From Germany, Gauthier Dance at Jacob's Pillow July 22-26
Company:
Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart
JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL PRESENTS THE FULL COMPANY U.S. DEBUT OF
GAUTHIER DANCE//DANCE COMPANY THEATERHAUS STUTTGART, JULY 22-26
July 20, 2015 – (Becket, MA) Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, the dynamic resident contemporary dance company of the Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Germany, will appear in its full company U.S. debut engagement, July 22-26 in the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Founded in 2007 by dancer, choreographer, and musician Eric Gauthier, the young company is known for its lighthearted and accessible approach to contemporary dance. The “lively, sometimes hilarious Gauthier Dance” (Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine) will perform seven works by international choreographers: Artistic Director Eric Gauthier, Alexander Ekman, Alejandro Cerrudo, Po Cheng Tsai, Johan Inger, Marco Goecke, and Cayetano Soto. These Pillow performances mark the company’s first full-evening, weeklong engagement in the United States, following a one-work appearance at Dance Salad Festival in 2010.
Gauthier, formerly a soloist with Stuttgart Ballet, founded Gauthier Dance with a mission to break new ground, attract new audiences to dance, and make dance accessible to those who are unable to attend performances in traditional proscenium settings. Gauthier Dance quickly made a name for itself among the German and international dance scene with the successful premiere of award-winning POPPEA//POPPEA choreographed by Christian Spuck in 2010, which was named one of the world’s 10 most successful dance productions of 2010 by Dance Europe magazine. Through its social engagement and outreach program, Gauthier Dance Mobile, the company performs at nursing homes, hospitals, and youth centers across Germany.
Artistic Director Eric Gauthier’s humorously instructive solo Ballet 101 leads a solo dancer through 100 ballet movements, beginning with the five basic positions. This entertaining work highlights Gauthier’s “goal to win a young audience for modern dance” (Jeanette Anderson, Dancing Times) through its lighthearted approach to dance and tongue-in-cheek references to well-known ballets and famous choreographers.
Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s clever duet, Two Become Three depicts the humorous and realistic relationship of a young couple. Ekman, known for his quick timing, wit, and dexterous transitions, is now an international choreographer whose work has been commissioned by companies worldwide, including Nederlands Dance Theater (The Netherlands), Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (U.S.), Iceland Dance Company (Iceland), Bern Ballet (Switzerland), and the Royal Swedish Ballet (Sweden), among others.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s PACOPEPEPLUTO is a suite of technically astounding solos for three male dancers set to 1950s and 60s classic hits by “King of Cool” Dean Martin and tribute artist Joe Scalissi. Cerrudo, one of Chicago’s most highly-demanded choreographers, is “known for his supple, affecting movements that are deceptively muscular” (Erin Osman, Chicago Magazine). Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performed PACOPEPEPLUTO during its 2014 engagement at Jacob’s Pillow.
Two performers dance as one in Taiwanese choreographer Po-Cheng Tsai’s Floating Flowers, an ethereal duet inspired by flying paper lanterns. Music by popular cellist Zoë Keating, famous for using a foot-controlled laptop to construct live scores, provides “layers of sound, that feel more like orchestrations than a solo instrument” (National Public Radio).
Swedish choreographer Johan Inger explores the various stages of love in his haunting pas de deux Now and Now set to music by popular Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and emerging Stockholm-based composer Erik Enocksson. Inger, whose “movement invention is a great and continuous pleasure” (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times) has worked with dance companies across the globe including Nederlands Dans Theater (The Netherlands), Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), Göteborg Ballet (Sweden), Hannover Ballet (Germany), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (U.S.), Ballet du Rhin (France), and the Finnish National Ballet (Finland), among others.
I Found a Fox is Stuttgart Ballet resident and Nederlands Dance Theater Associate Choreographer Marco Goecke’s quirky solo originally choreographed for Eric Gauthier, and performed by Rosario Guerra at the Pillow. Set to British singer/songwriter Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffe,” the work’s title was also inspired by lyrics from one of her other songs, “Hounds of Love.” Goecke’s choreography often evokes an aura of mystery and is characterized by precise, quick movements of the torso, arms, and hands.
Malasangre (Bad Blood) is Ballet BC resident choreographer Cayetano Soto’s homage to provocative Cuban signer Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, more commonly known as La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul. In Malasangre, Soto, known for his exhilarating movement style and complex partnering sequences, explores La Lupe’s life and the destructive power of negativity. Pillow audiences may be familiar with Soto’s work from Ballet BC’s performance of Twenty Eight Thousand Waves earlier this season.
ABOUT GAUTHIER DANCE//DANCE COMPANY THEATERHAUS STUTTGART
Founded in 2007 by charismatic dancer and choreographer Eric Gauthier, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart is a young, dynamic company of 14 versatile and highly talented dancers. In less than a decade, Gauthier’s “ebullient troupe became one of the most sought-after in Europe” (Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine). Gauthier Dance has performed works by internationally esteemed choreographers, including Hans van Manen, Christian Spuck, Mauro Bigonzetti, Paul Lightfoot & Sol León, Jiři Kylián, and William Forsythe, among others. Additionally, Eric Gauthier’s works SIX PACK, HIGH FIVE, FOUR PLAY, and M.M. & MORE, have been popular among audiences at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart and abroad.
PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 22 through Saturday July 25 at 8:15pm
Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26 at 2:15pm
· Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in Residence Maura Keefe are offered on the porch of the Doris Duke Theatre 30 minutes before every performance.
· A Post-Show Q&A with Gauthier Dance Artistic Personnel and Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe will take place onstage on Thursday, July 23.
· Tickets $25-$45, A limited number of $19 Under 35 Friday tickets are available for July 24; limit 2 per person, must be between the ages of 18 and 35.
· Box Office Hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 11am–5pm, Wednesday through Saturday 11am–8pm.
· Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theaters are handicapped-accessible.
