Double Dutch

Italian choreographer and dancer, Emio Greco, is this month bringing his acclaimed production Double Points: OneandTwo to the Sydney Opera House.

The two short works were created by Greco and his Dutch director boyfriend, Pieter C. Scholten. Together they helm the Amsterdam-based dance company Emio Greco | PC.

Double Points: One features Greco performing a solo dance to Maurice Ravel’s famous Bolero. His body shudders, gyrates and lunges unpredictably to every beat, leading some to describe him as a human seismometer.

Greco said he and Scholten chose the iconic Bolero because they wanted to breathe new life into what had been so overused and misinterpreted through the years and become a clich?

We wanted to take this incredible challenge to visit the Bolero in a way it had never been choreographed or staged, Greco told Sydney Star Observer.

But the ambitious project proved more difficult than anticipated, to the point where they decided to drop it altogether.

Then we went back to it again and decided to try one more time. It took a very long time to find a whole different way to relate to the music. It took some time and some energy. It was a very interesting creative process, Greco said.

The second act, Double Points: Two, features Suzan Tunca and Vincent Colomes dancing in complete synchronisation to a thunderous soundtrack.

In 2001 Double Points: One and Two won the Sonia Gaskell Prize for choreography in Amsterdam and the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Festival in the same year.

While some couples dread the idea of working together, Greco said working with Scholten had done wonders for their relationship.

It allows us to move forward. It also forces us to be more precise, more analytical, and more sensitive towards each other, he said.

Double Points: One and Two plays at The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House, from 21 November to 2 December. Tickets are $45/ $35 from the Sydney Opera House website or on 9250 7777.