LUCINDA CHILDS AND PHILIP GLASS

Interpretation BALLET DE L’OPÉRA DE LYON

This piece is considered one of the pinnacles of postmodern dance, a minimalist dance form that strips dance of its virtuosity to rely solely on the intrinsic language of the body. Lucinda Childs’ first major collaboration with the composer Philip Glass, Dance was her first major work; performed by 17 dancers, dance and music form a flux in which, to use Childs’ words, the spectator “wants to slip in”. At the same time, the original film by Sol LeWitt (which has been reshot especially with the dancers of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon) is screened on the stage, producing a hypnotic split between stage and background.

Born in New York, Lucinda Childs started her career at the Judson Dance Theatre in 1963. In 1973, she formed her own company, with which she has created over 50 works. Since 1981, she has choreographed more than 30 works for major companies, such as the Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Berlin State Ballet or Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Company, and for theatres such as the Los Angeles Opera, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein or La Monnaie in Brussels. Her choreographies are known for their minimalist movements and complex transitions, transforming the slightest movements into intricate choreographic masterpieces.

The Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon is embarking on a new stage under its new director, Julie Guibert. With more than 100 pieces in its repertoire, the Ballet is continuing with its work to identify new territories in contemporary creation, while maintaining the level of demand of the great choreographic scores. This is the case with choreographers such as William Forsythe, who has been given carte blanche, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Mats Ek and Pina Bausch. The Ballet continues its tradition as a company trained in classical dance with a strong commitment to contemporary dance and it devotes a large part of its activity to transdisciplinary collaborations, especially between music and the visual arts.

CONVERSATION AFTER THE SHOW: March 3. Conducted by Bàrbara Raubert (journalist and Dance History teacher)

INTRODUCTORY SESSION TO THE SHOW ONE HOUR BEFORE THE FUNCTION: March 4 (saturday), by Àngels Margarit (choreographer and Mercat de les Flors director)

Choreography Lucinda Childs / Music Philip Glass © 1979 Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. / Costumes A. Christina Giannini / Lighting Beverly Emmons / Original design of the film Sol LeWitt / Film shot again by Marie-Hélène Rebois in the same way as the original with the dancers of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon / Camera operators Hélène Louvart; Script Anne Abeille; Edition Jocelyne Ruiz / Special effects Philippe Perrot

Enjoy a 30% discount on the purchase of your ticket by purchasing the Lucinda Childs PACK here!

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