Opera Ballet Vlaanderen / Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris / The Royal Ballet

Pond Way, Walkaround Time, Cross Currents

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Pond Way © Filip Van Roe

Walkaround Time © Ann Ray

This show is presented with the Festival d’Automne à Paris for the Merce Cunningham feature and the Théâtre de la Ville as part of their “offsite” programming

To celebrate this centennial, Merce Cunningham is beautifully featured by three exceptional companies: the Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, London Royal Ballet and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

It took three European companies to come together and tackle Merce Cunningham’s dance. As part of the centennial program, this evening breaks down into three installments. The Opéra Ballet Vlaanderen explores Pond Way to Brian Eno’s score. Cunningham’s work is both meditative and surprising, full of jumps, pas de trois, and gentle virtuosity. This highly fluid ballet is like a balm to the senses. Walkaround Time is widely regarded as a key work in Cunningham’s arc. Jasper Johns - a friend of Duchamp’s, Cage’s and Cunningham’s – suggested using Le Grand Verre as part of the scenic design. The ordinary movement enhanced by Cunningham becomes a magnificent exploration of the body. Finally, the London Royal Ballet will be tasked with bringing Cross Currents to life. The soloists’ steps meet in crisscrossing lines. Everyone sets their own pace while interacting in an invisible dialogue. A stylistic exercise that highlights Merce Cunningham’s genius.Philippe Noisette

Distribution / Crédits

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen
Pond Way (22 min)
CHOReoGRAPHy Merce Cunningham
REstaged by Andrea Weber
MUSIc Brian Eno (New Ikebukuro For 3 CD Players)
Stage design Roy Lichtenstein (Landscape with Boat)
COSTUMES Suzanne Gallo
Lighting David Covey
Ballet Master Gabor Kapin
with (alternately) Anaïs De Caster, Nini de Vet, Lara Fransen, Ruka Nakagawa, Nicha Rodboon, Astrid Tinel, Shelby Williams, Nicola Wills, Matt Foley, Gary Lecoutre, Philipe Lens, Arthur Louarti, Teun van Roosmalen, Laura Walravens, Robbie Moore, Viktor Banka
Created on January 13 1998 at Opéra National de Paris

The Royal Ballet
Cross Currents (7 min)
CHOReoGRAPHy Merce Cunningham
Restaged by Daniel Squire
MUSIc Conlon Nancarrow (Rhythm Studies for Player Piano)
COSTUMES Merce Cunningham
Lighting Clifton Taylor from Beverly Emmons
with Romany Pajdak, Julia Roscoe, Joseph Sissens
Created on July 31 1964 at Sadler's Wells Theatre (London)

THE ROYAL BALLET IS ONE OF THE GREAT BALLET COMPANIES OF THE WORLD AND A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALLET AS AN ART FORM. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DIRECTOR KEVIN O’HARE, GRAND BALLETIC TRADITION AND AN ILLUSTRIOUS HERITAGE ARE UNITED WITH INNOVATION, DARING AND EXCEPTIONAL STANDARDS OF ARTISTRY, CREATIVITY AND STAGECRAFT TO PRODUCE SUPREME THEATRE. FROM THE COMPANY’S BASE AT THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE IN LONDON’S COVENT GARDEN, TODAY’S MOST DYNAMIC AND VERSATILE DANCERS COME TOGETHER WITH A WORLD-CLASS ORCHESTRA AND LEADING CHOREOGRAPHERS, COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, DESIGNERS AND CREATIVE TEAMS TO SHARE AN AWE-INSPIRING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE WITH DIVERSE AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE. THE ROYAL BALLET’S EXTENSIVE REPERTORY FOLLOWS A UNIQUE TRAJECTORY FROM 19TH CENTURY CLASSICS TO THE SINGULAR LEGACY OF WORKS BY FOUNDER CHOREOGRAPHER FREDERICK ASHTON AND PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER KENNETH MACMILLAN AND THE COMPELLING NEW CANON OF WORK BY RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER WAYNE MCGREGOR, ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON AND ARTIST IN RESIDENCE LIAM SCARLETT. THROUGH INNOVATIVE COMMISSIONS, CHOREOGRAPHIC AND DIGITAL INITIATIVES, THE COMPANY CONTINUES TO REFRESH AND SURPRISE.

Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris
Walkaround Time (50 min)
CHOReoGRAPHy Merce Cunningham
Restaged by Meg Harper, Jennifer Goggans
MUSIc David Behrman (… for nearly an hour…)
Text Marcel Duchamp, La Mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même [La Boîte Verte], Paris, 1934, © succession Marcel Duchamp, 2019
stage design Marcel Duchamp, La Mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même, dit Le Grand Verre supervisé à l'origine par Jasper Johns
COSTUMES from Jasper Johns
lighting Beverly Emmons
Sound Jesse Stiles
rehearsal Laurence Laffon
with (alternately) Emilie Cozette, Sarah Kora Dayanova, Pauline Verdusen, Victoire Anquetil, Katherine Higgins, Julia Cogan, Lucie Fenwick, Claire Gandolfi, Sophia Parcen, Gwenaëlle Vauthier, Florian Magnenet, Yann Chailloux, Matthieu Botto, Julien Cozette, Samuel Bray, Alexandre Carniato, Jean-Baptiste Chavignier
Created on March 10 1968 at State University College (Buffalo)
Ballet entré au répertoire de l'Opéra national de Paris le 15 avril 2017

Original production Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Courtesy of the Merce Cunningham Trust. All rights reserved
Endorsed by the Hermès Foundation as part of its New Settings programme