Choreography: Nacho Duato Music: Franz
Schubert Sets and Costumes: Nacho Duato Light Design: Brad Fields (based
on the original idea of Nacho Duato) Choreographer's Assistants:
Thomas Klein, Gentian Doda
Running time: 30
minutes
Without Words is Nacho Duato’s second work
for the prestigious American Ballet Theater company. The title refers
to Schubert’s songs scores, which are instrumental music, music without
words. As in the songs, the choreographer strips the dancing
of any evident romantic atmosphere. Love and death appear as the
central subjects derived from the music. A new world, with all its
possibilities, is revealed in a dark existential scenographic
space typical of the 20th century. Duato shows a universal vital cycle
in all its spontaneity, free of unnecessary alignments and ornaments.
Duende
Choreography: Nacho
Duato Music: Claude Debussy Sets: Walter Nobbe Costumes: Susan
Unger Lighting Design: Nicolбs Fischtel Choreographer’s Assistants: Tony
Fabre, Eva Maria Lopez Crevillen
World
premiиre: Nederlands Dans Theater at the AT&T Danstheater, The Hague,
21 November 1991 Russian premiиre: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March
2011
Running time: 30 minutes
Duato’s ‘ideas’ for choreography are almost always preceded by his
choice of music, which characterises his working method. Maybe this applies
to Duende in particular, because the music was the only source
of inspiration for this ballet. Long ago, Duato fell in love with
Debussy, especially with the way the composer makes nature sound in music.
When he listens to this music, Duato visualises shapes, not people,
relationships or events. This is why he considers Duende
as an almost sculptural work: a body, a movement, that goes
with the tune.
Duende literally means elf or fairy, like the ones
who tidy upchildren’s toys at night, but it can also mean rascal,
a naughty child. One can also possess ‘duende’, when radiating energy and
great charm, almost having a magical attraction. In Andalusia flamenco
is said to have duende, which can hardly be translated
into another language. Flamenco has a touch of spell, one might say,
like the way black music has ‘soul’.
Prelude
Music: George Handel,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Benjamin Britten Choreographer, Stage
Designer, Costume Designer: Nacho Duato Lighting Designer: Brad Fields
Costume Production Engineer: Alla Marusina Musical Director of the
production: Valery Ovsyanikov Choreographer’s Assistants: Zhanna Ayupova,
Kirill Myasnikov