Fist pumping

>> Schmid Pernette spotlights the piano

by MARITES CARINO

When I think of piano accompanists, I rewind to my childhood and envision Mr. Painter, a permanent fixture in the corner of the dance studio. Glued to the piano bench, his sole purpose was to keep the soundtrack for our ballet class going. So it's difficult for me to imagine a pianist leaving his post.

"I'm trying to blur the lines so that the dancers and pianists can meet in the middle," says French choreographer Nathalie Pernette of La Compagnie Schmid Pernette. Her works Le Sacre du Printemps and Suite feature two pianists interacting on-stage with two dancers.

"When I heard Stravinski's 'Rite of Spring for Four Hands,' I saw a lot of hand-crossing between two people and thought it was quite acrobatic," Pernette explains. Stravinski wrote a pared-down version of the orchestral piece for one piano and four hands for ballet rehearsals.

"Even though it was written in 1913, it's very modern, a bit raw, and rock 'n' roll," says Pernette . "It hits you in the stomach,"--which is how some critics have described the company's dancing. So Pernette decided to juxtapose the pianists' hand choreography with her own in this duo for herself and Andréas Schmid.

After working on this piece, she wanted to work with pianists Gérald Budzinski and Wandrille Decaëns, but with more physical interaction. And so Suite was born, inspired by reading the personal diaries of legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinski, who wrote them shortly before entering a psychiatric hospital. "His feverish writing showed his fears and stream of consciousness," Pernette explains. "Reading it makes the reader dizzy. I tried to translate his mood into dance."

Suite features a unique piece by French composer Alain Louvier "where the pianist does not just use his 10 fingers," Pernette enthuses. "Louvier has created a way to attack the piano where the pianist uses his elbows and fists and gloves!" :

Le Sacre du Printemps, Suites at L'Agora de la Danse Nov. 22-24, 8pm, $28-21, 525-1500