Ruth Leon recommends… Bella Figura – Jiri Kylian
Ruth Leon recommendsBella Figura – Jiri Kylian
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Jiri Kylian is one of the towering figures of 20th century dance. His nearly 30 year tenure (1975-2004) as the Artistic Director and principal choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater challenged our perceptions of what contemporary dance could be. This is one of his masterworks.
In Bella Figura the performers, in Kylian’s vision, explore the division between art and life, perception and reality, in carefully shaped vignettes of extraordinary precision.
Performed by the dancers of the Nederlands Dans Theater, the work is set to baroque music and uses a combination of classical ballet and contemporary movements of Kylián’s own invention. The dance space is strikingly defined by light and darkness, with black drapes used to frame the dancers in unusual ways. In this piece, Bella Figura, (an Italian expression meaning to make a good impression, a fine appearance), Kylián’s theme is, ‘what is life if not a dream?’
Exquisitely beautiful, Bella Figura flows as if it inhabits the music, which is by Lukas Foss, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Alessandro Marcello, Antonio Vivaldi, and Giuseppe Torelli.
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