Two choreographies by the legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch are joined for the first time with a choreography by Germaine Acogny
Nicosia 2030 presents a triptych of dance at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre
True to its strategic goal of expanding the palette of cultures presented in Cyprus to the ends of the earth, Nicosia 2030, candidate for European Capital of Culture, brings to the Nicosia Municipal Theatre a triptych of contemporary dance with two choreographies by the legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch and one by Germaine Acogny, "the mother of contemporary African dance". The performances are part of the Nicosia International Festival 2024 and will take place on 28, 29, 31 October and 1, 2 November 2024 at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre.
The opening piece of the performance, "PHILIPS 836 887 DSY", is a rarely performed solo, one of Pina Bausch's first choreographies, from 1971, set to music by French electronic music composer Pierre Henry. The first to dance it was Pina Bausch herself, and it is now performed by Eva Pageix.
The second piece, "Homage to the Ancestors", is a creation of the "mother of modern African dance" Germaine Acogny, who also performs it. It is a solo that pays homage to Acogny's ancestry and her ancestors, fusing traditional African rituals with contemporary dance. The work, which has never been performed outside Africa, was performed in 2023 exclusively in Benin.
At its heart is Pina Bausch's monumental work "The Rite of Spring" (1975), composed by Igor Stravinsky, which will be danced by an elite dance company from 14 African countries with more than 30 dancers on the stage of the Nicosia Municipal Theatre. The triptych in "PHILIPS 836 887 DSY", "Homage to the Ancestors" and "Rite of Spring" was a huge success during its 2023 and 2024 tour in Europe, USA and UK. Since its debut in 2022, it has been presented to more than 100,000 spectators in 15 countries.
This is a production - a collaboration between the Pina Bausch Foundation (Germany), École des Sables (Senegal), the International Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dances and Sadler's Wells (UK).
The world premiere of the production took place in Madrid in September 2021. Since then, it has been performed in cities such as Copenhagen, Luxembourg, Adelaide, London, Ludwigsburg, Spoleto, New York, Edinburgh, Los Angeles and Berkeley. After Cyprus, the show will be presented in China and the tour will conclude in London.
What the media said about the show
"This cast, a small community assembled from scratch, is immersed in abstract yet realistic movement", The Guardian
"As the community of dancers climaxes with a sense of foreboding in the air, the combination of grace and instinctive rage in the movement is compelling," The Times
"The raw, unprocessed, unstaged emotions of these young performers emanated the honesty and authenticity that Bausch demanded in all her creations," El País
"The dancers are wonderful... There is an individuality and a power in their dancing that makes the work feel like an authentic ritual, which, as participants, is captivating", Dance Australia
Who is Pina Bausch?
She was born in 1940 in Solingen and died in 2009 in Wuppertal. She trained in dance at the Folkwang School in Essen under Kurt Jooss. At the end of her studies, the director of the Wuppertal theatres, Arno Wüstenhöfer, hired her as a choreographer. In the autumn of 1973, Bausch renamed the ensemble Tanztheater Wuppertal and under this name it gradually gained international recognition. The combination of poetic and everyday elements had a decisive influence on the international development of dance. Pina Bausch was awarded some of the world's greatest prizes and honors and is one of the most important choreographers of our time.
Who is Germaine Acogny
The Senegalese-French dancer, teacher and choreographer is known as the "mother of modern African dance". She studied at the École Simon Siegel in Paris and founded her first dance studio in Dakar in 1968. There, she developed her own technique for contemporary African dance, combining the influence of dances inherited from her grandmother - a Yoruba priestess - with her knowledge of traditional African and Western dance. Between 1977 and 1982, Acogny served as artistic director of Mudra Afrique (Dakar) before moving to Toulouse in 1985, where she and her husband, Helmut Vogt, founded the Studio-École-Ballet-Théâtre du 3è Monde. In 1995, she returned to Senegal and founded an international training centre for traditional and contemporary African dances, the École des Sables. In 1998, she founded her own dance company, Jant-Bi.
