2016 // 17 SEASON Northrop and Walker Art Center Present CCN-BALLET DE LORRAINE Thu, Feb 16, 7:30 pm Carlson Family Stage Devoted Fabrications Sounddance Dear Friends of Northrop, Northrop at the University of Minnesota and Walker Art Center Present Tonight, we collaborate with Walker Art Center as part of their major survey: Merce Cunningham: Common Time, offering two of Cunningham’s groundbreaking choreographic works. The program begins with Devoted, a commissioned work by the trend setting choreographic duo Cecilia Bengolea and François Chaignaud. Infused with current dance hall and pop culture, CCN-BALLET DE these French choreographers are clearly influenced by modern and even post-modern American dance history—history that was forever changed by Cunningham's impact. LORRAINE Fabrications, the second work on our program, actually had its world premiere right here at Northrop in 1987, with Cunningham dancing, as he did in every performance by his company until he was 70. When he died a few months after his 90th birthday, he Choreographer and General Director had won every choreographic award and accolade imaginable, PETTER JACOBSSON Christine Tschida. Photo by Tim Rummelhoff. and left a legacy of nearly 200 works. It’s interesting to think about the audience who sat here at Northrop 30 years ago, and their world. Choreographer and Coordinator of Research Ronald Reagan was in his second term in the White House and had just struggled through a government THOMAS CALEY shutdown. News of the Iran-Contra Scandal had recently broken. Mad Cow Disease was discovered in the U.K., and the Minnesota Twins would go on to win their first World Series later that year. A few weeks after that Northrop performance, Anna Kisselgoff raved of the New York premiere, “Fabrications is a superb example of Mr. Cunningham’s ability… to create drama out of movement.” She described Dancers “unstintingly interesting activity" and claimed the work had “a highly emotional resonance.” I wonder JONATHAN ARCHAMBAULT AMANDINE BIANCHERIN AGNÈS BOULANGER if Minnesota audiences felt the same way? And I wonder about Cunningham’s own reaction, since he famously wanted to create dance that was solely about movement itself, as devoid as possible of narrative GUILLAUME BUSILLET MATTHIEU CHAYRIGUES PAULINE COLEMARD or emotional implications. JUSTIN CUMINE GIUSEPPE DAGOSTINO MIRIAM ROSE GRONWALD TRISTAN IHNE LAURE LESCOFFY VALÉRIE LY-CUONG We close with Sounddance, which premiered in 1975 (its review sits alongside an ad for “Best Picture: SAKIKO OISHI MARION RASTOUIL ELSA RAYMOND ROCKY” in The New York Times), which has long been regarded as one of Cunningham's greatest works. ELISA RIBES YOANN RIFOSTA LIGIA SALDANHA “A contemporary Everyman play, in which the dancers have been given a brief lease on life,” Kisselgoff comments, “...enormously moving, even in old-fashioned romantic terms.” Cunningham a romantic? Despite work that is perplexing and maddening to some, critics do keep Exclusive representation referring to emotional resonance in his works, and Cunningham often spoke and wrote movingly about Rena Shagan Associates, Inc. the nature of dance and its impermanence. “You have to love dancing to stick to it,” he once wrote. “It shaganarts.com gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.” The U.S. tour of the CCN-Ballet de Lorraine is made possible thanks to the support Thank you for being here to experience that feeling tonight! of Institut français-Paris and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States. Sincerely, Christine Tschida Director of Northrop NEXT UP AT NORTHROP: We welcome BEREISHIT DANCE COMPANY from Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30 pm. The ancient art of Korean drumming and Pansori singing accompany the hip-hop styles of contemporary Korean street dance. This presentation of CCN-Ballet de Lorraine is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, Cover: CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in Devoted. and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota. Photo © Arno Paul. 2 3 DEVOTED Choreography by CECILIA BENGOLEA and FRANÇOIS CHAIGNAUD Music by PHILIP GLASS, Another Look at Harmony Part IV Lighting by JEAN-MARC SEGALEN Costumes by CECILIA BENGOLEA and FRANÇOIS CHAIGNAUD with THE COSTUME SHOP OF THE CCN-BALLET DE LORRAINE Dance hall teachers, GIDDY ELITE TEAM, DAMION BG DANCERZ Dancer assisting with preparation, ERIKA MYAUCHI Thanks to FLORENCE ABELIN, PHILIPPE GLADIEUX and DONATIEN VEISMANN Rehearsal director, VALÉRIE FERRANDO AMANDINE BIANCHERIN AGNÈS BOULANGER PAULINE COLEMARD LAURE LESCOFFY SAKIKO OISHI MARION RASTOUIL ELSA RAYMOND ELISA RIBES LIGIA SALDANHA INTERMISSION FABRICATIONS Choreography by MERCE CUNNINGHAM Music by EMANUEL DIMAS DE MELO PIMENTA, Short Waves 1985 and SBbr Design by DOVE BRADSHAW Staged by PATRICIA LENT JONATHAN ARCHAMBAULT AMANDINE BIANCHERIN AGNÈS BOULANGER GUILLAUME BUSILLET MATTHIEU CHAYRIGUES PAULINE COLEMARD JUSTIN CUMINE GIUSEPPE DAGOSTINO MIRIAM ROSE GRONWALD TRISTAN IHNE VALÉRIE LY-CUONG SAKIKO OISHI MARION RASTOUIL YOANN RIFOSTA LIGIA SALDANHA INTERMISSION SOUNDDANCE Choreography by MERCE CUNNINGHAM Music by DAVID TUDOR, Untitled 1975/1994 Design by MARK LANCASTER Staged by THOMAS CALEY and MEG HARPER JONATHAN ARCHAMBAULT AMANDINE BIANCHERIN AGNÈS BOULANGER MATTHIEU CHAYRIGUES JUSTIN CUMINE TRISTAN IHNE VALÉRIE LY-CUONG SAKIKO OISHI MARION RASTOUIL YOANN RIFOSTA Sounddance (1975) and Fabrications (1987) by Merce Cunningham © Merce Cunningham Trust. All rights reserved. CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in Fabrications. Photo © Bernard Prudhomme. 