The Surging News reporter Liao Yang intern Duan Xinmei
38 dancers from 14 African countries gathered on the beaches of Senegal, making the sky a curtain and taking the floor as a seat, they stepped barefoot on the sand, their white skirts fluttered, the sand stuck to their skin, the sound of the waves roaring from afar, the red cloth representing "destiny" was covered at some point...
Pina Bausch's "The Rite of Spring" was thus revived in the dance steps of African dancers who convulsed, torn, and were full of primitive power.
This edition of the Rite of Spring is co-produced by the Pina Bausch Foundation in Germany, the Sadler Wells Theatre in the UK, and the École des Sables in Senegal, led by the 76-year-old "Mother of African Modern Dance" Garman Arcone.
The dance was scheduled to premiere in Dakar, Senegal, in March, and tour in Uppertal, London, Paris and Amsterdam, but was cancelled due to the outbreak.
Before the dancers disbanded and went their separate ways, the creators seized the opportunity to take the team to the beach in Senegal for one last rehearsal. The rehearsal was captured by filmmaker Florian Heinzen Ziob and his team as "Dance of Dusk : Pina Bausch's "Spring Festival".
From 1 July to 31 July, the film was launched at the Sadler Wells Digital Theatre, open for 5.5 euros/48 hours, with the proceeds going to support the work and its artists.
Alistair Spalding, artistic director of sadler Wells Theatre, said the pandemic had led to many postponements, including the Rite of Spring, "but we still seized the opportunity to capture this unique moment, very much in line with the spirit of Pina Bausch." International cooperation is needed now more than ever, and it's the best way Sadler Wells can cope with the difficulties – bringing artists and audiences together again. ”
The Rite of Spring, a pioneering work by the Russian composer Stravinsky, presents the celebration of spring by the primitive tribes of Russia – a sacrifice chosen from a group of maidens who will dance non-stop until she dies, being used as a sacrifice to appease the god of spring.
Because of the original and strong style, "The Rite of Spring" has been published for more than a hundred years, and has been constantly rearranged and put on the stage.
"The Rite of Spring" is also one of Pina's most groundbreaking dances, debuting in 1975 and causing an uproar in the dance world. The Guardian critic once described the perception this way: the dancers danced on a stage covered in dirt, sweating, panting and dirty.
Arconey's first time she watched "The Duty of Spring" was performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. In this story of human sacrifice and relationship between the sexes, she can't help but see similarities between ritual choreography and the traditions of her African homeland.
"In European cultures like Africa and ancient Greece, young virgins were often sacrificed to get what they wanted from the gods. If a group of African dancers were to dance, it would bring extraordinary vitality to this work. ”
It wasn't until last year that Akoni had the opportunity to put her vision into reality – Pina's son invited her school in Senegal, École des Sables, to collaborate on a project with the Pina Bauche Foundation and the Sadler Wells Theatre.
In December 2019, the audition was held in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with 135 participants. Subsequently, 67 people participated in an intensive workshop at the Sables Theatre in South Africa, and in the end, 38 dancers from 14 countries were selected by the Wuppertal Dance Theatre.
The 38 dancers worked as close as possible to the original dance, following former members of the Wuppertal Dance Theatre, learning and rehearsing word by word.
"They come from different cultural and technical backgrounds, and it's not easy to learn Pina's dance. But when I saw the results of their hard work, and saw their ability to learn, I confirmed what I had always thought: that although very different from Western styles, traditional African dance provided a very solid foundation for them to adapt to new movements. Arcone said.
In March, this edition of "The Rite of Spring", along with "Common Ground", co-choreographed by Arconey and former member of the Wuppertal Dance Theatre, was originally scheduled to premiere in Dakar, but was eventually cancelled due to the outbreak of the epidemic.
Everyone must return to their respective countries as soon as possible, as the outbreak is uncertain when it will end. Soon, they decided to make two "Spring Festivals" before returning home, one in École des Sables in Aconey and the other on the beach in Senegal at sunset.
"At first, we didn't know if the dancers would be able to adapt." Archoni said that although Pina's "Spring Festival" was originally unveiled on a dirt-covered stage, when they rehearsed, everyone was on the floor of the rehearsal hall, "when they actually danced on the beach, it was really breathtaking." ”
"The Mother of African Modern Dance" Gaman Akoni (right)
The sky is the curtain, the ground is the seat, they step on the sand barefoot, the white skirt flutters, the sand sticks to the skin, the sound of the waves roars from afar, the red cloth representing "destiny" does not know when to cover, the dance steps are convulsive, torn, full of primitive power... These serendipities make this dance rich and special.
"It's amazing to see such a wonderful action in such an environment, it's like being on another planet." Arcone sighed.
Today, the "Black Lives Matter" movement is in full swing, and the "African version" of "The Rite of Spring" is screened online, which is not only a grand celebration of African art and cross-cultural cooperation, but also adds a strong touch to this tide.
"It shows that black people from Africa are equally capable of doing great work." "It's very important for the world to feel that we all belong to this world and that we can enrich each other."
Archoni said, "Strangers are just people you don't know yet." We want to use dance to help everyone know each other and understand each other, so that we are no longer strangers. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Chen Shihuai
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang
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