Jiří Kylián, choregrapherOpéra de Lyon
Jiří Kylián, associated artist
There has been a long association between Jiří Kylián and the Ballet of the Opéra de Lyon. It might even be called a long love story, so much the two of them have, for the past 30 years, discovered and understood one another intimately. The classical and contemporary training of the troop from Lyon, its impeccable technical baggage, and its vast repertoire covering the entire second half of the 20th century, and up to the dance of today, mean that it is the favoured interpreter of the Prague-born choreographer’s complexly figured ballets
Interview with Jiří Kylián, choregrapherOpéra de Lyon
Interview with Jiří Kylián, choreographer
Bella Figura
"The italian expression Bella Figura literally means "Beautiful Figure", and this suggests "looking good". To put it another way, the audience does not know if the dancer in front of them that evening is in a difficult situation or not" Jirí Kylián, 2007
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
It is possible to see Bella Figura as a series of tableaux which are as beautiful as they are enigmatic...
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
A sequencing of trios and duos with men and women, in which the entire palette of loving relationships is played out...
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
The evocative corps à corps of two women reinventing, gesture by gesture, the very idea of sensuality…
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
A tender, cruel parable about the voluntary slavery of a couple whose every member becomes, one after the other, a tamed animal walking alongside the other...
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
But, as the choreographer himself has emphasised, these sumptuous images are also expressions of a reality sublimated by the art of representation.
Bella Figura by Lyon Opera Ballet (2007) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
A show within a show, offered up by those whose job is it, come what may, to “look good”…
Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián - Extracts of productionOpéra de Lyon
Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián
Clip of Bella Figura featuring Lyon Opera House Ballet company
HEART'S LABYRINTH
Heart’s Labyrinth, Jiří Kylián’s tenth piece to enter the repertory of the Ballet of the Opéra de Lyon, was born from a painful, personal questioning: after one of the female dancers in his company had committed suicide, Jiří Kylián started to compose this ballet. It was a way for the choreographer to sublimate artistically the pain of this tragic loss and also occasion to explore new pathways in the knowledge of the human heart.
Heart's Labyrinth by Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon (2014) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
This labyrinth of the heart explores the endless chain of human feelings, the subtle nuances of their arrangements and their infinite combinations.
Heart's Labyrinth by Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon (2014) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
Over this ballet, there hovers the mystery of an afterlife, symbolically represented by a cube of endless light.
Heart's Labyrinth by Lyon Opera Ballet (2014) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
Duos, trios and other figures evoke the countless sensorial combinations which mean that each individual is a unique, mysterious being...
Heart's Labyrinth by Jiří Kylián - Extracts of productionOpéra de Lyon
Clip of Heart's Labyrinth by Jiří Kylián featuring Lyon Opera House Ballet company
27'52'' by Lyon Opera Ballet (2015) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
27'52''
In the very title – which simply reproduces the length of the piece – rhythm and space are united in the same movement.
In the score, specially composed by the musician Dirk Haubrich, there can be found the sensual, pared-back dancing, which is the choreographer’s signature.
27'52'' by Lyon Opera Ballet by Jiří Kylián and 2015Opéra de Lyon
Jiří Kylián uses virtually cinematographic effects, while playing with shadows and his performers...
27'52'' by Lyon Opera Ballet (2015) by Jiří KyliánOpéra de Lyon
The duo becomes a fusion, skin against skin, in an amorous rush. The couple of dancers wrap themselves up in one other, as if they had forgotten the surrounding theatre and life.
27'52'' by Jiří Kylián - Extracts of productionOpéra de Lyon
Clip of 27'52'' by Jiří Kylián featuring Lyon Opera House Ballet company
Lyon Opera House
+33 4 69 85 54 54
http://www.opera-lyon.com
Serge Dorny, general manager
The Lyon Opera is subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the City of Lyon, the regional council of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Metropole of Lyon.
Photos © Stofleth
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