Kahlo catches a cold

Having seen her paintings in exhibitions, watched Robert Lepage's production of "La Casa Azul" in London, and seen Julie Taymor's award-winning film "Frida", I was eager to watch a contemporary dance version of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's life. That's why I picked Donlon Dance Company's "Casa Azul" as a must-see in Bangkok's 13th International Festival of Dance and Music. Co-presented by the Embassy of Germany and the Goethe Institut, "Casa Azul" promised to be a marriage of "contemporary dance, live music and art". That's a little problematic to begin with: The open and multidisciplinary nature of contemporary dance allows artists from various genres to collaborate, and most audiences would already expect that. Anyhow, on the main stage at the Thailand Cultural Centre on Thursday, it made a fine combination. The almost bare stage was marked by two skeletal clusters of houses - one downstage left and the other upstage right, which later opened to reveal a living room. White panels were rolled in at times for scene changes and for frequently projected of images. Hector Zamora and Liliana Barros injected vivacity to the work with their music and singing. And it was fitting, even intriguing, that they occasionally stepped across the genre barrier to act the roles of two protagonists. Other scenes used their pre-recorded voices, and the overall effect wasn't as powerful. Another problem was thousands of miles that separate the Mexican subject matter from the Irish choreographer Marguerite Donlon and this multinational group of dancers. Whenever the choreography showed Latin influences, the dancers weren't comfortable and the audience didn't quite feel the vibrancy and heat. Perhaps finding themselves in a larger auditorium than they are used to cooled off their performance. By contrast, back in their comfort zone, they were more relaxed and their movements conveyed more emotion. This was most evident in the more surrealistic scenes.For the many students in the audience, their understanding and enjoyment of the action would have been boosted by some biographical info on Frida Kahlo in the programme.On Monday at the Singapore International Film Festival I watched Wim Wenders' biopic of legendary German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch. Will "Pina 3D" be included in the upcoming World Film Festival Bangkok? Let's hope so. I also wonder when Bangkok dance audiences will have a chance to see Tanstheater Wuppertal, one of Germany's most highly renowned contemporary dance troupes.Tomorrow evening and Sunday afternoon are our two last chances to catch the Mariinsky Ballet and listen to the Mariinsky Orchestra before they disappear from this corner of the world for who knows how long. Next week, the Festival welcomes three productions, each very different in style. 
Three to see • U Theatre's "Meeting with Bodhisattva" is on Monday at 7.30pm.• Introdans' quadruple bill, with works by Jiri Kylian and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, is on Wednesday at 7.30. • Flying Superkids is next Friday at 7.30 and Saturday at 2.30pm and 7.30.• All performances are at Thailand Cultural Centre's Main Hall (MRT: Thailand Cultural Centre). Please note that latecomers will not be admitted. Tickets are available at ThaiTicketMajor. Visit www.BangkokFestivals.com for more details. Also check out www.UTheatre.org.tw, www.Introdans.nl and www.FlyingSuperkids.com.