This weekend the second edition of Foreign Affairs, the international festival for theatre and performing arts, kicked off at Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin. Prior to the big opening party on stage in the beautifully light-flooded theatre building by Fritz Bornemann, Partita 2, a dance performance by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Boris Charmatz turned out to be one of the highlights of the opening weekend, competing with other big names such as William Forsythe and Nature Theater of Oklahoma.
De Keersmaeker, the Belgian choreographer who founded ROSAS and has inspired a whole generation of dancers since her debut with the 1982 production Fase, four movements to the music of Steve Reich, is still considered one of the most influential contemporary dance makers. In “Partita 2”, she meets Boris Charmatz from a younger generation of dancers who work between dance and choreography, visual arts and literature, in a duet to Bach’s well-known Partita Nr. 2 performed live on stage by the leading Belgian violinist Amandine Beyer, surrounded by a minimal set design by artist Michel François (whom The Blogazine wrote about here).
Before any of the dancers enters the stage, Beyer plays the score for 15 minutes in total darkness, a powerful introduction that sharps the senses before the dancers enter the naked stage. Running, jumping, skipping and turning, their dance is playful, spontaneous and improvisational yet strictly structured – a follow-the-leader of everyday movements. After an hour and 15 minutes of a three-way constellation of music, movement and space, the ray of light that has been accompanying the dancers in a slowly moving roundabout over the stage, finally flicks and sharply moves across the stage. A small stroke of set design genius by François, to finish off a beautiful and interesting piece.
Partita 2 was performed from 27th to 29th June as part of Foreign Affairs, which is running from 27th June to 14th July in several venues.
Helena Nilsson Strängberg – Image courtesy: Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker & Boris Charmatz: Anne van Aerschot, opening of Foreign Affairs: Piero Chiussi, William Forsythe: Dominik Mentzos.
