In 2016, I paid tribute to my first and main mentor, Maurice Béjart, with Swan Song. This time, I wanted to address the company by saying what I would have liked to see on stage as a spectator. One of Béjart’s main beliefs was the vital, festive and archaic energy of dance. He understood that dance, as a festive event born of a primal impulse, is spiritual. Its beauty and charm are in this very essence.
To honor this vision, I chose a title that celebrates its centenary this year: George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The inspiration comes from its lack of a definite form. The composer’s total freedom, ranging from classical to jazz, allows me to use different dance forms and languages that are different from each other. The only justification is the one suggested by the music itself. Gershwin describes his work as a kind of multicolored fantasy, a musical kaleidoscope representing a cultural melting pot. From a choreographic perspective, I would describe it as a Capriccio or a Folie. It’s not about the aesthetic of the body, but the aesthetic of music through the body.
Keeping the global themes of 2024 in mind, I understand that creating something frivolous is the height of luxury. I want to celebrate the beauty and power of music as a direct expression of the soul by humbly and proudly serving it. In the spirit of the 1924 composition perhaps.