Schedule
Un Ballo is a work devoid of any complex emotional content. Nevertheless, the compositions I have chosen for this piece by Maurice Ravel deal with the theme of death. The source of visual inspiration was Diego Velázquez's portrait series Infantes, in which he portrayed young members of the Spanish royal family, some of whom died very young. The vulnerable expressions on the children's faces, which the painter captured with particular detail and emotion, reveal a premature sadness as a kind of anticipation of death. I was struck by the close juxtaposition of life and death, but also inspired. There is nothing tragic about Un Ballo, just as there is nothing tragic about death. The only thing we can be sure of is that we will die one day. Everything else is uncertain. When we're born, we get a birth certificate. If we turn it around, it becomes a death sentence.
The contemporary dance theatre production CIRCUS is inspired by the novel The Clown of God by Péter Müller. The novel is a work of fiction in which, on the dance floor of a circus doomed to demolition, a master clown teaches his apprentices to dance on their last night. To use a biblical analogy, the work can be understood as a kind of last supper, during which the master initiates his apprentices into the mysteries of the magic of love. As well as teaching the master how to live, the master also imparts to his disciples the wonderful art of theatre-making. Attila Egerházi
Un Ballo
Choreographer: Jiří Kylián
Set design by Jiří Kylián
Costume design by Joke Visser
Lighting design, technical adaptation by Kees Tjebbes
Assistant Choreographer and Ballet Master in Training: Shirley Esseboom
Test Ballet Master: Cristina Porres Mormeneo
Music: Maurice Ravel: Menuet from "Le Tombaeau de Couperin" (1917, orch. 1919),
"Pavane pour une infante défunte" (1899, orch: 1910) Ravel: Orchestral works, Orchestre Smphonique de Montréal, conductor: Charles Dutoit
World premiere: 17 January 1991, AT&T Danstheater, The Hague Nederlands Dans Theater 2
CIRCUS Director-choreographer: Attila Egerházi Libretto by Péter Müller Sound recording by Péter Müller Costume design by Patrícia Pajor and Anett Herman Assistant choreographer: Cristina Porres Mormeneo Production designer: György Bajkó
Duration: 80 minutes
National Dance Theatre
On 15 February 2019, Budapest's unique new cultural arena opened its doors: the new National Dance Theatre in Millenáris Park. The building, equipped with the latest theatre technology and featuring unique architectural solutions, offers two theatre halls and a chamber hall for dance lovers, as well as rehearsal rooms for professional dancers. The foyer of the building will also become a community space open to visitors to the park, giving Millenáris the opportunity to become even more part of the capital's bloodstream.
