Choreography and scenery design by Angelin Preljocaj
Music by Stéphane Roy (Crystal Music), Antonio Vivaldi (Magnificat)
How does the Annunciation, that key moment which underpins a whole religion, resonate in us, what does it awaken?
Many painters over the past 2000 years have sought time and again to understand the flurry of contradictory symbols, which is what the Annunciation is. In traditional iconography, Mary is often shown in an enclosed or walled garden, symbolising her virginity. When the angel breaks into this private world, he is saying, in so many words, that the workings of her body are about to be dramatically altered and the strange co-existence of acceptance and rebellion tell us that at the very moment the message is given, fertilization takes place. This coming to life in gradual stages takes us to the heart of the process of creating art; the message is no longer an abstraction, it is reality. Rather than something finished, isn’t what we call nowadays conceptual art the portent of a new art, the Annunciation of an art yet to be born?
Angelin Preljocaj
La Stravaganza
Choreography by Angelin Preljocaj
Music by Antonio Vivaldi Concerto n°8, RV249, extracts from Dixit Dominus, Laudate Pueri Dominum), Evelyn Ficarra (Source of Uncertainty), Serge Morand (Naïves), Robert Normandeau (Eclats de voix), Åke Parmerud (Les objets obscurs)
Set by Maya Schweizer
I created La Stravaganza in 1997, after Peter Martins commissioned the work for the New York City Ballet. At first, I didn’t have a precise theme, nor a definite choice of music. I flew to New York in order to meet the dancers. An immigrant’s son myself, this city had always been mythical for me. A symbol of immigration for those who journey towards new commencements, the notion of “new continent” appeared to me significantly during the creation process. I wanted to present a story from the past that returns like a boomerang. People rising from dust and bringing novelty. The past bursts into the future. As if time was a loop, an eternity. I have always been attached to repertoire notion. Pieces need to be read again and reinterpreted. I am impatient to discover how the dancers will embody this piece with their own identity.
Angelin Preljocaj
Angelin Preljocaj is a celebrated French choreographer and artistic director of the Ballet Preljocaj. He began his career by studying classical dance before turning to contemporary dance with Karin Waehner at the Schola Cantorum. After studying with Merce Cunningham in New York (1980), he joined the Quentin Rouiller Company in Caen and then worked at the national contemporary dance Center of Angers. He has received a number of awards for his work, including the Bessie Award in 1997 and in 1998 he was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.
