 If all
the world’s a stage, then for Thierry Malandain, artistic
director of Ballet Biarritz, all the men and women are dancers.
Returning to The Joyce Theater, January 31–February 5, for
the first time since 2002, Ballet Biarritz presents the U.S. premiere
of “Création,” Malandain’s imaginative
and witty ballet, which parallels the history of the world and the
history of dance––all this in a fast-paced 70 minutes.
The work’s title, a bon mot,
plays on the double meaning of the French word création,
referring to both “Creation” in the Biblical sense and
a premiere in a theatrical sense. For Malandain, man was created
to dance.
In “Création,”
the story of Genesis then becomes an allegory for the development
of dance through the centuries. Alone onstage in “Création,”
Adam is soon joined by Eve in a duet, followed by Cain and Abel.
As the four dancers multiply, so does the creation of more diverse
dance forms including baroque, classical and romantic ballet, as
well as modern dance.
Malandain populates the work with
historical figures who altered the direction of dance, including
Isadora Duncan, with her flowing hair and white Grecian dress, and
Loie Fuller, whose long sleeves swirl in light-filled shapes. In
a nod to the evolution of ballet costumes and the resulting impact
on movement and technique, the 14 dancers’ long tulle skirts
give way to tutus and later to flesh-colored, body-revealing costumes
of contemporary dance.
Malandain sets his ballet to music
inspired by another creation myth: Beethoven’s “The
Creatures of Prometheus.” One of the composer’s only
two ballet scores, “Prometheus” was composed by Beethoven
for an 1801 ballet choreographed by Salvatore Vigano. “Création”
also features Jorge Gallardo’s costumes and black and white
set design and Jean-Claude Asquié’s lighting.
Artistic director of Ballet Biarritz
since its creation in 1998, Thierry Malandain began his dance training
at the age of nine with Bagnolet Competition founder Jacques Chaurand
and Paris Opera Ballet’s René Bon, Daniel Franck and
Raymond Franchetti, and later performed with the Paris Opera, Ballet
du Rhin and Ballet Théatre Français de Nancy. For
12 years, Malandain was artistic director of Compagnie Temps Présent.
Since 2000, he has also served as artistic director of the annual
Biarritz Dance Festival.
In addition to his work for Ballet
Biarritz, Malandain has created dances for Ballet du Nord, Ballet
du Rhin, Ballet National de Nancy, Ballet Royal des Flandres, Royal
Ballet of Wallonie, Ballet de Marseille, Karlsruhe Ballet, San Carlo
Ballet of Naples, National Ballet of Tunisia and Ballet Contemporaneo
of Caracas, as well as a work for Paris Opera Ballet that will premiere
in fall 2006. His choreography for opera includes Robert Fortune’s
“Orphée aux Enfers” and “Candide;”
Peter Brusse’s “Capriccio;” Alberto Fassini’s
“Aida;” Jean-Louis Pichon’s “Richard Coeur
de Lion” and “Hérodiade;” and Frédéric
Pineau’s “La Poule Noire.”
Malandain was the recipient of the
1987 Prix de la Baule, as well as the 1984 Prix Volinine, and the
1984 and 1987 Prix de Nyon. In 1988, he was named a Fellow of both
the Fondation de France and Fondation Oulmont, and received the
Prix de la Nuit des Jeunes Créateurs and the Nouveau Talent
Prix of SACD (Authors and Composers League). In 2000, he was made
a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2004,
was nominated for the “Benois de la Danse” at the Bolshoi
Theatre in Moscow.
Ballet Biarritz is based in Basque
country at the southwestern tip of France, a location that helps
define its unique character. Although its repertory is largely comprised
of neo-classical works created by Malandain, Ballet Biarritz maintains
a close relationship with the rich Basque cultural heritage by supporting
traditional Basque dance and by commissioning works inspired by
the local history, such as Malandain’s “Chambre d’Amour,”
set to an original score by Basque composer Peio Çabalette.
To further develop its partnership with the Southern Basque country
and Spain, Ballet Biarritz divides its rehearsal time between its
studios in Biarritz and those in San Sebastián, Spain.
In addition to its regular season
in Biarritz, the company has toured in Great Britain, Spain, Switzerland,
Egypt, China, Singapore and the United States. Following Ballet
Biarritz’s engagement at The Joyce Theater, it will perform
in San Sebastián, Spain (February 17, March 15 and April
26–28); Biarritz, France (February 25–26); Mestre, Italy
(March 2); and Vicenza, Italy (March 4) before returning to the
U.S. to appear at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, CA (March
24–26). The company’s tour also includes stops in Compiègne,
France (April 2); Noisy le Sec, France (April 4); Ludwigsburg, Germany
(April 8); and Nouaillé–Maupertuis, France (April 12).
The evening curtain for Ballet Biarritz at The Joyce, Tuesday–Saturday,
is at 8pm. There will also be 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are $40 and are available at the box office, online at www.joyce.org
or by calling 212-242-0800. The Joyce Theater is located at 175
Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.
###
Leadership support for The Joyce Theater's 2005-2006 season has
been received from the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.
Performances by international companies at The Joyce are supported,
in part, by American Express Company.
Additional support for this engagement was provided by Rosemary
and Pierre Levai and with public funds from the National Endowment
for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great
art, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency,
and with private funds from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment
Fund to encourage the performances of out-of-town companies at The
Joyce Theater. Major support for the season was received from Altria
Group, Inc., Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Harkness Foundation
for Dance,
JPMorgan Chase, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Peter Jay Sharp
Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.
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