This energetically pulsating evening featuring choreographies by William Forsythe, Sol León/Paul Lightfoot, Douglas Lee and Filipe Portugal combines exciting facets of contemporary dance.
Works by the American choreographer William Forsythe have been a permanent fixture in Ballett Zürich’s repertoire for years. In New Sleep, created in 1998, three clown-like figures fall under the spell of a yardstick, a potted plant and a collection of bowling balls – against a backdrop of electronic music by Thom Willems.
The Englishman Douglas Lee has maintained links with Ballett Zürich ever since his pieces IRIS and A-Life. After his successful career as a dancer in the Stuttgart Ballet he launched a promising international career as a choreographer. Aria, a mysteriously convoluted pas de deux, was created in 2012 in Stuttgart for the soloists Katja Wünsche and William Moore, who are now members of Ballett Zürich.
Set to the overture of Rossini’s Thieving Magpie, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot created their highly explosive choreography Skew-Whiff in 1996 for the Nederlands Dans Theater, of which they are now directors. Besides their potential as dancers, the four soloists must also possess outstanding acting abilities in order to bring the extreme characters to life.
Filipe Portugal, celebrated soloist with Ballett Zürich, has recently enjoyed several successes as a choreographer. Having created Tauwetter for the Junior Ballet last season, he has now risen to the challenge of a world première for Ballett Zürich.