I have really entered the gay world together, following the sexual route in a way that is faithful to the time in which the author lived. Wilde went to prison convicted of sodomy and struggled to reconcile his sexuality with his spirituality, as is often mentioned in his two complementary and contrasting works, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “De Profundis.”

In 1895, Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor. During his last year in prison, he wrote the epistle for his mistress “De Profundis” (published posthumously in 1905).

BAUMGARTEN: Although we draw several characters in the ballet based on those in the novel, the only dancer who plays a specific role is Matthew Huefner, who plays Dorian.

SALTERINI: Our version ends with Dorian contemplating his own image after committing a heinous crime, searching for maximum pleasure. Is that the moment when he decides to commit suicide like in the novel? It is up to the audience to decide.

What other pieces make up the program?

BAUMGARTEN: One of them is “Caravan.” Two years ago, we traveled to Italy to present “Bridges NOT Walls” in association with the Opus Ballet of Florence. They were supposed to come to Miami to perform with us, but due to travel restrictions, they can’t. “Caravan” has been mounted via Zoom. It is a commentary on the European migratory and cultural crisis. It is also a response to our “Bridges NOT Walls.”

The third work in the program, also by the Baumgarten-Salterini duo and appearing in Miami for the first time, is “Anusim, what is hidden is never lost.” Anusim is a term that identifies a Jew forced to abandon Jewish law against their will but continues practicing under conditions of coercion.

The piece is inspired by historical events and delves into themes of the destruction of the culture, assimilation, and diaspora. It was created as part of a collaboration between DNM and Dança Em Diálogós (DeD) from Braga, Portugal. The original music is by Federico Bonacossa and features the voice of the well-known Sephardic singer from South Florida, Susana Behar.

“Anusim” is now a four-movement ballet. DNM will travel to Portugal the day after its performance in Miami to perform at a festival, sharing the stage with DeD, who will have two additional sections ready for it.

BAUMGARTEN: We couldn’t be more excited to see that the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce/Sister City Initiative believe in Dance NOW! Miami enough to support this adventure as we pave the way for returning to international travel and cultural exchanges. We see the light at the end of the barriers of COVID-19, and of course ... art is the way!

If you go

Dance NOW! Miami will be performing at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Sec2nd Ave, Miami Shores. The cost of admission is $40, $25 for Miami Shores residents and $15 for students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at www.dancenowmiami.org/events/program3mtc (only available in blocks of 2 or 4 people seated together, face masks required). For more information: www.dancenowmiami.org, 305-975-8489 or info@dancenowmiami.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit source of theater, dance, visual arts, music, and performing arts news.