THE STATEMENT. Vocal performance Meg Roe, Colleen Wheeler, Andrew Wheeler, Jonathon Young. Vast skirts trailed across the stage, billowing floorcloths, handfuls of flour thrown into the spotlights, slow-motion back-projections, more spectacular developpés, more silent screaming, and all of it set to a turgidly sentimental score by Max Richter. What interests me is the human spirit and how we connect to each other. NDT1 perform Crystal Pite's “The Statement.” Photograph by Rahi Rezvani, Nederlands Dans Theater 1: “The Statement” by Crystal Pite, Filmed in 2018 in co-production with Mezzo and La Belle Télé, directed by Tommy Pascal. “The Statement” sees four officials in nondescript suits caught in the orbit of a monolithic central table, perhaps in a windowless room in the basement of some government or corporate building. The dancers perform with touching diligence, but they can’t disguise the fact that the piece is merely the sum of its effects. The accuracy and focus, in (CBC Arts) At 47, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite is already a legend in the world of dance. She tries not to spend too much time obsessing over Crystal Pite. The alternating and often surprising rhythm of the choreography is always breathtaking to watch. In 2016, the company premiered The Statement, … Halfway through the dance, as insinuation, provocation and on—and off—the record statements are bandied about through voiceovers, the stakes are upturned: one investigator is instead deemed the scapegoat. Crystal Pite. In these fraught plays with Young, Pite works with everyday recognisable gestures: hands cradling bowed heads, arms pushing against protesting colleagues, backs arching in desperation. We can all agree on the irreplaceable experience of a live performance but this piece, beautifully and conscientiously filmed by Tommy Pascal, does not suffer. In 2008, Crystal Pite joined NDT as an associate choreographer. The dance has a thrilling, whiplash precision and it’s rigorously pared back so that every glance and gesture serves the narrative and illuminates our understanding. Guilt, accountability, and the (malevolent) opacity of bureaucratic structures are recurrent themes in Pite and Young’s collaborations. Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) | Crystal Pite's piece 'The Statement' for the NDT 1 programme ‘Somos'. Star ratings (out of five)Shoot the Moon ★★Woke up Blind ★★★The Statement ★★★★★Stop-Motion ★★, Crystal Pite: 'In ballet, girls are less likely to be prized for being mavericks'. Often manipulating large groups of dancers, she is fascinated not only with pattern and space but also with the emotional register of the body and the stories that it holds. Pite has spoken of how language can open up new possibilities for her as a choreographer. For all the second-by-second intricacy of its construction, however, Woke Up Blind doesn’t quite land right. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If anything, it is heightened, written in strained, emphatic strokes. Underneath, there’s nothing there. The more they writhe, silently scream, and demonstrate their impeccable developpés à la seconde, the less you care. We recognize both the characters and the language as being of our world and our time. We are in a dark, oppressive situation room. This makes The Statement topical yet timeless." It is a turning point, something of crucial importance. Even in the sunniest, most romantic works of Ashton or Balanchine you sense the cold artist’s eye, pitilessly discarding all that is not essential. World premiere February 4, 2016, Zuiderstrandtheater The Hague. THE STATEMENT – CRYSTAL PITE “The Statement is a wedge of realism; cold and current. Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of London’s Sadler’s Wells, describes Pite’s choreographic language as “a breadth of movement fusing classical elements and the complexity and … What is the friction between words and movement? If there is an intelligence in movement and physicality that cannot be expressed through words, do we look down on that intelligence? After leaving Ballett Frankfurt she became the resident choreographer of Montreal company Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal from 2001 to 2004. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Character “A” declares: “For generations … This is "Crystal Pite - 'The Statement' (NDT 1, teaser Mezzo / La Belle Télé)" by KUMQUAT | performing arts on Vimeo, the home… You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. She then returned to Vancouver where she focused on choreographing while continuing to dance in her own pieces until 2010. Crystal Pite: the dance genius who stages the impossible. There’s a risk that the themes of distortion and displacement in “The Statement” translates into an evasive script: a risk in showing a constant deferral of responsibility and an infinite web of unnamed deceit, which can lose sight of the particular reality that Pite and Young want to depict. Canadian choreographer and performer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) | Crystal Pite's piece 'The Statement' for the NDT 1 performance in New York City Center 2016. Pite has her own company, the marvellous Kidd Pivot, but she is also an associate choreographer of NDT. Renowned for the emotional depth and beautiful intimacy of her work, Crystal Pite is one of the world’s most in-demand choreographers. Costumes Crystal Pite, Joke Visser. Her work is demanding, and the NDT dancers are a good fit. Betroffenheit, our best dance show of the 21st century, takes the breath away – and reveals the Canadian trailblazer’s superb craft. “That’s impossible and you know it,” another snaps. … “We have to stay on script… There’s no going back upstairs.” In this satanic and horribly familiar shadow world, all is spin, obfuscation and lies. In 2002, Pite founded her own company in Vancouver: Kidd Pivot. NDT1, The Statement But the quality is also soft; feet sliding across the floor, limbs rippling into extensions. Now the four protagonists are being asked to take responsibility for the deteriorating situation in order to protect their superiors. Two of the characters are from a department where blame for a conflict, that is spiralling out of control, shall fall: the other two are there to get a crucial ‘statement.’