Danseur – a male dancer in a ballet company.
Taking a break from behind the easel Court Painter often puts on his tan silk ballet slippers to skip the light fandango and occasionally turn cartwheels cross the floor.
There’s plenty of visual whimsy in the early 21-century dance setting – Court Painter renders a gorgeous figure in flowing gossamer while enthusiastic dance sequences and comic beats balance out melodrama. Even if he never quite takes the risks implied by its exclamatory title … “Leapin Lizards!” he follows the established steps with general grace and good humour At one point, Court Painter has “the energy of a bullet” but no technique or focus; the same can be said for the entire performance. The leapin’ sequences remain curiously earthbound, untethered from physical reality that can’t compete with the dazzling, gravity-defying dance-offs often seen in line dancing or the Highland Fling. The profound weaknesses of the performance are manifested in Court Painter’s movements that don’t evoke the grace of classical dance and, on the other hand, evidence the limitations of a master painter turned modernish dancer. The out of control yet soaring dance choreography may not satisfy purists, but presents a joyously liberating take on The Dying Swan that is sure to thrill youngsters.
The murmured question lingering from Court Painter’s leap into a new art form: was he attempting a Grande Jeté, a Plié ,a Turn-out,a Pirouette or as many remarked in admiration, a Tour en l’air !
