by Dancers not only pay tribute to the past, they can also inhabit them. In this triple Bill (ISH) Solo Natalia Osipova Natalia Osipova steps into the shoes of two great female icons of modern dance, Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan, and may absorb part of her pioneering spirit.
In Graham’s mission in the labyrinth, Osipova demon-explicit Marcelino Sambés Minotaur, but also the internal with the power of her mighty ankle-to-ear steps. It is a dance of strength and sharp accents, geometry and gravity, and Osipova’s character cooks with both strength and fear. Five Brahms Walzes in the type of Isadora Duncan is a homage by Frederick Ashton, which is presented here in a new film by Grigory Deegin, turned spirited and beautifully illuminated. A hand camera follows Osipova under a flowing chiffon scarf and captures her dizziness and wild freedom, while the close -up images sees the vulnerability in the heart. The usual movement is female, but there is also a child’s quality, in its dedication and in the certainty of your own presence in the center of the world. It is a film that does justice to the ballet.
Related: Natalia’s night: Royal Ballet puts Osipova in the spotlight – in pictures
So this is the first half of Osipova’s offer. The second half differs eccentric from the historical in something from now. Jo Strømgren is a Norwegian choreographer, playwright and director, whose exhibition is a piece of comic dance theater. Two people arrive in a gallery: a well -groomed Osipova and the unnoticed Christopher Akrill. She speaks Russian, he English. There is misunderstandings and misunderstandings, and the two are drawn into a strange relationship, which is hindered and improved by their inability to understand, hinder and improve.
You never know where the piece is going, but it dances with topics of the connection, prejudice, art and beauty and what the body cannot and cannot say. Even if you cannot understand Osipova’s words, there is a naturalism and a cheeky character in your animated chatter. We know that she is a good dance center, but the language is different. It is a surprising alternative for Osipova, an explanation of who she is or wants to be a performer. It is a triple bill that honors past legends and tells us that Osipova is determined to be her own artist.
• In the Linbury Theater, Royal Opera House, London, until March 10th