. The Statement is a one-act play, with four characters locked in their own battle for control, and with the morality of their actions: they have been tasked with fueling a conf lict in a distant country. Her ballets are performed by dance companies worldwide. NDT perform “The Statement” by Crystal Pite. Born and raised on the Canadian West Coast, choreographer and performer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. This eerie chorus, combined with Pite’s smooth, gravity-defying choreography, makes The Statement a relevant depiction of … The piece is so busy inviting you to admire its virtuosity that it neglects its ostensible subject, which is love. The Statement . of Crystal Pite’s Dance-Theater Peter Dickinson A ccording to Vancouver-based choreographer Crystal Pite, “A pivot ...allows for another point of view. Toronto ON March 21 mars 2020 Contemporary Rahi Rezvani There’s a risk that the themes of distortion and displacement in “The Statement” translates into an evasive script: a risk in showing a constant deferral of responsibility and an infinite web of unnamed deceit, which can lose sight of the particular reality that Pite and Young want to depict. Shoot the Moon features a revolving triptych of rooms between which five dancers move while enacting a tortured and wholly uninvolving psychodrama to music by Philip Glass. The first, You and I, is languorously slow, while The Way Young Lovers Do is frantically, neurotically fast. We see the bare bones of an expression, our very mechanics laid bare, but emotion is never lost. The Statement is a one-act play by Jonathon Young, with whom Pite collaborated on Betroffenheit, which won a 2017 Olivier award. Her latest works for NDT 1 are Plot Point (2010), Solo Echo (2012), Parade (2013), In the Event (2015), The Statement (2016) and Partita for 8 Dancers (2018). Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) | Crystal Pite's piece 'The Statement’ for NDT in Berlin. Whereas Pite commissioned Young to write The Statement, Betroffenheit started with Young, who asked Pite to collaborate with him on the tremendously personal work. A visit by Nederlands Dans Theater always promises dancing of the highest calibre, and when the programme includes work by Crystal Pite, the expectation intensifies. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. “We should tell the truth?” one says. Crystal Pite Associate choreographer Canadian choreographer and performer Crystal Pite (Vancouver, 1970) is associate choreographer with NDT since 2008 for which she created: Pilot X (2005), The Second Person (2007), Frontier (2008), Plot Point (2010, nominated for the prestigious Benois de La Dance award), Solo Echo (2012), Parade (2013), In the Event (2015), and The Statement (2016). She began her professional dance career in 1988 at Ballet BC and in 1996 she joined Ballett Frankfurt under the tutelage of William Forsythe. Stop-Motion sees the familiar León-Lightfoot tropes coming thick and fast. I watched this performance online. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Music Owen Belton. Pite breaks them down, isolates each beat; she repeats, backtracks, varies, and builds on each brick of movement. These cookies do not store any personal information. Playwright Jonathon Young. Crystal Pite CM is a Canadian choreographer and dancer. THE STATEMENT – CRYSTAL PITE “The Statement is a wedge of realism; cold and current. Stop-Motion by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot: ‘more silent screaming’. Pite has translated … Marco Goecke’s Woke Up Blind is set to two songs by Jeff Buckley. Crystal Pite’s thrilling boardroom manoeuvres are the high point in an otherwise shallow programme from these Dutch masters, Last modified on Fri 10 May 2019 11.42 EDT. Each dancer’s specific characterisation holds this at bay, particularly Aram Hasler’s guilt-ridden official. The Statement is a one-act play, with four characters locked in their own battle for control, and with the morality of their actions: they have been tasked with fueling a conf lict in a distant country. Crystalʼs choreographic debut was in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. Pite has been an associate choreographer with the Nederlands Dans Theater for the last 10 years, creating nine new works for the company, including The Statement. We recognize both the characters and the language as being of our world and our time. “The Statement” Choreography by Crystal Pite – Photo courtesy of the artist “We should have stopped it,” one character repeats over and over. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. This subtractive process is evident in all great choreography. Crystal Pite "The statement" Nederlands Dans Theater / NDT -choreography Crystal Pite -dramaturgy Jonathan Young -music Owen Belton -Dansers : Roger Van … A brilliant sequence where all four lash and move with frenzied calculation at opposite sides of the table is chillingly officious, yet physically desperate. Pite has translated the four-handed play into dance, with NDT1’s Aram Hasler, Rena Narumi, Jon Bond, and Roger Van der Poel moving to the recorded voices of actors. ''There is a trust and an understanding that builds over time… even as the NDT dancers come and go, there is some kind of through-line for me. THE STATEMENT- CRYSTAL PITE "In a strong choreography, Pite demonstrates how people are driven to despair, express indignation or draw and regroup in frustration. Dance writer Judith Mackrell says of their relationship, “Crystal Pite used to be a dancer with William Forsythe, and her choreography is formed in the master’s style. ‘Whiplash precision’: NDT1’s dancers perform Crystal Pite’s The Statement at Sadler’s Wells. 