Celebrate the start of spring with the exuberant dance of Mauro Bigonzetti
Let’s celebrate springtime, and celebrate life! Introdans presents SPRING, a programme that centres around the work of Mauro Bigonzetti. The creations of this Italian master choreographer reveal an exceptional diversity, but SPRINGfocuses above all on the exuberant and vibrant side of his oeuvre. In addition to two of the biggest audience favourites from the Introdans repertoire – Cantata and (excerpts from) Rossini Cards – Bigonzetti is also creating a new thrilling choreography for Spring, specially for Introdans. In many theatres Cantata will be accompanied live by the Italian female folk group Assurd (L. Monti – C. Vetrone), Enza Pagliara, and Enza Alessandra Prestia.
Mauro Bigonzetti (1960, Rome) was director of the famous Ballet de la Scala in Milan, among other companies, and now works as a freelance choreographer for ballet companies such as the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet, the English National Ballet, Stuttgarter Ballett, the New York City Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Introdans director Roel Voorintholt: “At Introdans we aim to present one programme each year where we put the focus on a single choreographer – someone who’s of great importance to our company. This lets us show how an artist has developed their work over the course of time. But in the case of Bigonzetti, it’s certainly also because we know we’ll make our audiences very happy with this special ode. Bigonzetti’s work is hugely uplifting, it gives you energy, it makes you want to dance yourself and to celebrate life.”
New creation and Rossini Cards
SPRING kicks off with a festive opener which in addition to a totally new creation by Bigonzetti – an extremely physical work for a large ensemble of dancers – comprises three sections from his highly praised Rossini Cards. The first two of these sections are also new to Introdans. When making this ballet, Bigonzetti took inspiration from his compatriot Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), who was not only a famous Baroque composer but also a gourmet and an excellent cook. And Bigonzetti makes clear reference to this in the opening section: at a long table, the full cast of dancers are feasting on a generous dinner in a taut, grotesque choreography. The following duet starts off in a sentimental and romantic way but soon demands some amazing acrobatics from the dancers, with a strong dose of irony here and there. And then all inhibitions are thrown to the wind in the exuberant, farcical finale. Carelessly attired in business suits, the dancers reel around the stage in pairs, constantly form new patterns as they run and jump around like fleas. It’s all timed to the second, because Rossini Cards stands or falls with a perfect performance.
What the press said about Rossini Cards: ‘They enter so gracefully in pairs, but soon they leap apart into tautly alternating ranks (..) The clear patterns in the dance render the sparkle in Rossini’s opera music visible and tangible. So bring on the candlelit table at the start of Rossini Cards!’ – de Volkskrant
Cantata
After the interval, SPRING continues with Bigonzetti’s stirring masterpiece Cantata. In this earthy and passionate high-energy piece, the choreographer brings to life a range of characters from an Italian village – inspired by the captivating and also abrasive singing of the Southern Italian women’s folk group Assurd (L. Monti – C. Vetrone), Enza Pagliara, and Enza Alessandra Prestia. Men and women vie with each other in powerful ensemble dances, and then come together in wonderful duets that are sometimes dramatic or melancholy, and then again light and humorous. As a spectator it’s hard to remain unmoved by this exuberant ode to Italian folk culture, to love, and perhaps above all to madness. In previous performances, Cantata invariably received standing ovations.
What the press said about Cantata: ‘Cantata is exciting, sometimes wonderfully bizarre and particularly towards the end it has the audience breathless.’ – De Gelderlander