Encore at Queen Elizabeth Theatre

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Created by iconoclastic choreographer William Forsythe, recognized as one of the world's foremost choreographers, to music by Dutchcomposer Thom Willems, Herman Schmerman is a riveting example of Forsythe's signature style. His work is widely acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with the classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form. During his20-year tenure as Frankfurt Ballet's director and now the Forsy the Company, his works are prominently featured in the repertoire of virtually every major ballet company in the world, including The Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, England's Royal Ballet, and The Paris Opera Ballet. Virtuosic in nature and vibrantly musical, the Ballet BC premiere of Herman Schmerman in April 2010 was an enormous audience success.

Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo sets this work in a giddy, obsessive world charged with dynamic beauty and musicality. Six dancers bring choreographic wow to the gorgeous Sibelius violin concerto which seems to interrupt the dancers' silence, creating a wonderful unison of searing freshness. Elo is resident choreographer of Boston Ballet and a former member of The Netherlands Dance Theatre, Cullberg Ballet and The Finnish National Ballet. Major companies around the world dance his critically acclaimed works.

Originally created for Ballet BC, this ballet is a powerful and poetic full-company piece by rising European dance star Medhi Walerski. Inspired by the idea of ‘life in a box,' it explores a range of dimensions, culminating in a surprising and delightful mix of dance and theatre, full of imagery and adventure, a dazzling landscape of movement and ideas. Dance Europe calls Walerski an "original voice" who makes dances that are "out of this world...a dreamlike experience. A dream you never want to wake from." Walerski is a dancer with The Netherlands Dance Theatre and a former member of the Paris Opera Ballet, Nice Opera Ballet and the Ballet du Rhin in Mulhouse.

Authors

• Ran Avni
• Raphael Crystal