PART I

LES NOCES (SVADEBKA)

Provincial dances theatre 

Choreography: Tatiana Baganova
Music: «Les Noces» by Igor Stravinsky
Lighting design: Nina Indrikson
Scenography: Yaroslav Frantsev
Costume design: Yuri Pomelov

Running time: 30 min

Performance «Les Noces» by Igor Stravinsky staged by Tatiana Baganova is already a legend. It is the prize-winner of the Russian National Theatre Award Golden Mask – 2000 (the best work of choreographer).

Performance is based on Igor Stravinsky’s work, which he himself described as «Russian choreographic scenes with singing and music». The composer wrote: «My aim was to describe the ritual of Russian peasant wedding through citation the folklore, in other words, not literary texts. This was a natural interchange of poetic images born out of old Slavic ceremonial rites».

Structure of performance is organized around the old rite of Northern Slavic tribes telling about the bridegroom, who must cut the bride’s braid- the symbol of woman’s power – by himself. In front of our eyes we see unfolding of the process in which the young couple meets and gets acquainted, the wedding proposal, preparations for the sacred ritual and – the culmination! – cutting of the bride’s braid, kind of wedding of the young couple.

“The First Prize belongs to «Provincial Dances». The company deserves it for sure. Tatiana Baganova, the choreographer, gives her own version to Stravinsky. Stravinsky’s power, according to the music, is a search of an adequate power in the ancient ceremony. The characters wear sackcloth. They feel free in Stravinsky’s polyphony where they can both stick to certain rules and break them. Sharp needle of Baganova’s plastics are microcosm, her concept is a sort of paganism which means one can already resist the crowd.”

– Nezavisimaya Gazeta

“An even grimmer picture of pubessent afflictions was drawn by Provincial Dances, with a stylised and overloaded version of “Les Noces”, to Stravinsky’s music of the same name , choreographed by Tatiana Baganova. That candles are blown out at the start makes for a dramatic accent, and is at the same time a play on the fate of the young bride after the wedding. It is not difficult to recognize the mark of Bronislava Nijinska in the sombre and gloomy atmosphere and in the twisted up, angular movements in unison. In Baganova’s version, the story is about distinct individuals instead of a collective, and is told in solos and a variety of interactive forms.”

– Ballet International Tanz Aktuelle

“Stravinsky’s «SVADEBKA» staged by Tatiana Baganova looks scandalously broken with cuts still it is a success. The choreographer juggles with cultural layers like a virtuoso. Now she sends spectators to Vatslav Nizhinsky`s archaic static’s, now she switches on folklore «body’s memory» now she uses rhythms of the modern rap. With a lot of quotations, Baganova creates a language of amazing integrity. She manipulates with subjects and space easily, constructs a very difficult polyphony of visual effects. With the help of seven dancers, Baganova takes power of all might of music, stages mise en scenes in masterly fashion. This is the best performance from the festival program and is sure to be a nominee on «The Golden Mask».”

– Kommersant

“Baganova’s «SVADEBKA» reveals dark and tragic aspects of the Russian ceremony. Everything is designed precisely and laconically: mise en scene, sharp plastics, shrewd play with quotations, careful use of folklore. Yet, outward restraints intensify the emotional outburst. There is neither a strain nor pseudo-Russian pathos in the performance about a bride’s cry. «SVADEBKA» by the Ekaterinburg troupe is the only event of the whole festival.”

– Izvestija

“Brilliantly expressed ceremonial origins, distinct national character, personal relationship to the chosen music, rich and expressive manner – you can find everything in this piece.”

– Culture

Photo: © Elena Rezvova

PART II

RITE OF SPRING

Ériu Dance Company, Ireland

Breandán de Gallaí’s Rite of Spring premiered outside the Cathedral of St. Patrick & St. Felim, Cavan town, Ireland, on Friday 10th August 2012 at 10:15pm

This opening event was part of an extensive contemporary arts programme for Ireland’s premier traditional Irish music festival – Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2012 – the largest music festival in Europe.

