Press Release
12 March 2013
SCOTTISH BALLET presents
DANCE ODYSSEYS
Edinburgh International Festival
Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Friday 16 – Monday 19 August 2013
Scottish Ballet invites Edinburgh International Festival audiences to experience dance differently this August with a four day journey into the curious, the conceptual and the most creative world of dance. Featuring world premieres, historical genre-changers, celluloid classics and some of the world’s newest and most exciting dance voices, this unique festival-within-a-festival celebrates work from classic to contemporary and engages with a spectrum of makers, both established and new, at the forefront of dance innovation.
“I am delighted to be bringing Scottish Ballet to the Edinburgh International Festival for the first time under my Artistic Directorship,” said Christopher Hampson.
“This year we will present a new, exciting programme of events in a way we have never performed before – introducing the work of new dance voices alongside established choreographers into our repertoire and reintroducing work from our founding Artistic Director Peter Darrell.
“Scottish Ballet’s Dance Odysseys features no less than 17 different live dance pieces, 14 choreographers and 3 companies – with performances from Scottish Dance Theatre and Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa as well as a selection of films and talks – challenging people to experience dance in a completely different way.”
EVENING PERFORMANCES in the Main Theatre
A world premiere from LA LA LA Human Steps’ founder and Artistic Director Édouard Lock, created on and performed by Scottish Ballet, takes to the main theatre as does Artistic Director Christopher Hampson’s intense and visceral vision of The Rite of Spring, presented in its 100th anniversary year.
Other main theatre performances include Glen Tetley’s seminal work Pierrot Lunaire and Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I from Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa highlighting elements of dance, visual arts and music.
NEW VOICES in the On Stage Studio
In NEW VOICES comes five world premieres performed by Scottish Ballet and Scottish Dance Theatre.
For Scottish Ballet: California’s Helen Pickett, a former dancer for William Forsythe and now resident Choreographer at Atlanta Ballet renowned for energetic yet poetic creations; James Cousins, a young choreographer whose contemplative and gripping style won him the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer Award; Martin Lawrance who shares the intense musicality of his mentor Richard Alston and Royal Ballet Soloist Kristen McNally, an exciting, cutting edge choreographer for whom the term ‘indie ballet’ could have been coined.
Henri Oguike, one of the brightest voices of British contemporary dance, takes on a new commission with Scottish Dance Theatre, promising fierce precision in this world premiere.
Relationships come into focus in DUETS as Scottish Ballet presents extracts from the canon of Scottish Ballet’s Founding Artistic Director Peter Darrell in Five Rückert Songs embodying the feelings in Friedrich Rückert’s poetry on love, loss and loneliness and Chéri the story of a passionate and ultimately tragic love affair. James Cousins’ Jealousy offers an intimate viewpoint of a passionate and obsessive relationship and Helen Pickett’s Trace is inspired by a composite of Tennessee Williams’ lovers.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS in the On Stage Studio
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS offers an inspiring programme from three established choreographers. Christopher Bruce’s Shift is an energetic study of 1940s factory workers during the war, Jiří Kylián’s 14’20 – a sensual duet of feral beauty and human entanglement and Twyla Tharp’s The Fugue, set to the percussive beat of the dancer’s own feet as they spiral, twist and stomp.
A season of dance on screen from Curator Nele Hertling features Forgotten Memories, a documentary on Jiří Kylián’s life, thinking and most significant creations, Kurt Jooss’s masterpiece The Green Table featuring a young Pina Bausch and Portrait of Mary Wigman – a revolution in the world of dance at the end of the roaring twenties.
As part of Dance Odysseys Scottish Dance Theatre will also present SisGO choreographed by Artistic Director Fleur Darkin – an intimate journey that merges the audience with the company to create a riot of choreography.
A programme of pre and post show talks complement the festival with the opportunity to hear from Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Hampson, LA LA LA Steps’ Édouard Lock, Choreographer Cesc Gelabert, Jane Pritchard – Curator of Dance at the V&A and Scottish Dance Theatre Artistic Director Fleur Darkin.
Dance Odysseys is supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. This £200,000 investment is welcomed by Scottish Ballet as Chief Executive Cindy Sughrue comments:
“Taking part in such a prestigious event as the Edinburgh International Festival is important for Scottish Ballet. It allows us the opportunity to perform alongside our international peers as well as contribute to the world-class artistic reputation of Scotland.”
LISTINGS
FRIDAY 16 AUGUST
12:00 – 13:15 NEW VOICES, On Stage Studio, £12
14:30 – 15:50 FILM: Forgotten Memories, Main Theatre, £4
16:00 – 16:30 TALK: New Voices Discussion, FREE but ticketed
17:00 – 18:15 CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS, On Stage Studio £12
19:00 – 19:30 TALK: Dance Odysseys Discussion, FREE but ticketed
20:00 – 20:45 WORLD PREMIERE: ÉDOUARD LOCK Performed by Scottish Ballet
Main Theatre £10 – £18, followed by a post show discussion
SATURDAY 17 AUGUST
12:00 – 13:15 CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS, On Stage Studio, £12
14:30 – 15:50 FILM: The Green Table/Portrait of Mary Wigman Main Theatre, £4
16:00 – 16:30 TALK: Contemporary Classics Discussion, FREE but ticketed
17:00 – 18:15 DUETS, On Stage Studio £12
19:00 – 19:30 TALK: Pierrot Lunaire Discussion, FREE but ticketed
20:00 – 20:45 PIERROT LUNAIRE: Performed by Scottish Ballet
Choreography Glen Tetley, Music Arnold Schoenberg
Main Theatre £10 – £18
21:45 – 22:45 Scottish Dance Theatre presents SisGo, On Stage Studio
SUNDAY 18 AUGUST
12:00 – 13:15 DUETS, On Stage Studio £12
14:30 – 15:50 FILM: The Green Table/Portrait of Mary Wigman Main Theatre, £4
16:00 – 16:30 TALK: Cesc Gelabert on Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I, FREE but ticketed
17:00 – 18:15 NEW VOICES, On Stage Studio, £12
19:00 – 19:30 TALK: The Rite of Spring Discussion, FREE but ticketed
20:00 – 20:45 THE RITE OF SPRING: Performed by Scottish Ballet
Choreography Christopher Hampson, Music Igor Stravinsky
Main Theatre £10 – £18
21:45 – 22:45 Scottish Dance Theatre presents SisGo, On Stage Studio, £12
MONDAY 19 AUGUST
12:00 – 13:15 CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS, On Stage Studio, £12
14:30 – 15:50 FILM: Forgotten Memories, Main Theatre, £4
16:00 – 16:30 TALK: Dance on Film, FREE but ticketed
17:00 – 18:15 NEW VOICES, On Stage Studio, £12
19:00 – 19:30 TALK: Reflections on Dance Odysseys, FREE but ticketed
20:00 – 20:45 IM (GOLDENEN) SCHNIT I, performed by Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa
Choreography Gerhard Bohner, Music Johann Sebastian Bach
Main Theatre £10 – £18
21:45 – 22:45 Scottish Dance Theatre presents SisGo On Stage Studio, £12
All events will take place at Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Day Ticket: 2 On Stage Studio performances, 1 film, 1 talk £24
Special Offer: Buy a Main Theatre evening ticket and get a Day ticket for only £18
Book online at www.eif.co.uk
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