The Pina Bausch Foundation
Founded by Pina Bausch's son, Salomon Bausch, shortly after her death in 2009, to preserve and transmit the artistic legacy of the famous dancer and choreographer. In addition, to make the material of her artistic legacy accessible through digital archives, which include photographs and video recordings as well as written material and serve as a source of knowledge used during rehearsals and re-enactments of the choreographer's works.
What they said about the specific production of the play "Rite of Spring"
Germaine Acogny, founder of the École des Sables:
"For a long time, I have had a special relationship with Pina and her seminal work "The Rite of Spring". When I first saw the work danced by the Paris Opera Ballet, I was particularly impressed by the way the dancers performed the choreography so deeply rooted in the land, despite their classical training. It was then that I thought that such a dance would be very well received by African audiences because of the closeness of the theme and African spiritual beliefs. I recognized my own culture within it. Deeply inspired by the work, I have been presenting Olivier Dubois' "My Black Chosen One - Sacre #2" since 2015."
Alistair Spalding, artistic director and managing director of Sadler's Wells:
"I remember chatting with Pina about the productions she had created for her company in 2008, each inspired each time by different cities around the world. We talked about the fact that Germaine Acogny's École des Sables would be the ideal partner for a new project that Sadler's Wells would co-produce and that would be the first production Tanztheater Wuppertal would create in an African country."
Cast:
Choreography:
PHILIP 836 887 DSY
Choreography by Pina Bausch
Music by Pierre Henry
World premiere: 1971
Dance: Eva Pageix
Duration: 6 minutes
HOMAGE TO THE ANCESTORS
Choreography and dance: Germaine Acogny
Music: Fabrice Bouillon
World premiere: 2023
Duration: 30 minutes
THE RITE OF SPRING
Choreography: Pina Bausch
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Original scenography and costume design: Rolf Borzik
Collaboration: Hans Pop
World premiere: 3 December 1975, Opera House Wuppertal
Duration: 35 minutes
Technical team
Head of production: Adam Carrée
Company Manager: Isabel Patt
Stage Manager: Emma Cameron
Company Manager: Laye Kane
Stage Manager: Ben O'Grady
Sound Engineer: Dan Harmer
Wardrobe Manager: Anne-Marie Bigby
Production Electrician: Connor Sale
Stage swing technician: Hex Emalia
Osteopath: Alexandra Haydon
Malou Airaudo's personal assistant: Annalisa Palmieri
Costume designer: Petra Leidner
Costume assistants: Mariola Kopczynski (Dakar), Silvia Franco (Wuppertal)
Dancers
Rodolphe Allui, Sahadatou Ami Touré, Anique Ayiboe, Gloria Ugwarelojo Biachi, Khadija Cisse, Sonia Zandile Constable, Rokhaya Coulibaly, Inas Dasylva, Astou Diop, Serge Arthur Dodo, Franne Christie Dossou, Yoro Fallet, Estelle Foli, Alexandre Garcia, Aoufice Junior Gouri, Zadi Landry Kipre, Manuella Kouassi, Bazoumana Kouyaté, Profit Lucky, Babacar Mané, Vasco Pedro Mirine, Stéphanie Mwamba, Florent Nikiéma, Shelly Ohene-Nyako, Brian Otieno Oloo, Harivola Rakotondrasoa, Oliva Randrianasolo (Nanie), Tom Jules Samie, Amy Collé Seck, Pacôme Landry Seka, Gueassa Eva Sibi, Carmelita Siwa, Amadou Lamine Sow, Didja Kady Tiemanta, Aziz Zoundi.
Duration: 106 minutes (including a 30-minute intermission)
Photo credits
Maarten Vanden Abeele © Pina Bausch Foundation
Tickets:
Available online via Soldout Tickets:
bit.ly/NIF24_tickets, at Stephanis stores, and the Nicosia Municipal Theatre box office (Monday - Friday 10:00-13:00).
Ticket prices:
ZONE A: €60/ €55
ZONE B: €50/ €45
ZONE C: €40 / €35
ZONE D: €25/ €20
Information: 22797979 (Monday - Friday 10:00-13:00) &
Festival identity
Organisers: Nicosia Municipality, Nicosia For Art
Institutional Sponsor: Ministry of Culture, Republic of Cyprus