LAZGI – DANCE OF SOUL AND LOVE at the London Coliseum
★★★★
“a four act spectacular”
Lazgi at the London Coliseum provided a high-concept and highly original showcase for the considerable talents of the National Ballet of Uzbekistan. The title refers to a millennia old dance form from the Khorezm region of the country which is accompanied by folk instruments including stone castanets and the surnay – a traditional wind instrument.
The show is the idea of Saida Mirziyoyeva, first assistant to (and eldest daughter of) the President of Uzbekistan.
Lazgi traditional dance has been re-imagined by an award winning German choreographer in a visual and musical spectacular that combines it with western ballet. The project began in 2020 and has been toured internationally to venues including Dubai, Moscow, St Petersburg, Germany and Turkey.
Music for the show is the work of self-taught Canadian composer and dancer Davidson Jaconello. Combining sounds at times reminiscent of minimalist composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass, he builds an impressive wall of rhythmic sound which is an excellent backdrop to the choreography of his collaborator, Raimondo Rebeck. Japanese designer Yoko Seyama has credits ranging from Miss Saigon to Die Fledermaus. Her visually impressive design is aided by striking lighting (with some very effective illumination from the wings) by Tim Waclawek and costumes by Frol Burimskiy.
The show opens with the stage covered with a great silken cloth under which the dancers lie like rocks in the desert. Sand cascades from the corner of the stage in a depiction of an ancient time somewhere on the Silk Road. Slowly the figures come to life and focus on an injured woman who dances in tented silhouette for the leader of the caravan who falls in love with her. By the end of the act, the cloth has lifted to form a swirling canvas for some stunning digital projections.
Thus begins a four act spectacular that takes in a stylish satire on 21st century digital lives and which culminates in a dazzling theatrical tour de force in which stage and pit are taken over by twinkling lights and symbolic figures of spirit and love are united.
Highlights included a scene featuring the male members of the company in some stunning jumps, another in which six principals in simple white costumes danced pas de deux en pointe, seemingly in bare feet, and the revelation of the complex movements of the traditional dance form which embodies the national spirit of Uzbekistan.
Lazgi – Dance of Soul and Love was presented for one night only in its UK premiere and will no doubt continue to tour globally.
LAZGI – DANCE OF SOUL AND LOVE at the London Coliseum
Reviewed on 14th September 2024
by David Woodward
Previously reviewed at this venue:
THE SANDS OF TIME | ★★★½ | September 2024
SWAN LAKE | ★★½ | August 2024
THE MONGOL KHAN | ★★★★★ | November 2023
LAZGI
LAZGI
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