STUTTGART The new production by Gauthier Dance, world premiere tonight at Theaterhaus Stuttgart, proves nothing less than an elementary experience – for the company itself as well as for the audience. And because Eric Gauthier has always had a penchant for playing with numbers, this bill is also marked by a number, four. Even the premiere took place on a day that only occurs every four years: February 29, 2024. Above all, however, this programme brings together four artists who are as stylistically different as the four primary substances of all things:

Mauro Bigonzetti, Spighe
No one has collaborated with Gauthier Dance as many times as the great dance aesthete from Italy. His pieces have been an integral part of the company's repertoire since the first season in 2007/08. Just recently, Eric Gauthier „incorporated“ the body-twisting choreography Pression from High Five in the anniversary programme 15 YEARS ALIVE. Those familiar with Bigonzetti's work will not be surprised by the element Eric Gauthier has chosen for him: Earth. After all, the Roman-born artist finds the inspiration for it right on his doorstep – in the village in the Marche region where he settled down a long time ago. One of his recurrent themes is the power of nature, as can be seen in his signature piece Cantata, in which the native music of southern Italy and a close-knit village community merge into an exuberant celebration of life. The title Mauro Bigonzetti has given to his new work for ELEMENTS is Spighe – ears of corn. An apt choice for a choreography that translates nourishing Mother Earth into dance.

Sharon Eyal, Alone
The first piece she created specifically for Gauthier Dance was a quiet bang – her deceptively elegant yet devious pas de trois for The Seven Sins. What was still smouldering under the surface in Point has now caught fire. For what other element would be more appropriate to the star choreographer than ... Fire? In ELEMENTS, after the deadly sin of envy, Sharon Eyal returns to the large cast she became famous for. Eyal's immensely focused, meticulous work process regularly produces group pieces that have an almost hypnotic effect, transforming the dancers into a single, breathing organism. As precise, rhythmic and relentless as clockwork. As powerful and unstoppable as a sea of flames.

Andonis Foniadakis, Almyra
Is it because he grew up on the island of Crete and has been familiar with Water since childhood? In any case, one thing is clear: This choreographer can do flowing. Anyone who has seen the stunning dance symphony Streams, which he created for the tenth anniversary of Gauthier Dance in 2017, will agree. No one before him has shown the dancers as smoothly, organically, pliably. Few before him have challenged them so much at the same time. The rapid shifts and complicated lifts make Foniadakis' choreographies notoriously difficult to dance. Impressive virtuosity and plenty of atmosphere were also demonstrated in his second work for Gauthier Dance AELLΩ. The solo for a mysterious avian creature shrouded in mist was Foniadakis' contribution to The Dying Swans Project. Almyra now raises the demands on the dancers to an astonishing next level. The company's answer: top level dancing ...

Louise Lecavalier, Ether
She is the icon of contemporary dance from Canada. Eric Gauthier has admired the legendary front woman of Édouard Lock's company La La La Human Steps since he was in ballet school in Toronto. The punk, physical strength and incredible speed she brought to dance had never been seen till then, least of all from a woman. She has retained her unruliness and wildness to this day. No wonder, then, that she has taken on the element of Air. Or should we better say storm in her case? Either way, her piece for Gauthier Dance has shaken things up quite a bit. The world premiere by Louise Lecavalier is a premiere in two respects: Instead of choreographing herself, she has, for the first time, created a piece for another company. Her new solo has partially taken up So Blue, her choreographic debut of 2012, whose title evoked – water. With Ether/Air, she opens up her horizons once again. Because for Louise Lecavalier, ether as the cosmic „element of elements“ envelops them all – fire, water, air and earth.

Theaterhaus, T1, Stuttgart
World Premiere February 29, 2024, then March 1, 2, 3, 6, 7,8,9,10,15,16,17,18 
Italian Premiere: July 12, 2024, Teatro Comunale, Bolzano Danza Festival, Bolzano

 

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