Introdans - Arnhem, The Netherlands

Selon Désir

choreography: Andonis Foniadakis
music: Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion Entrance Choruses
assistant to the choreographer: Pierre Magendie
lighting design: Sakis Birbilis
costume design: Anastasios Sofroniou
sound, scenography: Julien Tarride

premiere: Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, 2004  / Introdans, 2023.
duration: 25’

“Selon Désir” is a whirlwind of energy and desire, set to the opening choruses of both the St Matthew and St John Passions by Bach.

Andonis Foniadakis grew up in the city of Ierapetra in island Crete, in Greece. He began his dance training with Niki Papadaki at the local dance school of his city and continued studies at the State Dance School in Athens. Before his graduation he receives the prestigious Maria Kallas scholarship to continue his studies in Bejart’s school in Lausanne. As a dancer he was engaged in Bejart Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet and Saburo Teshigawara/Karas Company. During the years of his professional engagement with the above companies he has performed choreographic works of Maguy Marin, Jiri Kilian, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Maurice Bejart, Ohad Naharin, Frederic Flamand, Bill T Jones, Tero Saarinen, Saburo Teshigawara, among the rest. He has created his own dance company Apotosoma in Lyon, in 2003 . As a freelance choreographer he has collaborated with Geneva Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, National Dance Company of Wales, Cia Sociedade Masculina, Helsinki Dance Company, National Ballet of Greece, National Theater of Northen Greece, Benjamin Millepied Dance Company, Washington Ballet, Bejart Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Maggio Danza, Aterballetto, Ballet Jazz Montreal, National Dance Company from Madid... In 2014, Andonis was movement coordinator for Darren Aronosfky's film “Noah” for Paramount Pictures. In 2016/17 he was appointed artistic director of the Athens National Ballet, where he remains resident choreographer. His awards include the Danza e Danza Award for Best Choreographer in 2012.

Corpus Bach

choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Nicolas Vladyslav
music: Johan Sebastian Bach, Gavotte I & II from Cello Suite No 5 C minor
audio and lighting design: Wim van de Capelle

premiere: Les Ballets C. de la B., 2005 / Introdans, 2023.
duration: 15’

It’s no secret that choreography and music are ideal partners. In the playful “Corpus Bach”, Cherkaoui lifts this partnership to a whole new level. Every note played by the cellist, live on stage, is reflected in the undulating bodies of the dancers, from their toes to the tips of their fingers.

As a child, the Flemish-Moroccan Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Antwerp, 1976) wanted to draw the real world. But when the two dimensions of pen and paper no longer sufficed he began – inspired by Michael Jackson – to dance. For a short while he appeared as a dancer in variety shows and television programmes. After this he chose to study at P.A.R.T.S, the dance education school of the famous Flemish choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker in Brussels. There he came in contact both with the work of grand masters such as William Forsythe, Pina Bausch and Trisha Brown and with urban dance styles. In 1995 he won the Prize for the best dance solo in Ghent, created on the initiative of the choreographer Alain Platel. In 1999 Cherkaoui made his first choreography “Anonymous Society”, and immediately won various international awards. In 2000, he received Special Prize at the BITEF Festival in Belgrade for “Rien de Rien”, his first creation for Les Ballets C de la B.  He has won numerous important international dance awards, including the Prix Nijinsky, German Kairos Prize, Sir Laurence Olivier Award (together with his colleague Damien Jalet) and the Benois de la Danse award (the ‘Dance Oscar’). In 2011, UNESCO honoured him as a Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue between Arab and Western Worlds. Cherkaoui has worked for many renowned dance companies and theatres, including Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Swedish Cullberg Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, De Munt in Brussels, Sadler’s Wells in London. Currently he makes most of his productions for his own company Eastman, with which he is achieving worldwide success. Moreover he recently provided the choreography for “Anna Karenina”, film directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law, and co-created “Bolero” with Damien Jalet and Marina Abramović, for the Ballet of the Paris Opera. In 2015, Cherkaoui assumed the role of artistic director at the Royal Ballet of Flanders, while in 2022 he became artistic director of the Ballet of the Grand Theater in Geneva.

Anima

choreography: Manuel Vignoulle
music: Johan Sebastian Bach

premiere: Introdans, 2023.
duration: 20’

A journey about removing the layers that hold us further away from who we are. From the conditioned mind and a hectic way of living, hiding behind the physical shield, to the core of our being, going through an inner battle between what we have always known so far and what we feel true in our heart. A journey attempting to reach a state of inner truth, freedom, peacefulness and elevation towards the pure expression of our soul.

Manuel Vignoulle is an award-winning choreographer and the artistic director of Manuel Vignoulle - M/motions, a company based in New York. He studied at the National Conservatory for Dance in Paris, and went on to work with different French companies including Claude Brumachon, Corinne Lanselle and Bernardo Montet.  As a dancer with Ballet Genève, Cedar Lake in New York, La La La Human Steps, Dutch National Ballet and The Forsythe Company, he worked with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Hofesh Shechter, Andonis Foniadalkis, Ohad Naharin, Jo Strongen, Alexander Ekman, Benjamin Millepied, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Didy Veldman, Carolyn Carlson, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, among others. His  works were performed on major stages and festivals around the world, and he has been commissioned by BalletX, Introdans, Ailey II, Columbia Ballet, DanceWorks Chicago, Ballet Arkansas, Peridance Company, and many other companies and universities.

Since 1971, Introdans has been dazzling audiences with dance. Ever since founded, its mission has remained unchanged: to get a wide public enthusiastic about dance art. They do this by presenting attractive productions for young and old, performed by world-class dancers. Introdans brings audiences the best, most attractive and most moving works from half a century of dance. Their concept is simple: to showcase pieces by world-famous choreographers as well as creations by up-and-coming choreographic talent. These names include Robert Battle, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Lucinda Childs, Nacho Duato, Jirí Kylián, José Limón, Hans van Manen, Alwin Nikolais and many more. The energy of performances has met with praise and recognition in the Netherlands, and all over the world. In fact, Introdans is one of the Netherlands’ most important exports in the cultural sector. The company travels the world: from America to Asia and from Sweden to South Africa. In ten years Introdans has visited over thirty countries, regularly performing in Indonesia, China, South Africa, Switzerland and United Kingdom. The most prestigious appearances – besides performances during royal state visits – were the performances at the Bolshoi New Stage Theatre in Moscow, the New Victory Theater on Broadway and the Fall for Dance Festival in New York.