Cullberg Ballet to appear in China
9-10 September Cullberg Ballet will present Benoït Lachambre’s JJ’s voices at the Oriental Pioneer Theatre in Beijing. The guest performances are presented at the the Beijing Fringe Festival during which more than 100 performances are staged in various theatres across a 20-day period.
JJ’s voices was created directly for Cullberg Ballet by Canadian choreographer, artist, improviser, teacher and artistic director of Par B.L.eux. in Montréal, Benoît Lachambre, in 2009. The piece is inspired by the voice of Janis Joplin, and the dancers carry her songs through their bodies. Benoît Lachambre has been a part of the international dance community for the past thirty years, devoting himself to an exploratory approach of movement and its sources. Elements of the visual and performance arts are inseparable from dance in his works. Par B.L.eux is devoted to contemporary and interdisciplinary choreographic creation, and the close connection to an international network of artists. Benoît Lachambre is part of many different artistic projects, he has participated in films and been awarded several times for his works. The work with Cullberg Ballet was his first in Sweden.
Choreography, set design and costumes: Benoît Lachambre
Lighting design Fredrik Rydehäll
Assistant choreographer and rehearsal director Lisa Drake
Costume assistants Malin Eriksson, Nina Stenmark
Music Joplin (arr.) Down on Me – Ragovoy/Russell Piece of My Heart – Joplin/Mekler Kozmic Blues – Powell St John Bye, Bye Baby – Ragovoy/Taylor Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)
Dancers Alexandra Campbell, Mirko Guido, Johanna Lindh, Åsa Lundvik Gustafson,
Andrea Martini, Gesine Moog, Isaac Spencer, Csongor Szabó
World première Cullberg Ballet, 25 November 2009, Dansens Hus, Stockholm
Cullberg Ballet last visited China in May 2010 with Johan Inger’s Negro con Flores, Mats Ek’s She was Black and Alexander Ekman’s 40 m under. All three works were presented in Beijing and the two first pieces also in Ningbo and Hangzhou.