GALA
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A TheatreWorks Production
GALA
Conceived and directed by Jerome Bel
It is not commonly known that the term ‘Gala’ means ‘enjoyment’ in old French. With a quirky and humorous take on dance, renowned French choreographer Jérôme Bel’s latest creation will see a mixed bag of non-professional performers and a handful of seasoned artists take the stage, united by their shared love for the performing arts and the joy that it brings to them.
Bel was first introduced to the Singapore arts scene by TheatreWorks through the Flying Circus Project in 2004, where he choreographed and performed in Shirtology/The Last Performance. In 2006, TheatreWorks presented Bel’s collaboration with contemporary Thai dancer and choreographer Pichet Klunchun, in Pichet Klunchun and Myself. His most recent work to be showcased in Singapore was in 2014 at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), where he directed an ensemble from Theatre Hora to present Disabled Theatre.
Continuously breaking boundaries with his forward-thinking approach to dance, Bel returns to Singapore, this time to work with an entirely local cast comprising 20 distinct individuals of different ages, and with different abilities, body types and personalities.
In a colourful display of their distinct personas, each performer takes the stage to express themselves individually. Each of them then leads the entire company in their chosen genre of dance in a fun filled display of passion and vitality, and allows audiences to witness how the performing arts can empower seemingly ordinary individuals to become a star in their own right.
Classical dance forms, especially ballet, are often portrayed through failure and how failure drives dancers to achieve perfection. In GALA, the importance placed on ‘failure’ becomes secondary. Instead, it gives way to ‘failing again’ and places emphasis on doing one’s best. By doing so, Bel empowers individuals to contribute their own unique energies and make the performance their own.
GALA creates a space where ability is dictated not by one’s limitations, but by being the best that one can be. It is a testament to the beauty of the individual.
Performance Details:
6 – 8 October 2016
8pm (Approx 80mins, no intermission)
Victoria Theatre
Tickets:
Tickets: $30, $26, $22
(SISTIC Fees not included)
Get your tickets here!
For more information and latest updates check out our production blog at gala2016sg.wordpress.com
About Jérôme Bel
Jérôme Bel lives in Paris and works worldwide. nom donné par l'auteur (1994) is a choreography of objects. Jérôme Bel (1995) is based on the total nudity of the performers. Shirtology (1997) presents an actor wearing many T-shirts. The last performance (1998) quotes a solo by the choreographer Susanne Linke, as well as Hamlet and André Agassi. Xavier Le Roy (2000) was claimed by Jérôme Bel as his own, but was actually choreographed by Xavier Le Roy. The show must go on (2001) brings toghether twenty performers, nineteen pop songs and one DJ. Véronique Doisneau (2004) is a solo on the work of the dancer Véronique Doisneau, from the Paris Opera. Isabel Torres (2005), for the ballet of the Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro, is its Brazilian version. Pichet Klunchun and myself (2005)was created in Bangkok with the Thai traditional dancer Pichet Klunchun. Follows Cédric Andrieux (2009), dancer of Merce Cunningham. 3Abschied (2010) is a collaboration between Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Jérôme Bel based on The Song of the Earth by Gustav Malher. Disabled Theater (2012) is a piece with a Zurich-based company, Theater Hora, consisting of professional actors with learning disabilities. Cour d'honneur (2013) stages fourteen spectators of the Cour d'honneur of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. In Gala (2015), the choreographer stages together professional people from the dance field and amateurs coming from different backgrounds. In Tombe (2016), performance created at the invitation of Opéra National de Paris, Jérôme Bel proposed to some dancers of the ballet to invite, for a duet, the person with who they would never share the stage.
Performers
Alecia Kim Chua, Alison Tang, Aole Tacuma Miller, Archana Satheesh, Dana Lam, Emma Lim, Eugene Tan, Fiona Lim, June Omar, Justina Hussain, Ma Yanling, Marc Goldberg, Margaret Revalle, Mary Aw, Michael Wong, Samuel Lim, Seth Alsree, Shawn Tan, Timothy Julian Nga, Timothy Ng, Toshi Suzuki
With Support from
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