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nicht schlafen

Alain Platel, les ballets C de la B

Nine dancers lose themselves in Platel’s characteristic dance idiom around a sculpture of dead horses. The imposing set design was made by visual artist Berlinde De Bruyckere and the music is by Gustav Mahler. Platel – whose previous productions at the festival include C(H)ŒURS and pitié – focuses on the troubled early years of the 20th century, which led to the tragedy of two world wars. He draws striking parallels between then and now. The intense emotions and confusion that Mahler’s music expressed are once again relevant. Platel and his dancers go on a quest for transformation, hoping not to end up in large-scale destruction once more. Programme

dates

Tue June 20 2017 8:30 PM

Wed June 21 2017 8:30 PM

Thu June 22 2017 8:30 PM

information

  • Duration of performance unknown (geen pauze)

related

Alain Platel’s new piece uses Gustav Mahler’s music as its starting point - an idea suggested by the great Belgian producer Gerard Mortier. Initially Platel resisted the music, although he eventually became totally captivated and he had a particular affinity with the

Alain Platel’s new piece uses Gustav Mahler’s music as its starting point - an idea suggested by the great Belgian producer Gerard Mortier. Initially Platel resisted the music, although he eventually became totally captivated and he had a particular affinity with the

time of acceleration and disruption leading up to the First World War which Mahler evokes.

Together with composer Steven Prengels and musical dramaturgist Jan Vandenhouwe, Platel browsed his oeuvre, at first only picking the slow pieces, before finally changing tracks and opting for high-contrast work. The final selection draws upon all of the symphonies, with the exception of the 8th. Composer Steven Prengels manipulates Mahler, adding contrast with the polyphonic chants of Boule Mpanya and Russell Tshiebua as well as sounds of cowbells and cows. Two songs complement the orchestral work: a text by Nietzsche in Also sprach Zarathustra: O Mensch. The other song is from a choral work from the 2nd symphony and runs through the performance like a leitmotif: ‘Hör auf zu beben, Bereite dich zu leben’. By way of contrast, a cantata by Bach can be heard briefly: ‘Den Tod nobody Zwingen kunnt’.

Platel shares his love for the big themes of suffering and death with visual artist Berlinde De Bruyckere. De Bruyckere agreed to design nicht schlafen. The design centres on three dead horses piled onto a pedestal.

In between the many pictures on the wall of the rehearsal room – images meant to inspire costumes or improvisations – there was a photograph of the Dutch company Schwalbe: a player is lying on the floor, his clothes being ripped off by two other players, each pulling to one side. The fight inspired by the photograph constitutes the core content for director Platel. It is the violence scraping off the thin veneer of civilization that holds together communities. The team of dancers with whom Platel tackles this quest consists of a mix of regulars and new arrivals. Among the regulars: Elie Tass (vsprs, pitié!, Out of Context-for Pina, tauberbach), Ido Batash (C(H)OEURS), Romain Guion (C(H)OEURS) and Berengère Bodin (C(H)OEURS, tauberbach). During the auditions Platel met Samir M'Kirech, Dario Rigaglia and David Le Borgne. The two Congolese performers Russell Tshiebua and Boule Mpanya are the same backing vocalists with whom Platel worked in Coup Fatal.

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credits

direction Alain Platel music and musical direction Steven Prengels creation and execution David Le Borgne, Elie Tass, Ido Batash, Russell Tshiebua, Samir M’Kirech, Ro-main Guion, Dario Rigaglia, Boule Mpanya, Bérengère Bodin dramaturgy Hildegard De Vuyst music dramaturgy Jan Vandenhouwe artistic assistance Quan Bui Ngoc set design Berlinde De Bruyckere light design Carlo Bourguignon sound design Bartold Uyttersprot costumes Dorine Demuynck stage manager Wim Van de Cappelle production management Valerie Desmet tourmanagement Steve De Schepper production les ballets C de la B coproduction Ruhrtriennale, la Bâtie-Festival de Genève, la Biennale de Lyon, L’Opéra de Lille, TorinoDanza, Holland Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele distribution Frans Brood Productions with the support of Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen, Stad Gent, De Vlaamse Overheid thanks to Griet Callewaert, Warner Classics1, Manège de Hoefslag in De Pinte, Pierre Philippe Hofmann, Lieven Vandeweghe, Guy Cuypers & team, Alexi Williams, Bart De Pauw, K49814, Isnelle da Silveira

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