Rosas (dance ensemble)
Rosas is one of the world's most famous contemporary dance ensembles in Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker , who has been its artistic director ever since. Located in Brussels, Belgium, it has made numerous international guest appearances in theaters and festivals.
Artistic identification
Rosa's pieces are characterized by an intense, often energetic style with a physicality that sometimes appears almost painful to the audience, which sometimes breaks loose in the dance. Abstract movements as well as everyday gestures can be found in the dance expression, some of which are integrated as such, such as moving chairs, or are used as formalized movement elements, such as. B. turning your head as if you were looking around. Particularly in works from the early days, a rigorous movement scheme predominates, which in more recent works takes a back seat in favor of a more fluid expression.
The dance translates the music visually. This can be done physically, such as B. a fall expresses a thunder in Raga for the Rainy Season , but mostly rather abstract. In some pieces spoken text is integrated, which only goes so far in Kassandra that more is spoken than underlined musically. Singing or other sounds such as screaming are less common.
The available space is used fairly evenly. Everyone present on the stage is included in the core of the plot, which contributes to a lively, closed impression. The vertical is also used, with jumps and falls being characteristic. The ensemble has mastered pieces for both small stages and opera houses. Emblematic pieces were also put in the form of a dance film, especially as Rosas danst Rosas .
The dancers enjoy a certain freedom of design on stage, which at Bitches Brew / Tacoma Narrows goes so far that improvisation takes place on stage within an agreed rough framework.
The sets and costumes are usually kept simple. Occasionally, items of equipment are integrated into the movement, such as the chair transfer mentioned above. Video is used in some works.
There is hardly any dance reflection of contemporary themes, because the main focus is on the visual representation of music. Some pieces are pervaded by a slightly feminist idea, certainly Stella , but also (but if a look should) April me , which contains aspects of the role differences in couples. The edition of Once and Kassandra in recent years may seem remarkable , as they can be seen as a reminder of repetitive experience. Among the more recent pieces, more emotive works have also been included, especially with A Love Supreme .
The ensemble therefore has a repertoire that has quite different characteristics, from rather rigorously abstract works from the early period, for which Rosas danst Rosas is still archetypal, to more supple, more recent pieces to Kassandra's dance theater , which means that it is varied despite all the energy and speaks for the great versatility of the ensemble despite the high standard.
composition
The ensemble is artistically directed by its founder and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker , who also dances herself. Guest choreographies have also taken place occasionally in recent times. However, ensemble members take part in the artistic design of the works.
In addition to De Keersmaeker, the ensemble currently seems to have nine other permanent dancers, even if in the past some pieces brought up to 40 people on stage at the same time. In addition to De Keersmaeker, Fumiyo Ikeda is one of the founding members. Cynthia Loemij [ luˑˈmɛɪ̆ ] and Taka Shamoto are other dancers who have been around for at least ten years. The ensemble is international, with a variety of schools and experiences represented. During their training, many of the members went through a station in Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (PARTS) , the dance school run by De Keersmaeker, where a number of ensemble members also teach.
The music is composed for a number of pieces and even played on stage. Thierry De Mey is essential in this regard. Frequent musical partners are the Ictus Ensemble and The Duke Quartet. Steve Reich occupies an outstanding position among the composers used , as his music is characteristic of the energetic emphasis of the works.
Jan Versweyveld is usually responsible for the stage design. Different costume designers are used; a flexibility that is also reflected in the lighting design.
Major works
- Rosas danst Rosas - The founding piece of Rosas , which appears to be characteristic to this day.
- Ottone, Ottone - The ensemble's first opera production.
- ERTS - The ensemble's first large-scale production in which the orchestra is recorded as part of the action and video is used for the first time.
- Amor constante más allá de la muerte - The piece represents a turning point insofar as the choreographies are now more tailored to the respective dancers.
- I said I - Peter Handke's self-accusation forms the basis for the quintessential experience of the ensemble in translating literature through dance.
- Bitches Brew / Tacoma Narrows - Miles Davis' music provides the background for a dance improvisation by the ensemble.
Residence and funding
Rosas is an independent ensemble. It mainly appears in various theaters in the Brussels capital region, especially the Kaaitheater and the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg / Théatre royal de la monnaie, both of which often appear as co-producers. There are also guest appearances in other cities, especially the Flemish, but also the French communities of Belgium, as well as numerous guest appearances at houses and festivals in Europe and overseas.
The ensemble is supported by the Flemish Community and the Belgian National Lottery. In 1998 the ensemble had a budget of just over $ 1.5 million. 40 percent of this was taken by foreign guest performances. At that time the ensemble had almost 30 permanent employees.
history
The ensemble was founded in 1983 by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker . Rosa's roots go back to Maurice Béjart . The four original dancers Rosas had gone through his dance school Mudra. In addition to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, these were Adriana Borriello, Michèle Anne De Mey and Fumiyo Ikeda, who is still part of the ensemble today. Until 1987 the ensemble consisted exclusively of dancers.
His first piece, Rosas danst Rosas , established the ensemble's reputation in 1983 with its energetic dynamics and emphatic physicality. At least in the first few years, the audience reacted quite divided. The 90s saw the inclusion of texts in the choreography as well as a number of large-scale productions. In the last few years there has been a tendency towards more harmonious movement sequences and more improvisation.
In the early years Rosas was a house ensemble at the Kaaitheater in Brussels (Belgium). From 1992 until the end of the 2006/07 season it resided in the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg / Théatre royal de la monnaie in Brussels .
The dynamic energy and vehemence in the physical expression of the music has influenced contemporary dance in Europe. Rosas danst Rosas was a milestone in this regard. The ensemble has received several awards over the years from Flanders, France, Great Britain, USA, Japan et al. and in Germany in 2003 the Critics' Prize of the Association of German Critics.
From Rosas are u. a. emerged:
- Adriana Borriello, who today resides with her Almatanz ensemble in Civitanova Marche (Italy);
- Michèle Anne De Mey, today artistic co-director of Charleroi / Danses, the dance ensemble of the French Community of Belgium, in Charleroi (Belgium).
Web link
- http://www.rosas.be/ (English)
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- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
