Connecting Continents: SWAY / BOLERO X / FRONTIER

#worldclass_choreographers #transformative

» ›Hope‹ is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all - «

[...]

Emily Dickinson, » ›Hope‹ is the thing with feathers«, 1862

SWAY evokes the lyrical language of movement which has become the trademark of Medhi Walerski’s work. Harmonious, smooth transitions between duets and the group of seven dancers create timeless moments that are as fleeting as the hope described by Emily Dickinson in her poem » ›Hope« is the thing with feathers« (1862), which is the inspiration for this piece. An ode to movement and its capacity to communicate without words.

In BOLERO X, Shahar Binyamini examines the power of repetition and the new meanings that arise from combining the music composed by Ravel in 1928 with the choreography performed today. The work is a celebration of dance’s power, exuded by 20 dancers on the stage – a power that divides us as unique individuals but also holds us together as a group.

Crystal Pite’s visionary and enigmatic piece FRONTIER, for 24 dancers, explores the unknown – a characterisation of dark matter, a personification of shadows. Pite describes her work as follows: »Creating, for me, is a matter of venturing into unknown terrain and entering into a generative relationship with doubt.«

Formed in 1986 by Jean Orr, David Y. H. Lui and Sheila Berg, Ballet BC has been led since 2020 by artistic director Medhi Walerski, who danced at the Paris Opéra, the Ballet du Rhin and for the Nederlands Dans Theater among other companies. Walerski has collaborated closely with many renowned choreographers, and has co-created and performed works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger and Wayne McGregor.

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