For those who are fans of both modern dance and classical music, there is a special treat scheduled at Dansehallerne. From October 10-26 you can catch Rød, a magnificent collaboration between the Danish Dance Theatre and the renowned Swedish choreographer Örjan Andersson.
Rød actually consists of two separate pieces that will be shown in one night: each beautiful and distinct, yet tied together in their use of classical music.
The first one is simply entitled Rød and is from the year 2001. It was originally created for the Netherlands Dance Theatre 1 and is inspired by Dmitri Shostakovich’s emotional composition String Quartet no 8. Shostakovich dedicated his quartet to “the victims of fascism and war” and it is not only evidence of outstanding musical talent, but extremely emotional and shows the composer’s inner turmoil of living in Soviet Russia.
Andersson, who shares his name with his country’s most celebrated denim designer, embraces the emotional range of the work and uses the contrasts of both tempo and style within the work to create a unique dance performance that was hailed when it premiered at the Netherlands Dance Theatre 1.
It’s also the perfect autumn show as the dancers will all be dressed in various shades of red, celebrating the seasonal change of colours in nature, as they explore how dynamic and intense situations can arise from seemingly calm moments.
The second piece is 32 Variations, which is named after the musical piece to which it is performed, 32 Variations in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Fans of classical music should not miss out on this outstanding performance, as the music will be played live by none other than Tanja Zapolski, who is considered to be one of Denmark’s leading young pianists and known for challenging the limits of classical music.Zapolski will play both 32 Variations in C minor and Rondo in C major Op 51, no 2 – both by Beethoven.These two beautiful works, although very different in style, were chosen because both are ideal for dance improvisation, which is one of the performance’s main attributes.
In contrast to Rød, which Andersson solely choreographed, 32 Variations is created in collaboration with the dancers who were given much freedom to improvise. The collaboration sees one of Sweden’s most renowned choreographers team up with the talented dancers of the Danish Dance Theatre, who come from all over the world. Before each performance there will an introduction from the dancers, who will explain the process behind creating the pieces and share their experience.
There will also be video clips from rehearsals to give the audience a better idea of the process of creating a dance performance.
And the audience will also be welcome to ask the dancers questions about the piece.
Rød
Store Carl, Dansehallerne, Pasteursvej 20, Cph V; starts Thu (Oct 10), ends Oct 26, performances Thu & Fri 20:00, Sat 13:00; tickets 210kr, under-25s 140kr, groups (minimum of eight adults) 170kr, www.billetten.dk, www.teaterbilletter.dk, 3315 1012; www.dansehallerne.dk
