Angelin Preljocaj: Le songe de Médée / MC 14/22 - ceci est mon corps

I found MC 14/22 the more interesting of the two pieces, but I don’t think I would necessarily go so far as to say I liked it.The work is definitely rather bizarre. There is very little, if anything, in it that resembles dancing. Much of it is more reminiscent of WWE wrestling. When it is not that, it sometimes resembles gymnastics, and sometimes models posing for a photo shoot. The all-male cast often pair off and more or less take turns with one playing dead or comatose, while the other throws his body around.There is also nothing that I would call music, rather a series of various sound effects.The piece is apparently supposed to be about the Last Supper, with twelve male dancers, but other than that number and the presence of a table of sorts throughout much of the piece, I didn’t see any obvious connection.Towards the end, there is some weird unpleasantness with packaging tape which would be better suited to a horror film. I can’t imagine being the dancer who agreed to be the victim in that part. After that, the piece concludes with a guy sticking his face in a bowl of mud while other guys more or less platform dive behind him.Anyone who can figure out a real connection between either of those things and the Last Supper probably deserves to out-place Sherlock Holmes in the detectives hall of fame.I don’t know if you call this “conceptual art,” but it is certainly the dance equivalent, in that conceptual “art” seems to consist mostly of thinking up some crazy thing to do that no one else happened to think of before, rather than there necessarily being any particular point to that thing or real reason for it.I have a lot less to say about Medee. In contrast to the other, it does consist of actual dancing. I can see why some who want to see choreography that is a bit different from the usual might well like it, but I found it rather boring and ended up fast-forwarding through significant portions.The most notable thing about it to my mind is that the stage was strewn with milk pails and there were more hanging from above. One would have to guess they are supposed to symbolize motherhood, given what the story of Medea is about. I don’t know what you would call that – sexist, reductionist, or just plain goofy weird.So, if you are a fan of conceptual art and like weirdness for its own sake, you will probably like these (as long as you don’t get claustrophobic watching someone get bound up). If you have a strong preference for traditional dance, you will probably hate them, especially MC 14/22. If you are somewhere in between, you can take your chances.

I just recieved this yesterday, and I didn't enjoy it at all. 'Lanza: Le Songe de Médée' is rather odd. And the small amount of dancing didn't entertain me at all. And 'Zahmal: MC 14/22 Ceci est mon corps' is very strange. And there was nothing I would call dancing. I do like modern ballet, but I don't understand why a ballet company would do this one. If your looking for ballet, then don't buy this DVD. I bought it because I love to watch Stephane Bullion. And it's certainly not for children.I regret buying this one. Like I said, it's not for everyone. I'll probably never watch it again.

Angelin Preljocaj is known for his amazing dance pieces, which are a symphony for all the senses. Le Songe de Médée and MC14/22 are definately two of those pieces. Preljocaj's delicate work is shown in this two pieces in a wonderful way. I am more than just satisfied with this purchase

Bonjour, j'ai bien recu le dvd en question et vous en remercie beaucoup. Je suis satisfaite de sa qualite. Bien a vous, Khatuna Mzarelua

I was repulsed and sickened by what I saw. The Art of the Ballet is one of the great joys of my life. However, if what is featured on this DVD is the direction ballet is going, I would advise the French Minister of Culture to cancel the total budget for all ballet immediately. There are far better things that can be done with the money. I have seen gymnastic exhibitions that contained more grace and beauty. The so-called choreographer should be confirmed to a prison for fraud or, at least, to an insane asylum.Le Songe de Medea purports to tell the tragedy of that fearsome woman. In this telling Jason seems not to care for his children. So the ballet ends without showing Medea's revenge on Jason, giving Creuse, Jason's new love interest, the magic garment what causes the flesh to shrivel and fall from her body.MC 14/22 related to a verse in the Gospel according to St. Mark which related to The Last Supper. Anything even hinting on the sanctity of the event of the blessing the Lord gives to his Apostles is totally missing. Relating this piece to such a holy event is sacrilege.The sound track was nothing but ugly noise, having no relevance as music. The most extreme 12 tone works contain infinitely more music.If you are interested in the Medea story on DVD there is a modern opera, Medea by Gabichvadze available here at Amazon.com. It's harsh, but passionate and well-performed. The ultimate film Medea is, of course, starring Maria Callas. Unfortunately it is only available in DVD I know of is PAL, area code 2, available from Amazon.de. I have it and it is magnificent. Maria Callas is working here as an actress, not a singer. I deeply regret having purchased this DVD. It was a total waste of money.