Pelleas Material

I was honored to be asked by the young choreographer/dancer Thomas Körtvélyessy of Real Dance Company based in Rotterdam to assist him as Dramaturg in the creation of his new work-in-progress entitled Pelleas Material- a new work based on Claude Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande of 1902. 

We worked with a young Dutch dancer Gavin Viano Fabri whose interpretation was also critical in the rendering of this experimental Solo work where the dancer is challenged to transform himself into each operatic character regardless of gender or station.

Weblinks: Choreographer Thomas Körtvélyessy RealDanceCompany.org  Project PelleasMaterial.Tumblr.com Dancer GavinVianoFabri.com

Pelleas Material during this week of collaborative work would consist of: Interlude1, Scene 1, interlude 2, Scene 2 and Interlude 3, Scene 3,  all of which would be presented by an invitation-only workshop presentation at the Dans Ateliers studios in Rotterdam a splendid historical former trade-school building with a complicated colonial history not unlike much of The Netherlands overall. The small assembled audience then discussed the work for some 30plus minutes with a questions and answer and commentary period. The whole experience was very instructive for me to see how these types of projects are put together and the deep challenges facing small dance choreographers and the presentation of their works.

Later in the week a fragment of this work was scheduled for the annual public presentations at an alternative cultural venue known as Roodkapje (I assume like Rotkäpchen or Little Red Ridinghood in English) 

Weblinks: 
DansAteliers 
RoodKapje.org 
SKVR.nl
Here is a very short video clip from our rehearsals at the SKVR studios of Rotterdam.

The presentation at Roodkapje for OpenDans would be in the main open space of the cultural space's lobby

The staircase of the DansAteliers building contains an impressive arts & crafts inspired stain glass window that immediately stood out with its details of laboring black and brown bodies creating what would be the wealth of colonial Netherlands. It is a celebratory artwork, not of the sacrifices of those workers but rather of the wealth and bounty of a Dutch empire.

I had not been to Rotterdam since the staging/launching of my White Man Project at BRUCE New Art Foundation gallery space by directors Hester Chan and Sebastaan Bokhost. HCFA (see HERE) is her current project space in the UK.

(see in selected projects HERE )  Rotterdam's renowned Witte de Witt gallery , a stone's throw away from the former BRUCE New Art Foundation gallery space will be the venue of the upcoming The Temptation of AA Bronson this month. I was so touched to be taken through his show during installation by AA Bronson himself. It's with great chagrin that i wont be able to be at the opening due to my pressing schedule back here in Berlin and the work i must prepare for the upcoming international biennale in Fort-de-france Martinique this year. AA Bronson is most certainly the artist mentor i wish I had had the opportunity to have during my youth and I am glad to know him as a friendly acquaintance and RadFae. His clarity and generosity is laudable and should be emulated by many of us.
His website is here aabronson.com and exhibition Web link here wdw.nl

Footnote regarding the music: I was generally unfamiliar with the special nature of Claude Debussy's place within the pantheon of western classical music. One source that assisted me was this 45minute lecture on youtube "Early Twentieth Century Modernism, Claude Debussy 46/48 How to Listen to and Understand Great Music"by a rather talented communicator, which has unfortunately been removed due to copyright infringements from the teaching company.