What the Body Does Not Remember
The debut of Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez in 1987 stunned the world of dance of the time. In New York Vandekeybus and composers Thierry de Mey and Peter Vermeersch received the prestigious Bessie Award for this ‘brutal confrontation of dance and music: the dangerous, combative landscape of What the Body Does Not Remember’. In 2013, 25 years later and with a new cast, the show once again goes on a world tour.
Vandekeybus’ first choreography balances on the razor edge of attraction and repulsion. Sometimes this results in a confrontation between two dancers, then between two groups, between dancers and music, and between dancers and a compelling set of lines. But throughout there is an explosion of aggression, fear and danger.
As from 2013 this pioneering dance piece is also being performed with live music played by the Brussels-based Ictus contemporary music ensemble. For both Ultima Vez and Ictus this collaboration is a long-awaited happy reunion. In 1990 Peter Vermeersch and Thierry De Mey brought a group of 12 musicians together for Le Poids de la Main, a performance that merged together the choreographic material from the first two Ultima Vez productions. This signalled the start of the fine career of this now well-established contemporary music ensemble.
Wim Vandekeybus: “When I watch the performance, I can feel the original passion and energy all over again. At the time I was utterly sick of all that aesthetic stuff, that ‘pretending’. I wanted raw emotion, physical power and guts. Now, decades later, we are still throwing stones in the revival of What the Body Does Not Remember. To me that proves not only that a lot is possible, but also that what is possible can also last.’
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REVIVAL 2013/2015
DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY & SCENOGRAPHY
Wim Vandekeybus
PERFORMED BY
Jorge Jauregui Allue, Aymara Parola, Eddie Oroyan, Pavel Mašek, Revé Terborg, German Jauregui Allue, Guilhem Chatir, Claire Lamothe, Léa Dubois
ALSO PERFORMED BY
Damien Chapelle, Ricardo Ambrozio, Tanja Marín Friðjónsdóttir, Zebastián Méndez Marín, Maria Kolegova, Livia Balazova, Rob Hayden, Nicolas Grimaldi Capitello
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Thierry De Mey & Peter Vermeersch
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Eduardo Torroja
STYLING
Isabelle Lhoas ASSISTED BY Frédérick Denis, Isabelle De Cannière
TECHNICAL COORDINATION
Davy Deschepper
LIGHTING DESIGN
Francis Gahide
LIGHTING ON TOUR
Davy Deschepper
SOUND ON TOUR
Davy Deschepper, Bram Moriau, Antoine Delagoutte
PRODUCTION
Ultima Vez
CO-PRODUCTION
KVS
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Charleroi Danses, Centre Chorégraphique de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Louise De Neef, Benjamin Dandoy
REVIVAL 2013/2014 LIVE MUSIC BY ICTUS
DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY & SCENOGRAPHY
Wim Vandekeybus
PERFORMED BY
Jorge Jauregui Allue, Zebastián Méndez Marín, Aymara Parola, Maria Kolegova, Livia Balazova, Eddie Oroyan, Pavel Mašek, Revé Terborg, German Jauregui Allue
ALSO PERFORMED BY
Damien Chapelle, Ricardo Ambrozio, Tanja Marín Friðjónsdóttir
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Thierry De Mey & Peter Vermeersch
PERFORMED LIVE BY
Ictus
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Georges-Elie Octors
CONCEPT & REALISATION TABLEMUSIC (BIS)
Thierry De Mey
ASSISTANT REALISATION
Stephane Orlando
PIANO
Jean-Luc Fafchamps
PIANO
Fabian Coomans, Fabian Fiorini
CLARINET
Carlos Galvez
CLARINET
Benjamin Dieltjens, Dirk Descheemaeker
CLARINET
Tomonori Takeda
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Eric Sleichim, David Kweksilber
TROMBONE
Alain Pire, Charlotte Van Passen
DOUBLE BASS
Géry Cambier
CELLO
François Deppe
VIOLIN
George van Dam
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Eduardo Torroja
STYLING
Isabelle Lhoas ASSISTED BY Frédérick Denis, Isabelle De Cannière
TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Davy Deschepper
LIGHTING DESIGN
Francis Gahide, Davy Deschepper, Wim Vandekeybus
LIGHTING ON TOUR
Davy Deschepper
SOUND ON TOUR
Antoine Delagoutte, Bram Moriau, Alexander Fostier
STAGE
Antoine Delagoutte, Bram Moriau, Wilfried Van Dyck
PRODUCER
Ultima Vez
CO-PRODUCERS
KVS, Concertgebouw Brugge
WITH SUPPORT FROM
Charleroi Danses, Centre Chorégraphique de la Fédération Wallonie- Bruxelles
CO-PRODUCERS OF ORIGINAL VERSION
Centro di Produzione Inteatro Polverigi, Festival de Saint-Denis, Festival d'Eté de Seine-Maritime, Toneelschuur Produkties Haarlem
WITH THANKS TO
Louise De Neef, Benjamin Dandoy, Thierry De Mey (Charleroi Danses)
ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE 1987
DIRECTED BY
Wim Vandekeybus
PERFORMED BY
Charo Calvo, Marian Del Valle, Yves Delattre, Patrick Dieleman, Maria Icaza, Dorothée Morel, Caroline Rottier, Simone Sandroni, Eduardo Torroja, Wim Vandekeybus
ALSO PERFORMED BY
Nicolas Crow, Muriel Hérault, Lieve Meeussen
ALSO PERFORMED BY (Revival 1995)
Florence Rougier, Thomas Lehnart
MUSIC
Thierry De Mey & Peter Vermeersch
PLAYED BY
Maximalist !
ASSISTANT DIRECTION
Eduardo Torroja
GENERAL ASSISTANT
Octavio Iturbe
STAGE MANAGER
Pascal Joris
PRODUCTION
Ultima Vez . Louise De Neef . Nadia Cornelis
COPRODUCTION
Centro di Produzione Inteatro Polverigi; Festival de Saint-Denis; Festival d'Eté de Seine-Maritime; Toneelschuur Produkties Haarlem
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Vlaams Theater Circuit
