Dominique Brun / Olga Neuwirth
Maurice Ravel Bolero / Nijinska

[Music]

Overshadowed by the glory of her brother, Vaslav Nijinski, Bronislava Nijinska is one of the major figures of 20th century dance. This evening event will be a celebration of her life, culminating in a masterful performance of Ravel’s Bolero, danced here by François Chaignaud.

Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) dedicated her life to dance, and earned recognition for her work as both performer and choreographer. She is credited with the creation of several anthology ballets during the 1920’s, in particular the ballet for the premiere of Ravel’s Bolero in 1928.
Following on from Debussy and Stravinsky in 2016, Dominique Brun and François-Xavier Roth, with Les Siècles, join forces once again in order to pay homage to Nijinska by enabling audiences to hear and see this Boléro. Featuring a stage design by François Chaignaud and Dominique Brun, this production brings with it the influence of Nijinska, Butoh, skirt dances and flamenco.
Performed without any dance accompaniment, the programme also consists of two other major scores by Maurice Ravel, La Valse and Rapsodie espagnole. Added to this will be first ever rendition in Paris of Clinamen/Nodus by Olga Neuwirth, (the Latin title of which evokes a tension between incline and knot). The piece was commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra in celebration of Pierre Boulez, who directed the work in the year 2000. Amongst the other string instruments, Olga Neuwirth will be adding two Bavarian zithers and a Hawaiian guitar.