ABOUT PERFORMANCE
VSPRS — is the condensed to the point of a tongue twister Vespers, which is in turn an English abbreviation of the spiritual oratorio by Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin). There are no vowels in this word, only consonants. It is a cry of a man in agony, a release, a prayer for healing. «Compassion is the most important of all feelings. People scream, because they want to get out of their bodies — it is as though they feel crammed in them. Something from deep within guides them, pushes them. I hope that the audience won't think of them as crazy. There is more sorrow in them, than madness,» says Alain Platel about his characters.
There are ten dancers on stage, a live band, a soprano, and a contemporary arrangement of Monteverdi's music. Platel purposefully destroyed the heavenly melody, took it apart by sounds and pauses, so that step by step, with his wonderful dancers, arrive at the original harmony and lost wholeness by the end of the show.
The Territory festival provides the Russian audience a unique opportunity to meet for the first time with the director-choreographer Alain Platel, who over the last few years became one of the theatrical greats, alongside with such acknowledged masters as Pina Bausch, Josef Nadj, Sasha Waltz.
Coproduction: KunstenFESTIVALdesArts-La Monnaie/De Munt (Brussels), Le Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, RUHRtriennale/Kunststiftung NRW, Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin), TorinoDanza, Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Sadler's Wells (London).
In collaboration with Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), KVS (Brussels).
With thanks to NTGent, Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Ghent), Glenn Vervliet, Tobias Kokkelmans, Prof. Dr. P. Vandermeersch, Museum Dr. Guislain, An Seurinck, Marleen and Stijn Dessel, Geert Claeys, Nele Wynants, Peter Misschaert.
With support of the Flemish authorities, City of Ghent, Province East Flanders.
VSPRS is an official element of the artistic and cultural program to the 2006 FIFA World CUP (TM).
Les Ballets C. de la B. is Cultural Ambassador of the UNESCO, IHE, Institute for Water Education.