Ireland and Russia share parallel political and artistic histories. Ireland’s Easter Rising was in 1916 and the Russian Revolution occurred a year later in 1917. In both cases, the associated cultural revivals sparked a rediscovery of national culture and a flourishing of the arts. With 2017 being the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, it is fitting to present an Irish dance interpretation of the Rite, with its energetic and explosive gestures, and complex percussive patterns……Intertwined with Stravinsky’s startlingly original music, this production defies constructs of the imagination yet at the same time is entirely faithful to the concept of the original ballet.

“Rite of Spring by Ériu Dance Company … left thousands spellbound.”
– Irish Times – 11th August 2012

A Unique Intepretation.

Stravinsky’s groundbreaking work has challenged and inspired audiences throughout the last century, and in August 2012, almost 100 years after its first performance, Breandán de Gallaí’s interpretation of the work was performed to an estimated outdoor audience of 15,000 spectators. Of the numerous interpretations of the dance work the majority come from ballet and contemporary dance traditions. This version is rooted in the Irish traditional dance whilst casting a new light on the expressive possibilities of the form. The physicality of the dance challenges the canons of the dance aesthetic in areas such as verticality, with an emphasis on a more visceral aesthetic.

The piece examines ritualistic behavior questioning the plight of the individual in contemporary society. This exploration sheds light on areas such as the alpha- and beta-; vulnerability; risk; and homoeroticism.

Biography – Breandán de Gallaí.

Dancer, choreographer and dance academic Breandán de Gallaí’s involvement with dance is multifaceted.

As a choreographer he has created several works, most notably Noċtú, Rite of Spring and Lïnger. In 2011, Noċtú completely a 5-week residency at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York. On the back of this run the show was nominated for 2 Drama Desk awards, “Outstanding Choreography” and “Unique Theatrical Event”. His second work, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring premiered at the opening of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August 2012 attracting 14,000 spectators. The work received a nomination for the coveted Allianz Business to Arts Awards (Dublin 2012). His new duet Lïnger, which sees de Gallaí return to the stage after a 12-year hiatus, premiered in Dublin in January 2016. In August 2016 Lïnger took part in the Edinburgh Fringe and was shortlisted for a Total Theatre and The Place Award for Dance. De Gallaí also toured with Riverdance from 1994 – 2003, 7 of which in the position of principal dancer.

As a dance scholar his interest lies in the contemporisation of Irish dance. He completed a performance-based doctorate in 2013, the first of its kind in the world. He earned an MA in Ethnochoreology in 2009, and was external examiner for the MA in Traditional Irish Dance Performance at the University of Limerick from 2004 – 2008. Breandán was acting Course Director of the Arts Practice PhD programme at the University of Limerick for 2012. He also holds a B.Sc.(Hons) in Physics.

Breandán’s training is predominately in Irish step dancing, but is passionate about many dance genres and in 1988 he graduated from the Gus Giordano Dance Academy, Chicago, having been awarded a scholarship to study Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Tap dance.
Biography – Breandán de Gallaí

“De Gallaí is pushing and playing with his inherited language in ways I’ve never seen
before in Irish dance, and in the process exposing aspects of himself and his dance career
with a seriousness that feels both tender and brave.”

– Judith Mackrell, The Guardian 19th Aug 2016 – Edinburgh Fringe

“Powerful, tender and achingly beautiful”

– Chris O’Rourke Irish Examiner 22nd Jan 2016

“When the men move, be it intelligent and moving contemporary dance or energietic and
precise Irish dance, it’s a sight to behold.”

– Kelly Apter, Scotsman 9th Aug 2016 – Edinburgh Fringe

“I rarely used the overused word but here it is, “mesmerizing” … I was taken along as the
dancers turned the world of Irish dance upside down.”

– Patricia Harty, IrishCentral.com, New York

“A superb blending of dance and human emotions … one of the best shows of the 2011-
2012 season and one that should definitely be seen by all – and as many times as possible.”

– Judd Hollander Stagebuzz, New York