Churnalism, plus a guest appearance from Superman...
This spring the talent group of Nederlands Dans Theater will perform at Edinburgh Theatre Festival. No less than four creations of strong choreographic voices will be shown; house choreographers Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Israeli revelation Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar and of associate dance maker Johan Inger.
Shutters Shut (2003) is a remarkable piece of four minutes during which the dancers visualize the words of Gertrude Stein reciting her poem
If I told him. The body language blends seamlessly into the poem, sweeping you away in sheer beauty. In
Postscript (2005) a pas-de-trois and two duets full of innovative partner work take place in separate worlds that do not seem to meet. Live on stage, a violinist and pianist present the music of Philip Glass."Masterly musicality, excellent efficient design and a lyrical as well as a comic like dance language" TROUW
The hugely productive Paul Lightfoot (1966, Kingsley, Engeland) and Sol León (Córdoba, Spanje) started creating with NDT together 25 years ago. Together they won prestigious awards, such as the Benois de la Danse. The inseparable duo have been house choreographers of NDT since 2002 and created a total of fifty choreographies for the company. León became artistic advisor of NDT in 2012 and Paul Lightfoot became artistic director of NDT in 2011.
In I new then (2012) Johan Inger pushes four girls and five boys to great heights on songs by Van Morrison. Not a group in unison, but sprouting individuals who rebel against the group. Inger’s work breathes humor: it’s fresh and optimistic, ranging from comic and theatrical to earthy and organic.
Inger (Stockholm, 1967) joined NDT 1 in 1990 and debuted successfully as a choreographer with Mellantid in 1996. His NDT-creations
Dream Play (2000) and
Walking Mad (2001) earned him the Lucas Hoving Productie Award. Inger’s work breathes humor: it’s fresh and optimistic, ranging from comic and theatrical to earthy and organic. "Beautiful dance language which combines flowing smoothness, detailed precision and – so typical for Swedish choreographers (Mats Ek in front) – wackiness” DEN HAAG CENTRAAL
Choreographer Sharon Eyal and her partner DJ Gai Behar created the successful work
Sara (2013) specifically for NDT 2. The choreography and composition of electronic sounds were created simultaneously. Sara revolves around memories, dreams, emotions, inspiration, loneliness, sorrow, caring and sharing, about life. The mysterious dream world originates fully from the creators’ feelings and intuitions. For eighteen years, Sharon Eyal (1971, Jerusalem ) danced with the world renowned Batsheva Dance Company of Ohad Naharin. Her work is inspired by his Gaga-technique, where movement is felt from within rather than designed in front of a mirror. Two years ago, Eyal started her own group L-E-V with Gai Behar (1977, Jerusalem). The duo forms the new relevance of energetic, edgy Israeli dance.
NDT 2 was founded in 1978. Through the years it has developed into a top quality, internationally-recognized company performing all over the world.
NDT 2 consists of 16 dancers between the age of 17 up to 23, all of whom completed a classical ballet training. Dancers are recruited from all over the world. The initial aim of NDT 2 is to 'feed' the main company NDT 1 with its young dancers. It therefore serves as ‘bridge’, to mature freshly graduated dancers from various classical conservatories and schools, and to prepare them for a professional career in dance.
The repertoire of NDT 2 is diverse, working with established choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Marco Goecke, and Johan Inger. But also, more importantly, working with upcoming choreographers like Jiří Pokorný and Menghan Lou. NDT 2 works closely with young choreographers and, confronted by different choreographic styles and techniques, gives its dancers the opportunity to react to contemporary developments in music and art. These talented young performers are able to mirror the realities of today and incorporate these elements into new productions as a kind of Zeitgeist of the 21st century.
