BACH / PASSION / JOHANNES
Bach without a safety net
Two seasons ago Laurent Chétouane was a guest at Kaaitheater for the first time: with his Sacré Sacre du Printemps he presented a radical and, according to some, ironic reinterpretation of Stravinsky and Nijinski’s Sacre du Printemps, one of the legendary works of music and dance history.
Once again Chétouane is embarking on an iconic work, Bach’s St John Passion. He is not interested in a perfect execution of the music, nor does he allow his dancers to ‘portray’ the Passion. What interests him is the question of how Bach’s music stirs, inspires, changes, and challenges the dancers and the audience… without the safety net of a set choreography, trained singers and with just seven instruments. What happens if Bach’s music is desecrated, stripped of its religious context?
Can such a direct, personal approach to the music still create a sense of community and connectedness?
• The Frenchman Laurent Chétouane (1973) trained as an engineer, but, captivated by Heiner Müller’s work, he decided to study theatre. He now lives and works in Berlin. In his theatre work, the actor’s body plays an important role. This led him to the medium of dance. Today he is regarded as an important new voice in contemporary dance.
#edgydance
with Matthieu Burner, Raphaëlle Delaunay, Timoti Fregni, Nari Hong, Clara Jervais, Tilman Kanitz, Tammin Julian Lee, Ildiko Ludwig, Mikael Marklund, Senem Gökçe Oğultekin, Yumi Onda, Sigal Zouk | choreography Laurent Chétouane and the dancers | adaption of the orginal music (J.S. Bach: Johannespassion (BWV 245): Michael Rauter and Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop | costume design Sophie Reble | light design Stefan Riccius | sound design Johann Günther | dramaturgy Leonie Otto| body training Patricia Brülhart | assistant choreographer Leonie Rodrian | assistant costume designer Lydia Sonderegger | touring assistance Lisa Blöchle | production Christine Kammer and Hendrik Unger
production Johannespassion GbR in collaboration with Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop | co-production Kampnagel Hamburg, Kaaitheater Brussels, Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, Tanzquartier Wien, Maillon - Théâtre de Strasbourg /Scène européene, TAP - Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers, tanzhaus nrw, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Metz en Scène| sponsored by the Basisförderung Berlin/Der Regierende Bürgermeister von Berlin – Senatskanzlei – Kulturelle Angelegenheiten and Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V./3-jährige Konzeptionsförderung with means of the Bund. With support of the Rudolf Augstein Stiftung and Dock11/Eden*****Berlin.
A House on Fire co-production; with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union
