De Keersmaeker & Charmatz

It must have been a very special moment on that early summer morning in Avignon 2010 in the cloister courtyard of the Église des Célestins when the two dancers met for a spontaneous improvisation. They could hardly have been more different: on the one hand Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, the Belgian choreographer who has inspired a generation of dancers, and on the other Boris Charmatz, a star from the younger generation who, in his Musée de la danse in Rennes, works at the experimental interface between dance and choreography with a leaning towards the visual arts and literature. Both dancers featured in Foreign Affairs 2012 with their productions “En Atendant” and “enfant”. However, their encounter in the cloisters led to the idea of a joint production that would unite their love of strict choreographic structure and their equally strong penchant for improvisational freedom. The result can be seen at Foreign Affairs 2013 when the German premiere will take place: it is a duo to Bach’s well-known solo work “Partita Nr. 2”, which will be performed live by the leading Belgian violinist Amandine Beyer with a set designed by artist Michel François. “Partita 2” is in fact a three-way constellation comprising music, movement and space. Boris Charmatz is only too happy to follow Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s movements, who in turn is led by Bach’s music. A joint exploration of “living architecture” that is described by Charmatz as a “musical labyrinth”.

Choreography Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Music “Partita Nr. 2” by Johann Sebastian Bach
Violin Amandine Beyer (Developed together with George Alexander Van Dam)
Stage Michel François
Costumes Anne-Catherine Kunz
Production Rosas

Dance Boris Charmatz, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker