>> FEATHERWEIGHT 2019 Creation for SKÅNES DANSTEATER (Malmö, Sweden)
PREMIERE: 15/05/19 - TRIP Program / Skånes Dansteater, Malmö (Sweden)
Performances: 15th May - 1st June 2019
The lendary Firebird from the Slavic folklore is a majestic bird, a fantasic and highly coveted creature for the magic powers of its feathers. This old legend set the context for one of the most iconic ballets: The Firebird, created in 1910 for the Ballets Russes, with choreography by Michel Fokine and original music score by Igor Stravinky, with the role of the Firebird being performed by a female dancer. Parallely, 'featherweight' is one of the boxing categories for light weight contestants. Boxing has an idiosincratic physicality, a clear set of rules, and a singular history behind, specially in relation to female boxing.
A solo for a woman. One contestant in a boxing ring. The bout starts. FEATHERWEIGHT takes the physicality of boxing and legend of the 'Firebird ' as departing points to celebrate femininity. Delicacy, power, vulnerability, bravery, agility, beauty. Rituals, myths, rules and roles. She shadows, sparres, shifts, punches, parries and weaves, to find the extraordinary in her own skin. Her own limits and her own strength. FEATHERWEIGHT is a tribute to the female body. Highly coveted, light, and significant as the weight of the feather.
'A blinding solo".Skånska Dagblad
"A marvelous job at visualizing the strength,
the fragility, the pain, the inner fight to not
give in to defeat, to pain - but to persevere.”
Scandinavianways
.
Which are the similarities and diffences between dance and certain sports?
Which sports can we approach from a dance point of view?
Can we use popular social frameworks as sports to talk about universal topics?
FEATHERWEIGHT is part of the long term project "dance + sports + iconic ballets". Contemporary dance approaches sports, embodying new physicalities, tactics and cadences. At the same time, the project takes some of the most iconic ballets as frame of references and as playing
fields to revisit universal topics such as love, desire, rituals and men and women roles in society.
To develop this project choregrapher Roser López Espinosa (resident artist in Mercat de les Flors 2018-20) collaborates with international
dance companies. The first piece of the project is HAND TO HAND, created in 2014 for ConnyJanssen Danst and Dansateliers in Rotterdam
(The Netherlands). The second piece is the FEATHERWEIGHT, created for Skånes Dansteater in Malmö (Sweden) and premiered in May 2019.
ARTISTIC INFORMATION
Concept and choreography: Roser López Espinosa / Creation and dance: Sarah Bellugi-Klima / Music: Igor Stravinsky / Sound score: Mark Drillich / Set design: Roser López Espinosa / Lighting design: Mattias Jonsson / Dance apprentice: Filipa Miranda Amorim / Production: Skånes Dansteater
Thanks to Rasmus Svensson and David Thibel for their generous contribution on our approach to boxing.
To Mattias Suneson, Belinda Nusset and Vidar Maggason for their glance.
And special thanks to Åsa Söderberg for giving me the opportunity to delvelop this second creation project for Skånes Dansteater.
Photos: Tilo Stengel
Duration: 30 min SKÅNES DANSTEATER // dance company >> www.skanesdansteater.se
TRIP Program / Skånes Dansteater >> Choreographies by
Lidia Wos, Roser López Espinosa and Fernando Melo
