Jardin Blanc (2004 - 2006)

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Set in a futuristic garden of white, translucent and luminous forms, Jardin Blanc intertwines a surreal language of dance, human behavior, text, music and song. The dramatic staging of a single majestic, luminous column and evocative shapes of interlocking fibers and light suggest both plant-like forms and architectural structures, allowing the definitions of interior and exterior to be intriguingly ambiguous. This theatrical landscape shifts magically between a stark, skeletal, haunting space, like a snow-covered garden at night, to a vibrant field of color and fluttering movement. The dancing evokes at times a strange and melancholy mood, only to evolve into passionate sweeps of dancing, where sculptured costumes are animated fluently through the landscape, exuding a metamorphic quality. The performers move hypnotically though the suggestions of changing seasons and weathers, articulating intricate patterns and pathways through their bizarre habitation.

“What is a garden? A place /a space / a vision / a dream / a wish / an idea / a longing / a secret / a sanctuary / a journey / an exploration / an excavation / a memory/ a dedication / a fear / a fantasy /a love / a loss / a home / a resting place? Are there perhaps as many gardens as there are living beings?”

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Jardin Blanc was commissioned by Dance Umbrella, London, UK, and the Gardner Arts Centre, Brighton, UK and funded by the Arts Council Of England. This piece was featured in the 2004 Dance Umbrella Festival as well as undertaking an extensive UK tour. Ghost Garden was a re-working of Jardin Blanc, created in 2006 and presented in San Diego, USA. Watch Video

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Press:

“An exceptionally stunning work. Every single element contributes with equal effectiveness towards achieving a memorable event.” 
Graham Watts. www. Ballet.co.uk

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“Yolande Snaith’s specialty is a hybrid theatre of images, sound and movement….Snaith’s choreography, devised with the dancers, is a stream of ensemble swirls and swoops, offset by tender couplings and entwinements…” Donald Hutera, Time Out, London

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“An articulated work, that confirms Snaith’s virtuoso capacity for visual works where all aspects of the performance intermingle with each other….And of course, Snaith’s choreography, beautifully mingled with the moving props, at times characterized by sustained group phrases and pas de deux, rich in delicacy and tenderness” Rosella Simonari, Dance Magazine

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“Cinematic choreography. All theatrical elements contributing to a fully realized creation. A stage continually filled with stimulating activity…….Ghost Garden in dance theater of the highest order” David Lemberg Artscapemedia.com

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Garden of Lila (2005) 

 

Inspired by the writings of Persian writer Forough Farorokhzad this piece assembled a diverse team of collaborators in San Diego, US. Artistic direction Yolande Snaith and Shahrokh Yadegari, choreographer Yolande Snaith, composer Shahrokh Yadegari, Film Maker Tara Knight, lighting designer Thomas Ontiveros, Costume designer Paloma Young, actress Eva Barnes and a group of 8 San Diego based dancers. Produced and presented by the Persian Arts Society, previewed at the Molli and Arthur Wagner Dance Theatre at UCSD and performed at Japan America Theatre Los Angeles, as one half of an evening of collaborativework titled ONLY SOUND REMAINS.

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Press:

“Gorgeous ensemble passages offered a propulsive energy…”Jennifer de Poyen, San Diego Union Tribune 2005

Voted one of the top ten choreographies of 2005 by the San Diego Union Tribune

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