Lied Ballet

Centre chorégraphique national de Tours - Direction Thomas Lebrun (France)

1, 2/5|Friday, Saturday|8pm     Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium     Tickets: MOP 350, 300, 200, 100

Asia Premiere / Festival d’Avignon 2014

Choreographer: Thomas Lebrun
Dancers: Maxime Camo, Anthony Cazaux, Raphaël Cottin,
Anne-Emmanuelle Deroo, Tatiana Julien, Anne-Sophie Lancelin, Matthieu Patarozzi and Léa Scher
Singer: Benjamin Alunni, Tenor
Piano: Thomas Besnard
Music: Alban Berg, Gustav Mahler, Giacinto Scelsi and Arnold Schönberg
Music Creation: David François Moreau
Lighting Design: Jean-Marc Serre
Sound Creation: Mélodie Souquet
Costume Design: Jeanne Guellaff
Costumes Made by Jeanne Guellaff and Sylvie Ryser
Production: Centre chorégraphique national de Tours
Coproduction: Festival d’Avignon, Maison de la danse de Lyon, Les Quinconces – L’Espal, scène conventionnée du Mans, La Maison de la Culture de Bourges, scène nationale, Les Deux Scènes-Scène nationale de Besançon, La Rampe-La Ponatière scène conventionnée – Échirolles, Association Beaumarchais – SACD
Residency: Scène nationale de Cavaillon
With the support of Région Centre - Val de Loire and SPEDIDAM

Programme Highlights:
Giacinto Scelsi: Chukrum 
Gustav Mahler: “Um Mitternacht” and “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” from Ruckert-Lieder
Arnold Schönberg: “Under shade of dense leaf-cover” from The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15, No. 1
Alban Berg: “Soul, You are More Beautiful” and “Over the Borders of the Universe” from Altenberg Lieder, No. 3

Le Centre chorégraphique national de Tours benefits support of the Ministry of Culture and Communication – DGCA - DRAC Centre, the City of Tours, the Conseil Régional du Centre and the Conseil Général d’Indre-et-Loire. The Centre chorégraphique national de Tours regularly benefits support from l’Institut français for its international tours.

At the centre of perhaps the most unforgiving industry as far as weight is concerned, Thomas Lebrun’s stubborn waistline may have made him an unlikely wunderkind in the theatre of dancing, but it may possibly have given rise to his insatiable appetite for aesthetic perfection and success. An all-round dancer, as well as a prolific choreographer, Lebrun is fascinated by the nuances and diversity that dance can convey. Sensational pieces likeThe Journey of a Chubby Dancer led him to the helm of the Centre chorégraphique national de Tours (France) in 2012 where he continues to direct, compose and impress, winning accolades such the Choreographic Prize, recently granted by the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers.

Created within the 68th Avignon Festival 2014, Lebrun orchestrated Lied Ballet, a world in three acts where epochs that morphed and fashioned today’s art of choreography coincide and clash. He reflects on the space left for social issues and tolerance in cultural settings where “popular songs became classics, or spectacles addressing bourgeoisie now find their place in the music hall, shunned by ‘innovative’ art”. Evoking the imagery and symbolism of historic eras, eight dancers incarnate the zeitgeist of momentous times through variations of ballet steps and clean-cut gestures. The graceful moves are in harmony with Berg’s, Mahler’s and Schönberg’s lieder, delivered by tenor Benjamin Alunni and pianist Thomas Besnard, which complete Lebrun’s creation of choreographic and acoustic pleasures.

Lebrun’s respect and reverence for the bygones is what inspires him: “Today’s dance didn’t come down in the last rain... And tomorrow’s already knows it.”

Party – Solo What You Want? and Bal
Join the party guided by Thomas Lebrun after the performance on 1 May at the Art Plaza outside CCM. Admission is free!

.Please refer to the MAF Outreach Programme Guide: Talks and Workshops
Duration: approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, no interval