SERVICE
Alain Platel is trained as a remedial educationalist, and is an autodidact director. In 1984 he set up a small group with a number of friends and relatives to work collectively. „Emma“ (1988) signalled his concentration on directing. He was responsible for „Bonjour Madame“ (1993), „La Tristeza Complice“ (1995) and „Iets op Bach“ (1998), with which les ballets C de la B (as the group was now called) rocketed to the international top. In the meantime his collaboration with Arne Sierens had a similar effect on the Ghent youth theatre company Victoria, with the three plays „Moeder en Kind“ (1995), „Bernadetje“ (1996) and „Allemaal Indiaan“ (1999). After „Allemaal Indiaan“ he announced that he was stopping making productions. But shortly afterwards Gerard Mortier persuaded him to do „Wolf“ (2003) based on Mozart for the Ruhrtriennale. The choir project for the opening of the new KVS marked the start of close collaboration with the composer Fabrizio Cassol. „vsprs“ (2006) proved to be a turning point in his career. So far his work had been exuberant in both the diversity of performers and the themes, but now it became more profound and intense and revealed a world of passion and desire. And violence, as in „Nine Finger“ (2007) with Benjamin Verdonck and Fumiyo Ikeda. After the baroque „pitié!“ (2008), „Out Of Context – for Pina“ (January 2010) is an almost ascetic reflection of the movement repertoire of spasms and tics. Platel consistently continues to search this language of movement for incarnations of feelings that are too vast. The yearning for something transcending the individual is becoming more and more palpable. In collaboration with director Frank Van Laecke, he created „Gardenia“ (2010), a production inspired by the film „Yo soy así“, in which the closing of a transvestite cabaret in Barcelona affords us a glimpse into the private lives of a memorable group of old artists. „C(H)OEURS“ (2012), so far Platel’s biggest project, is created on demand of opera director Gerard Mortier. He got to work with the famous choral scenes from Verdi’s operas, later on he added pieces of music from Richard Wagner’s works. For years, the tension between the group and the individual have been the central theme in Platel’s performances. In „C(H)OEURS“ he examines – together with his dancers and the Teatro Real choir – how ‘dangerously beautiful’ a group can be. But let it be clear, Platel is not just into large scale projects nowadays. In the recent past, he worked on small projects such as „Nachtschade“ (for Victoria in 2006) and coaching work for amongst others Pieter and Jakob Ampe and their production „Jake & Pete’s big reconciliation attempt for the disputes form the past“ (2011). Two projects which have had a significant influence on his way of perceiving theatre. He also almost surreptitiously entered the arena of the dance film together with the British director Sophie Fiennes („Because I Sing“ in 2001, „Ramallah!Ramallah! Ramallah!“ in 2005 and „vsprs Show and Tell“ in 2007) and solo with „de balletten en ci en là“ (2006), an impressive view of what goes on in a twenty-year-old dance company, taking us all the way to Vietnam and Burkina Faso, but also and mainly being an ode to his home town Ghent.
02.02.2015
