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
World premiere: American Ballet Theater
at the City Center in New York, 29 October 1998 Russian
premiere: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March 2011
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.
Nunc Dimittis
Choreography,
Sets and Costumes: Nacho Duato Music: Arvo Part, David Azagra Lighting
Designer: Mikhail Mekler Rйpйtiteur: Kirill Myasnikov
World premiere: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March
2011
“The inspiration for this work was a composition
entitled Nunc Dimittis by Arvo Part. The fact that the ballet
is set to religious music gives it a mystical, supernatural
dimension. Part wrote the music to the Canticle of Simeon, but this
is an abstract ballet. There are no characters as such,
do not expect to see the Virgin Mary, Jesus or Simeon.
I would like to stress that this ballet was also inspired
by Ekaterina Borchenko (prima ballerina of the Mikhailovsky ballet):
Nunc Dimittis is being created with her in mind and for her”.
Nacho Duato, January 2011.
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
premiere: Nederlands Dans Theater at the AT&T Danstheater, The Hague,
21 November 1991 Russian premiere: Mikhailovsky Theatre, 15 March
2011
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’.