February 2005 2005 Spring Season Peter Schuyff, Death , 2003 ENCORE The Performing Arts Magazine 2005 Spring Season Brooklyn Academy of Music Alan H. Fishman Will iam I. Campbell Chairman of the Board Vice Chairman of th e Board Karen Brooks Hopkins Joseph V. Melil lo President Exec utive Producer presents Amelia Approximate BAM Howard Gi lman Opera House running time: February 1, 3-5, 2005 at 7:30pm 1 hour and 30 minutes, no La La La Human Steps intermission Choreography by Edouard Lock Music by David Lang Vocal music-Songs from Lou Reed; lyrics by Lou Reed Costume design by Vandal Set design by Stephane Roy Li ghting design by John Munro Dancers Andrea Boardman Bernard Martin Mistaya Hemingway Jason Shipley-Holmes Keir Knight Billy Smith Chun Hong Li Zofia Tujaka Musicians Njo Kong Kie , piano, musical direction Alexandre Castonguay, cello Simon Claude, viol in Nadine Medawar, voca list Music by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc agents in the United States for Red Poppy publisher and copyright owner Leadership support for Amelia is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation with major support from Tourisme Montreal. Additional engagement support is provided by Quebec Government House, New York. Delta Air Lines is the official airline for BAM Dance, which also receives major support from The Harkness Foundation for Dance and The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Inc. The opening night reception for Amelia is sponsored by MEGU-Modern Japanese Cuisine. IN:NYCsM Card from American Express is the presenting sponsor for BAMfans (young donors club). 11 Amelia Additional Recorded music Normand-Pierre Bilodeau , Alain Thibault production cred its Musical improvisation and arrangement Njo Kong Kie, Alexandre Castonguay, Simon Claude Co-Producers LG Arts Center, Seoul, Korea Het Muziekth eater, Amsterdam , The Netherlands deSingel, Antwerp, Belgium Theatre de la Vill e, Paris, France National Arts Center, Ottawa, Canada MONTREAL HIGHLIGHTS Festi va l, Montreal , Canada with specia l support from ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Austria La La La Human Executive Director Lynda Clouette-Mackay Steps Artistic Director Edouard Lock Rehearsal Staff Rehearsal Director Hua Fang Zhang Trainer and Massage Therapist Shawn Dewberry Administration Administrative Director Benoit Des Roches Communications and Public Affairs Director Andre Malacket Executive Assistant Chantal Taillon Administrative Assistant Elysabeth Aguila Communication coord inator Alyson MacGregor Production Touring & Stage Manager Jean-Hugues Rochette Technical & Lighting Director Marc Tetreault Head Carpenter Eric Michaud Sound Engineer Martin De Blois Head Electrician Antoine Rivet Projectionist Johnny O'Neil Agents Asia , Australia , Mexico & South America: Atmo Production s Brazil: Antares Promo<;6es Europe: Van Baasbank & Baggerman France: Epidemic Japan : Conversation USA: Cadence Arts Network LA LA LA HUMAN STEPS WISHES TO THANK: The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec, the Canada Counci l for the Arts, the Montrea l Arts Coun cil , the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Fonds de stabili sation et de consolida­ tion des arts et de la cu lture du Quebec, the Ministere de la Culture et des Communications du Quebec, the Cultural Hu man Resou rces Council of Canada , the Place des Arts and Tourisme Montreal. www.lalalahumansteps.com Program note When the body is in flux it has a relatively abstract and incomplete shape. Memories tend to be like that as well for me. This piece has to do with some memories I had of Emile, a trans­ vestite I knew when I was about eighteen. I used to go visit him with some friends. His house was very detailed with lots of intricate screens. He called him­ self Amelia. I don't think the piece deals as much with those memories as it does about the act of remembering. "Impurities" stemming from speed, and little details in the choreography, as well as interfer­ ence (from objects, fluctuating light sources, etc.), increase my perception of body shape as a symbol of everything that is on ly partially revealed. I suppose pointe interests me in that con­ text because it does the opposite. It reveals body shape albeit in a graph ic, idealized format. To reveal and to hide seems to me to be memory-like. The films in the piece are based on recording There is quite a lot of pas de deux work in information from parts of the dancers body and Amelia because I'm interested in seeing how storing them as data. Then the image of the the pairing of. two people can lead to interesting dancer is created separately. The two (data and image) are then brought together, sort of like movement possibilities. Sometimes when the partnering is fast, the tempo is achieved digital puppets. Emile was a puppeteer. through a strong dependency between both dancers. A lot of it is generated through very The piece premiered in