The piece “Walking Mad,” by Johan Inger, is being presented for the first time by CNB, marking the choreographer’s debut in the company’s repertoire, according to their program.
The choreography “Cacti,” by Alexander Ekman, returns to the stage at Teatro Camões in Lisbon, with live music performed by the Matosinhos String Quartet.
In addition to the planned performances, there will be a Solidarity General Rehearsal on June 18 at 20:00, with proceeds benefiting the social solidarity organizations Fundação-Lar de Cegos de Nossa Senhora da Saúde and Serviço Jesuíta aos Refugiados.
Admission is open to the public with reservation.
Created for the Nederlands Dans Theater in 2001, “Walking Mad” is based on Socrates’ famous statement, “Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness,” and combines the obsessive rhythm of Ravel’s Boléro with a set design involving a long wooden wall that assumes an almost choreographic role, according to CNB’s description.
“The scenic structure transforms the space and guides the dancers through situations of tension, humor, and intensity, in a game between madness and violence that symbolizes internal and relational conflicts,” it points out.
Choreographer Johan Inger states, “I wanted to make the wall the tenth member of the cast” in the work distinguished with the Lucas Hoving Prize in 2001 and the Italian Danza & Danza award in 2005.
The version now premiered by CNB marks a new phase of dialogue between international repertoire and core choreographic creation, within the vision of the company’s new artistic director, Fernando Duarte.
In contrast, “Cacti” — which Ekman defines as a “joyful parody” and returns to the stage after entering CNB’s repertoire in 2023 — “deconstructs, with irony, the mechanisms of contemporary dance and how art is observed and interpreted.”
Also premiered by the Nederlands Dans Theater in 2010, “Cacti” features 16 dancers on stage and an intense rhythmic relationship with the musicians on stage. “We created a game between dancers and the string quartet that became the score of the work,” Ekman explains, also quoted in the text.
The Matosinhos String Quartet will perform the original music of the piece live, which requires “high concentration from all the performers, contributing to the performative energy of the creation,” emphasizes CNB.
Alongside the performances, the National Ballet Company is promoting several initiatives aimed at diverse audiences, including dance workshops for children and families, titled “One, two, three, four… plus the Cactus!”, inspired by the pieces on stage.
On June 21 at 17:00, a pre-performance conversation moderated by Cristina Peres will take place, with free entry, and the following day, after the performance, there will be a discussion between artists, the audience, and choreographer Fernando Duarte.
