PROGRAMME
Do you like Brel? Jacques Brel, the celebrated Brussels-born chansonnier with his unique voice, powerful lyrics and expressive demeanour, had his heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, and died in 1978. His biggest hits include the songs Ne me quitte pas, Amsterdam and Les Bourgeois. Flemish choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is so fascinated by this star’s resonance, that she has dedicated her latest piece to Brel in a collaboration with dancer Solal Mariotte. A selection of chansons takes the two of them to a dance with his extraordinary stage presence and gestural expressiveness. De Keersmaeker and Mariotte want to find out how Jacques Brel’s artistic legacy affects today’s audiences over the distance of more than half a century, how his music may be “embodied” and brought to life. In her impressive solo Once, which, according to De Keersmaeker, is related to this work, she reflected on the album Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2, including at ImPulsTanz in Akademietheater back in 2003.
Concept, choreography and performance: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Solal Mariotte
Music: Jacques Brel
Lighting design: Minna Tiikkainen
Set design: Michel François
Costume design: Aouatif Boulaich
Dramaturgy: Wannes Gyselinck
Rehearsal direction and assistance: Nina Godderis and Johanne Saunier
Dance research: Pierre Bastin
Music research: France Brel / Fondation Jacques Brel and Filip Jordens
Sound design: Alex Fostier
Production: Rosas
Co-production: Concertgebouw Brugge (BE), L’Intime Festival de Namur (BE), Grec Festival Barcelona (ES), ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival (AT), La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand (FR), La Comète Chalons-en-Champagne (FR), La Monnaie / De Munt (BE), Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa (IT) and Théâtre de la Ville Paris (FR)
With the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
This production is realised with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government via Casa Kafka Pictures (BE).
Rosas is supported by the Flemish Community (BE) and the Flemish Community Commission (VGC) (BE).