2018 NDT Direction for TV : Tommy Pascal DOP : Charles Sautreuil Production : Labelle Télé What does one give us that the other doesn’t? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. She regularly writes for Springback Magazine, The Skinny and Seeing Dance, and has contributed to The Guardian and Film Stories. In light of current events, the topicality of The Statement is probably what is most striking about Crystal Pite’s new work, as the expression of the characters and their use of language are very much linked to our time. This is "Teaser THE STATEMENT by Crystal Pite / NDT 1" by Tommy Pascal on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. An electronic score by Owen Belton growls menacingly as two men and two women negotiate the terms of an official statement. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Crystal Pite "The statement" Nederlands Dans Theater / NDT -choreography Crystal Pite-dramaturgy Jonathan Young-music Owen Belton-Dansers : Roger Van … (On 'The Statement', Theaterkrant *****) Subscribe now to stay up-to-date with NDT! We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The Statement was the second of the three collaborations between Pite and Jonathan Young, writer and theatre director. Cry… It is a repeatable, refinable action that extends our perspective of the possible. Of the four, however, only Pite’s The Statement is emotionally and dramatically consequential. Nederlands Dans Theater, Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Sol León, Paul Lightfoot The Statement - Crystal Pite, VLADIMIR - Hofesh Shechter, Singulière Odyssée - Sol León and Paul Lightfoot Performance | Spectacle. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close. The evening opens and closes with works by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. Shoot the Moon and Stop-Motion are typical of their oeuvre, in that they combine an overload of technical effect and look-at-me virtuosity with emotional and conceptual vacancy. Born in Terrace, British Columbia and raised on the Canadian West Coast, choreographer and performer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt. In the event, NDT1 (there are three NDT companies, of which NDT1 is the largest) delivers four pieces, all exemplary in their precision and technical virtuosity. Róisín is a dance artist and writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Choreographer Crystal Pite and theatre-maker Jonathon Young combine their worlds for a riveting piece Sanjoy Roy Wed 4 Mar 2020 07.54 EST Last modified on Thu 26 Mar 2020 08.26 EDT While many choreographers might shy away from words, either out of a sense of loyalty to pure movement or an aversion to narrative, Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young happily collide the two worlds together. Light Tom Visser. In 2002 she formed her own company called Choreography Crystal Pite. Crystal Pite For the past decade, Pite has been an associate choreographer with the Nederlands Dans Theater, creating nine new works. The others, if impressive exhibitions of craft, slip past like expensive but unsatisfying snacks. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The NDT1 dancers are miraculously good. The near freakish distortions of body shape, the bonelessly fluid linking moves, the loops of obsessional voiceover, the apocalyptic use of light—all these mark Pite out as part of the Frankfurt diaspora. Lightfoot has been NDT’s artistic director since 2011, and he and León have created more than 50 works for the company. Crystal Pite: the Canadian choreographer bringing a bold new mood to contemporary dance Read more Pite cares about making contact with her audience but … Angels' Atlas: A Note From Cystal Pite 1. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Decor Jay Gower Taylo. Angels' Atlas, the highly anticipated world premiere comes as Pite gains international acclaim for riveting work that is both aesthetically inventive and deeply human. Goecke’s cast of two female and five male dancers skilfully embody Buckley’s music, matching its phrasing with movement that’s unhurried, spasmodic and at times manic. Caught in Tom Visser’s raking light, their bodies lash and undulate like duelling cobras, as each of them seeks to slither out of the moral firing line and offload the blame on to the others. Pite’s choreographic debut was in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. She loves being in the studio working on a new choreography with a group of dancers, or talking to brilliant people in the dance world about their projects and opinions. The Statement is a one-act play by Jonathon Young, with whom Pite collaborated on Betroffenheit, which won a 2017 Olivier award. There are Pinteresque suggestions of a conflict, distant but brutal, which has been inflamed to provide shareholder profit, and has blown up out of control. Crystal Pite, the Olivier Award-winning choreographer of Emergence creates a brand new work for The National Ballet of Canada. Crystal Pite: More than Movementby Valeria NunziatoAugust 12, 2019. Following a similar pattern to the other two works, Betroffenheit and The Revisor, Young wrote the script for the 20-minute work and his Vancouver based Electric Theatre Company recorded his lines. Pite’s professional choreographic debut was in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. 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