4 5 ABOUT THE COMPANY CREATIVE TEAM The current CENTRE CHOREGRAPHIQUE The CCN functions as an art center and venue Born in Stockholm, PETTER of their work for the RSB was the creation of two NATIONAL—BALLET DE LORRAINE was first for multiple possibilities in the fields of research, JACOBSSON started his immense happenings, In Nooks and Crannies 2000 established in Amiens, France in 1968. In 1978 it was experimentation, and artistic creation. It is a studies in dance at the age and 2001. The project included the Royal Ballet, permanently relocated to Nancy. After acquiring platform open to many different disciplines, a of three and was further Opera and Orchestra, as well as independent the CCN title in 1999, the CCN—Ballet de Lorraine space where the many visions of contemporary educated at the Royal artists who took over non-traditional, yet possible, has dedicated itself to supporting contemporary dance may meet. In these artistic pursuits, he Swedish Ballet School. He performance spaces occupying the entire Royal choreographic creation. As of July 2011, the is joined by Thomas Caley, choreographer and later graduated from the Opera House of Stockholm. Petter was named organization is under the General and Artistic coordinator of research. Vaganova Academy in St. Choreographer of the Year 2002 by the Society direction of choreographer Petter Jacobsson. Petersburg in 1982. of Swedish Choreographers in recognition of the modernization of the Royal Swedish Ballet. The CCN–Ballet de Lorraine and its company of 26 As a principal dancer After years of collaboration, Petter and Thomas dancers is one of the most important companies Petter Jacobsson with the Sadler’s Wells established an independent dance company in working in Europe, performing contemporary Royal Ballet in London 2005. Their works include Nightlife, Unknown creations while retaining and programming between 1984 and 1993, he toured the globe Partner, Flux, No Mans Land-No Lands Man, The a rich and extensive repertory, spanning our dancing all of the renowned classical roles as Nearest Nearness. In 2002 they won a “Goldmask” modern history, made up of works by some of our well as appearing as a guest artist with numerous for best choreography for the musical Chess with generations’ most highly regarded choreographers. international companies. In 1993, he moved to Björn Ulveus and Benny Andersson (ABBA). New York to begin a freelance career, studying with Merce Cunningham and working with Twyla Tharp As of 2011, they are leading and choreographing Dance Company, Irene Hultman Dance, and later for the CCN—Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy, France. Deborah Hay. Their curating for the CCN invites a wide variety of artistic talent from around the world. Each invited THOMAS CALEY was born creator joins in the active questioning of a specific in Menominee, Michigan theme. Themes include: La Saison de La 12/13, Tête and in 1992, earned a BFA à tête à têtes 13/14, Live 14/15, Folk + Danse = from Purchase College in (R)évolution 15/16 and Des Plaisirs Inconnus 16/17. New York. After a year of To insure a lively and non-fixed use of the art form performing in a multitude they continue their search through installations of independent projects for the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris and Musée in New York City he joined Pompidou Metz and an original initiative LAB- the Merce Cunningham BLA-BAL, which includes a series of open house art Company. From 1994 to experiments, workshops, and discussions. 2000, he performed and Thomas Caley toured throughout the world while participating in the creation of over 12 new works by Cunningham. Petter and Thomas started working as a creative team in the mid-nineties, choreographing works for Martha@Mother, the Joyce Soho in New York, and the choreography for the opera Staden at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, a commission for the 1998 Cultural Capital of Europe. In 1999, when Petter was appointed the artistic director of the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm, they made the move to Europe to continue their artistic collaboration. An exceptional embodiment CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in Sounddance. Photo © Laurent Philippe. 6 7 THE DANCERS JONATHAN ARCHAMBAULT GUILLAUME BUSILLET PAULINE COLEMARD whole repertoire of Duato.