- Choreographie, Bühne, Licht, Kostüm – Saburo Teshigawara
- Choreographische Mitarbeit – Rihoko Sato
- Chor des Theater Basel
- Only 4 performances
- 2 hours with intermission
- Interesting for people from 10+
A poetic and existential two-act play
In an impressive interplay of light, sound, dance and body, the two-act piece 'Verwandlung - Teshigawara' reveals what makes us human and holds us together at our core. A unique and moving experience. The complete artist Saburo Teshigawara has been honoured with numerous prizes and awards, including the Nobel Prize for Art, the Praemium Imperiale of the Japanese Imperial Family and the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale for his life's work.
With Teshigawara, the humanity of the dancers always takes centre stage... Dynamic and breathtaking... a privilege for the city.
Mediathek
Before the performances on 17 and 27 October 2024, Ballett Basel is offering a guided movement session with the audience. This will allow you to not only see but also feel some of the movement methods of choreographer Saburo Teshigawara. The introduction will be led by a member of the Ballett Basel team. (The regular piece introduction will take place in parallel as usual)
- 17 / 27 October 2024, 6:30 pm
- Duration approx. 20 minutes
- Meeting point: dance floor downstairs in the foyer
- Free of charge, with registration
- In English and German
- No special clothing required
- Choreographie, Bühne, Licht, Kostüm –
- Choreographische Mitarbeit –
- Originalkomposition –
- Musik –
Arcangelo Corelli,Tomaso Albinoni,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,Sergei Wassiljewitsch Rachmaninow,Franck Cesar,Pavel Chesnokov
- Chormusik –
Olivier Messiaen,Maurice Ravel
- Chorleitung –
- Lichtmitarbeit –
Sergio Pessanha
- Choreographische Assistenz –
Ján Špoták,Maria Chiara Mezzadri,Javier Ara Sauco
In 'Like a Human', the musical palette ranges from baroque and Mozart to Rachmaninov and Chesnokov, but at no point does it seem arbitrary. Music and dance do not simply accompany each other here, they merge in a perfection that is rarely seen.
Teshigawara's choreographies live from the individual moment, from the individual movement and gesture and their effect on the audience. No grand stories are told; the movement of the dancers in the now, in space, in time, in light and in sound is the central element of his choreographies. For those who recognise this, 'Metamorphose' and 'Like a Human' reveal a completely new world of movement qualities.
It is hesitation, doubt and decision-making that Teshigawara wants to explore in this work. And it succeeds: the dancers embody these mental processes so explicitly through their movements that they can be empathised with from the audience seats.
'Verwandlung - Teshigawara' is an impressive evening (...), and has become a visual, artistic and spiritual delight for most people.
One leaves the theatre with a deep understanding of the imperfection of human existence. And that is far more than one had expected.
The dancers of Ballett Basel grow beyond themselves (in 'Like a Human'). They don't embody their characters, they are them. Each one is a character with very specific movement quirks.
Much develops from the vertical, which is emphasised by her floor-length, shimmering satin-black dress and dark coat. The lighting direction emphasises the hands, which often perform very fast movements, and the faces. The light sometimes separates the two, sometimes brings them together in a shared space. The main focus is on the dramatic, almost elegiac expression. For Teshigawara, it is not about dancing, but about expressing the essence (...).
The two-part evening ends with the visualisation of wonderfully selected music from Corelli and Albinoni to Mozart and Rachmaninov. The performance rightly earned frenetic applause at the premiere.