Timeless Dances (On Fado and Didge Fusion)

… performed by a fantastic crew of the Queensland Ballet, on their European Tour. François Klaus’s choreography is pure genius work, while William Barton is a most fascinating didgeridu virtuoso and composer (not to mention that he also proved to possess great vocal skills and to play top guitar). Here’s an excerpt– the only one I have managed to find on YouTube– apparently from the very premiere of the show a year ago in Australia, identical to what I saw a couple of hours ago at the Musikhuset in Aarhus; this is from the final part, arguably the best, of Klaus’s Timeless Dances arrangement, carried out on an electric guitar-didgeridu fusion background. Enter Queensland Ballet & William Barton!

My other absolute highlight (naively attempting to further differentiate somehow: every part in the program was a highlight!) from tonight’s ballet agenda was Klaus’s perfectly choreographed and superbly executed pas de deux in Chant d’Amour; music-wise, a succession / combination of two songs from Madredeus’s O Paraíso album (ironically, this album is thought to be the one that marks Madredeus’s split with its fado roots; I would say that it is debatable to what extent each individual track still claims that heritage), “A Andorinha da Primavera” and respectively “Coisas Pequenas“, interpreted by the one and only Teresa Salgueiro (earlier on Madredeus; more on Portugal & fado). Timeless indeed!