Paris Opera Ballet performs Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s Play to launch Digidance 2022-23 season
Canadian premiere of virtual production features 36 dancers and a score by Swedish composer (and Alicia Keys collaborator) Mikael Karlsson
Play. Photo by Ann Ray.
DanceHouse, in partnership with Digidance, presents Play from November 7 to 27, streaming on demand
ORIGINALLY CREATED FOR the Paris Opera Ballet, Swedish choreographer Alex Ekman’s Play sold out 25 performances at the historic Palais Garnier when it premiered in 2017. Due to its wild popularity, the show was subsequently recorded for the screen, which local audiences can catch for its Canadian premiere as the kickoff to Digidance’s 2022-23 season.
Featuring 36 dancers and interactive set pieces that include metallic structures and some 40,000 small green balls, the work draws inspiration from the childlike impulse to jump into action. The energetic score is by composer Mikael Karlsson, who has worked with the likes of Alicia Keys and Lykke Li.
The digital production won the Golden Prague award for best recording of a live performance in 2019.
“For our third season, the Digidance partners wanted to reflect a sense of optimism and hope as the world gradually learns to move forward through the pandemic,” Jim Smith, artistic and executive director of DanceHouse and Digidance partner, says in a release. “Play was a natural choice for us to launch our 2022/23 season, as it showcases such a beautifully festive and delightfully mischievous quality. This work was created before the world had even heard of COVID-19, and this unaffected sense of levity is just what audiences need right now. Alexander Ekman’s choreography is full of surprises that allow for moments of metamorphosis. We cannot wait to bring this joyful work to homes across Canada.”
Ekman has worked around the world with companies such as Compañia Nacional de Danza, Ballet de l’Opéra du Rhin, and the Royal Swedish Ballet. In 2014, he created his own version of Swan Lake, garnering international attention with some 6,000 litres of water he used. In 2015, he received the Swedish Medea Award for Inventor and Renewer, and he won the German theatre award Der Faust the following year.
Directed by Tommy Pascal and produced by the Paris Opera Ballet, Bel Air Media, and SVT, Play runs approximately 105 minutes. The Digidance streaming presentation includes a 10-minute pre-show documentary featuring members of the creative team as well as dancers Stéphane Bullion, Muriel Zusperreguy, and Vincent Chaillet.
Digidance is a joint initiative of Canadian dance presenters DanceHouse as well as Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Danse Danse (Montreal).
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