Kaash, The Prom, In Memoriam and Whim
IT Dansa offers four choreographed pieces in very different styles, packed with energy and good vibrations. Kaash, by the acclaimed Akram Khan, is a demanding piece requiring considerable technique, rigour, precision and physical power. The Prom, by Lorena Nogal, a highly theatrical choreography with touches of humour, longing and frailty which reflects the nostalgia and uncertainties of youth. In Memoriam, by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, a piece that plays with caresses and blows. And finally, Whim, by Alexander Ekman, an amazing piece full of vitality that shows the chaos of modern society in an amusing, madcap way.
Established in 1996, the Institut del Teatre's Jove Companyia de Dansa [Young Dance Company] is conceived of as a two-year post-graduate course that enables dancers to become professionals. Notable choreographers of the company's repertoire include artists such as Jirí Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, Ramon Oller, Alexander Ekman and Rafael Bonachela.
A show programmed by the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Kaash
A pure dance show created by Akram Khan, a leader in contemporary European dance with Indian origins, and with music by Nitin Sawhney. The piece, which is accompanied by percussion, takes us to an energetic and wild India.
The Akram Khan Company premiered Kaash in 2002 at the Maison des Arts, in Créteil (France). IT Dansa was performed for the first time at the 2018 Barcelona Grec Festival. Choreographer and dancer, Lali Ayguadé, and dancer Nicola Monaco, performers of this piece with the Akram Khan company, were tasked with conveying their experiences in staging the choreography.
Duration: 25 minutes
Choreography: Akram Khan
Music: Nitin Sawhney
Assistant choreographers: Lali Ayguadé Farro and Nicola Monaco
Scenography design: Anish Kapoor
Lighting design: Aideen Malone and Peter Swikker
Costumes: Kimie Nakano and Paca Naharro
Photography: Frank Thibault
A Grec 2018 Festival de Barcelona and Institut del Teatre coproduction.
An IT Dansa creation that was first performed at the Grec 2018 Festival de Barcelona.
The Prom
The party isn’t over yet. A porter at a high school remembers some of the stories that occurred during graduation night. Unconscious loss, imbalance, appearance, desire and liberation take centre stage in these recollections. A journey through the emotions of youth.
Lorena Nogal, who was a member of IT Dansa, created this piece specially for the company, a work based on a musical collage from the 1980s. Lorena Nogal has been part of the La Veronal since 2008, alongside Marcos Morau, as an assistant choreographer and the main dancer. She received a prize in 2016 for best female performer at the Catalan Critics Awards and was a runner-up for the Institut del Teatre's Dance Prize.
Duration: 20 minutes
Choreography: Lorena Nogal
Music: One more kiss, dear de Peter Skellern, Tensions de Lindstom and Can’t help falling in love de Perfume Genius
Musical composition: Manuel Rodríguez
Scenography design: Lorena Nogal
Lighting design: Víctor Cuenca
Costumes: Manuel Rodríguez and Lorena Nogal
Photography: Frank Thibault
A Grec 2018 Festival de Barcelona and Institut del Teatre coproduction.
An IT Dansa creation that was first performed at the Grec 2018 Festival de Barcelona.
In Memoriam
The connection between reality and memory is the focus of In Memoriam. Reality is not memory and memory is not reality, although going back to memories of the past helps us to gain a better awareness of reality in the present. Our roots are as strong as a tree's, which extend as far as their branches. Dancers use memories to explore the movements of attraction and repulsion, magnetism and anti-magnetism, to examine the meaning of the word harmony.
Sensitivity (attraction) and aggression (repulsion) come from the same source, in an intimate game of polarisation. They relate to the caresses and blows that remain deeply ingrained in our bodies.
Duration: 10 minutes
Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Music: A Filetta
Costumes: Marible Selma
Photography: Carme Esteve
A Grec 2011 Festival de Barcelona and Institut del Teatre coproduction.
An IT Dansa creation that was first performed at the Grec 2011 Festival de Barcelona.
Whim
Whim is a piece about how we need to maintain our common sense on the outside, even when we are going crazy on the inside. A journey through human emotions featuring a wide range of life-inspired situations. Dancers experience happiness, sadness, nervousness, stress, worry, disappointment and rage, on an emotive journey that reminds us what a day, a year or an entire life could be.
Alexander Ekman created Whim when he started out as a choreographer, a piece that he created specially for IT Dansa and which he successfully premièred. Since then, his works have been performed by companies from around the world, including the Netherlands Dans Theater, the Opéra du Rhin Ballet, the Bern Ballet, the Geneva Junior Ballet, the Iceland Dance Company and the Göteborg Ballet. His choreographed pieces stand out for their rapid pace, ingenious comedy, innovation and intelligent transitions.
Duration: 25 minutes
Choreography: Alexander Ekman
Music: Antonio Vivaldi, Edmundo Ros and Nina Simone
Lighting design: Alex Kurth
Costumes: Alexander Ekman
Photography: Ros Ribas
