Duende
Choreography: Nacho Duato
Music: Claude Debussy
Sets: Walter
Nobbe
Costumes: Susan Unger
Lighting Design: Nicolas
Fischtel
Choreographer's Assistants: Tony Fabre, Eva Maria Lopez
Crevillen
World premiere: Nederlands Dans
Theater at the AT&T Danstheater, The Hague, 21 November
1991
Russian premiere: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March
2011
Running time: 30 minutes
Duato’s ‘ideas’ for choreography are almost always preceded by his
choice of music, which characterises his working method. Maybe this applies
to Duende in particular, because the music was the only source
of inspiration for this ballet. Long ago, Duato fell in love with
Debussy, especially with the way the composer makes nature sound in music.
When he listens to this music, Duato visualises shapes, not people,
relationships or events. This is why he considers Duende
as an almost sculptural work: a body, a movement, that goes
with the tune.
Duende literally means elf or fairy, like the ones
who tidy upchildren’s toys at night, but it can also mean rascal,
a naughty child. One can also possess ‘duende’, when radiating energy and
great charm, almost having a magical attraction. In Andalusia flamenco
is said to have duende, which can hardly be translated
into another language. Flamenco has a touch of spell, one might say,
like the way black music has ‘soul’.
Nunc Dimittis
Choreography, Sets and
Costumes: Nacho Duato
Music: Arvo Part, David Azagra
Lighting Designer:
Brad Fields
Costume Production Engineer: Alla Marusina
Rйpйtiteur: Kirill
Myasnikov
Principal Chorus Master: Vladimir Stolpovskikh
World premiere: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March
2011Running time:
25 minutes “The
inspiration for this work was a composition entitled
Nunc Dimittis
by Arvo Pдrt. The fact that the ballet is set to religious music
gives it a mystical, supernatural dimension. Pдrt wrote the music
to the Canticle of Simeon, but this is an abstract ballet.
There are no characters as such, do not expect to see the
Virgin Mary, Jesus or Simeon. I would like to stress that this
ballet was also inspired by Ekaterina Borchenko (prima ballerina
of the Mikhailovsky ballet):
Nunc Dimittis is being created
with her in mind and for her”. Nacho Duato, January 2011.
Prelude
Music: G. Handel,
L. van Beethoven, B. Britten
Choreographer, Stage Designer,
Costume Designer: Nacho Duato
Lighting Designer: Brad Fields
Costume
Production Engineer: Alla Marusina
Musical Director of the production:
Valery Ovsyanikov
Choreographer’s Assistants: Zhanna Ayupova, Kirill
Myasnikov