Prague in October small weight shifts, which tend to not be 2002, and its last previous performance was in noticeable and wh ich emphasize timing and Tokyo in June 2004. It was revived specifically cooperation , rather than strength . Mutual for BAM and will not be presented again. dependence is interesting to me because I think it reflects the way things really are, - Edouard Lock even though they don't always appear to be that way. Photo of Mistaya Hemingway and Jason Shipley Holmes by Edouard Lock Who's Who Edouard Lock (founder/artistic director and and restate performances based on sound choreographer) began his choreographic career technical fundamentals and a renewal of in 1974 at the age of 20, creating work for a performance values that range from the hyper number of Canadian companies. In 1980 he physical to the lyrical. The company has founded La La La Human Steps, a company coll aborated with institutions as varied as the that has garnered strong international recogni­ Paris Opera and Frank Zappa. Amelia, the tion and is approaching its 25th anniversary. ninth piece in th e company's history, was pre­ Over the yea rs he has bee n invited to create miered in Prague in October 2002 and toured works for companies such as the Pari s Opera nationally and internationally until July 2004. Ballet, the Nederlands Dans Theater, and the Het Nationale Ballet of Holland. His works Dancers received Bessies in 1985 for Human Sex, the 2001 Prix Denise Pelletier, The Canadian Andrea Boardman began her ballet training in National Arts Centre Awa rd , and th e 2003 New Jersey, and later attended the National Benois de la Danse in Moscow for AndreAuria , Academy of Dance (Illinois), where she was a ballet which premiered in October 2002 at awarded first prize in the National Merit the Pari s Opera Ballet. His company La La La Scholarship Awards. In 1978, she danced with Human Steps participated in the Pari s National the American Ballet Theatre's Ballet Repertory Opera's production of Les Boreades (BAM Company until 1980, when she joined Les 2003 Spring Season). A film adaptation of Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montrea l. Amelia directed by Edouard Lock had its Principal dancer at Les Grands Ballets from American premiere at last year's Tribeca Film 1985 to 2001, she has performed in over 75 Festival and was most recently shown at ballets of the repertoire, demonstrating a Siamdance International Film Festival in Park versatility that encompasses an impressive City Utah. Th is film has won its ca tegory in range in style, from traditional classics to dar­ numerous international festivals including the ing contemporary works. Over the course of her Chicago Film Festival , La Rose D'or Television career, she has coll aborated with world­ Festival in Switzerland , The Prague Inter­ renowned choreographers; her passion and national Festival, and won in all categories sensitivity as an artist in spired James Kudelka, for the Jury awa rd at the International Banff Nacho Duato, and Mark Morris to create works Television Festi va l in Canada. It is also recipient especially for her, among others. Featured in six of two Geminis, and was a finalist at the telev ision films honoring dance, Boardman has Intern ati onal Emmy Awards. been invited severa l times to perform at the internationally celebrated Gala des Etoiles and La La La Human Steps was founded in 1980 at Dancers for Life benefit events, among other around a three-week series of performances in guest appearances. Boardman join ed La La La a tiny theater in Montreal fol lowed by a week Human Steps in July 200l. at The Kitchen in New York . Since then it has become one of the most recognized dance Mistaya Hemingway, born in Edmonton, companies in the world and has earned Alberta , completed her professional dance international recognition by developing a training at the National Ballet School , in unique choreographic language that has been Toronto. In 1994, she moved to Stuttgart, constantly reinvented over its 24-year history. where she continued to train and perform at Choreographic complexity, the alteration of the Stuttgarter Staatstheatre. She then moved balletic structures, and the intertwining of to Amsterdam in 1996 and joined the Dutch choreographic, musical , and cinematic strands National Ballet, where she danced in Twyla are among the elements that create a sense of Tharp's In the Upper Room . In 1999, she perceptual distortion and renewal , encouraging became member of Alberta Ballet, performing audiences to both reinvent and rediscover the in ballets by Dominique Dumais and Jorma body and its dance. The company has encour­ Elo. Hemingway joined La La La Human Steps aged its dancers to question, define, renew, in 200l. Who's Who Kei r Kn ight, born in Calgary, Alberta , attended North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacifi c Northwest Ball et School, and Roya l Winnipeg Ballet School.