Heddy Maalem's Contemporary Take on "The Rite of Spring" at Jacob's Pillow
Becket – Compagnie Heddy Maalem, a French contemporary dance company of fourteen distinctive dancers from Mali, Bénin, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Mozambique, makes its exhilarating Jacob’s Pillow debut June 25 – 29, 2008. Artistic director and choreographer Heddy Maalem presents his provocative re-imagination of Igor Stravinsky’s masterpiece The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps), inspired by Maalem’s time in Lagos, Nigeria.Maalem’s explosively contemporary interpretation of The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) is performed in a stark white stage set, while the dance is “located” in Africa, with dramatic film interludes that bring the colors, sounds, and images of Nigeria onstage with the dancers. Maalem has said that when faced with the metropolitan cacophony of 12 million people in Lagos, Stravinsky’s throbbing score kept echoing in his head, “Lagos made me think of the end of the world.” This hour-long work for fourteen African men and women, each trained in their own indigenous movement style as well as Maalem’s precise and distinct dance language, has been performed more than 100 times throughout Europe.
“By definition, classic works of art such as The Rite of Spring continue to speak powerfully to artists and audiences, and Heddy Maalem gets to the core of it with his interpretation. I’ve presented and seen many versions of Rite all over the world, and this one is original and inspiring on many levels. The dancers are from all over the African continent and form an extraordinary ensemble, a sort of post-modern “tribe,” and the movement, film and of course the music draw us in, build throughout the dance, and combine to deliver a truly theatrical experience”, comments Ella Baff, Jacob’s Pillow Executive Director.
Maalem has commented, “Le Sacre has been performed a thousand times, unforgettable yet always new, with the same shocking joy overflowing out of time, out of the ages.” His version is striking and straightforward, yet quiet and sensual at times. Dynamic group sequences are interlaced with intense scenes of silence and atmospheric film projections. Dancers melt into one unit, pulsing with energy, and then explode apart only to come back again. The work is performed to the orchestral recording of the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Boulez.
In 1913, Stravinsky’s percussive, driving The Rite of Spring and Vaslav Nijinsky’s radical, angular movements shocked audience members who were present to see Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Void of long lines and elegant movement, the work portrayed pagan Russia and included the sacrifice of a young girl, dancing herself to death in honor of spring. The complex music and violent dance steps prompted catcalls from the audience and the theater soon erupted in fistfights and riots. The uproar became legendary. The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) has since been performed by orchestras around the world and has been staged and re-interpreted innumerable times by choreographers and companies such as Pina Bausch, Doug Varone, and The Joffrey Ballet. Jacob’s Pillow has presented Emmanuel Gat Dance, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and The Paul Taylor Dance Company in recent notable productions of the work.
Heddy Maalem was born in Batna, in the heart of the Aurès, Algeria, to an Algerian father and a French mother. Maalem’s early and extensive training in boxing and the Japanese martial art of Aikido continue to influence his choreography which is marked by precision, sparse vocabulary, and clarity. In 1990, he founded his own company, and in 2000 he began his investigation into the recurring question of identity with his work Black Spring, which would become the first in a trilogy inspired by Lagos, Nigeria. In 2002, Maalem collaborated with Benoît Dervaux to create their acclaimed film, also titled Black Spring, which has been screened and awarded prizes at film festivals around the world. That same year the two worked together again on L’Ordre de la bataille, with Dervaux providing imagery as a backdrop to Maalem’s choreographic inquiry into the meaning of existence in a war-torn world. The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) premiered in 2004, completing Maalem’s Lagos-inspired choreographic triology. The Rite of Spring has been performed more than 100 times throughout Europe and makes its American premiere in June of 2008. Generous support for the U.S. tour has been provided by The Cultural Services of the French Embassy of the United States, CulturesFrance, Afrique en Creation, and ADAMI.
A free PillowTalk film screening and discussion of Black Spring will be held at 4pm on Saturday, June 28 in Blake’s Barn on the Jacob’s Pillow grounds. A powerful exploration of identity, this film by Dervaux intercuts dynamic dance sequences with scenes of everyday life in Nigeria. Maalem choreographed the award-winning film, and he will be on hand to introduce and discuss it.
For more information on Compagnie Heddy Maalem and Jacob’s Pillow visit www.heddymaalem.com or www.jacobspillow.org.
Performance and Ticket Information for Compagnie Heddy Maalem at Jacob’s Pillow
Evening performances are held Wednesday, June 25 through Saturday, June 28 at 8pm, with matinées on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 at 2pm. Tickets are $58 each, with discounts available for seniors, students, and youth age 16 and under. Box Office hours are Monday–Friday, 10am-6pm, from now to June 21. From June 21 to August 24 the Box Office is open Monday-Saturday, 10am through 6pm and Sunday 11am-6pm. Pillow Members receive a discount on performances; to become a member call 413.243.9919 x24. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 413.243.0745, faxing orders to 413.243.0749, or ordering online at www.jacobspillow.org. Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theatres are wheelchair-accessible.
Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered at Blake’s Barn 30 minutes before every performance. On Thursday, June 26, artistic personnel from Compagnie Heddy Maalem will participate in a moderated Post-Show Talk directly following the evening performance.
Free Events at the Pillow June 25 - 29
PillowTalks in Blake’s Barn: A Visit with Bill T. Jones, Wednesday, June 25 at 5pm, Jones, a choreographer and recipient of many prestigious awards, participates in a discussion. Black Spring, Saturday, June 28 at 4pm, a screening of the film by Benoît Dervaux intercuts dynamic dance sequences with scenes of everyday life in Nigeria, with choreographer Heddy Maalem on site for discussion.
Inside/Out performances at 6:30pm: Thursday, June 26, Full Force Dance Theatre makes its Inside/Out debut with Significant Other, a duet that sinks and rises as relationships do, and When The Fat Lady Sings, a suite of quirky dances set to classic opera favorites. Friday, June 27, the 10-person contemporary ballet company, Adam Miller Dance Project pairs the speed and precision of classical ballet with innovative partnering, daring choreography, and eclectic music. Saturday, June 28, participants of The School at Jacob’s Pillow showcase the learnings of their first week of study at the Pillow, where they are led by renowned flamenco faculty.
Ongoing Free Events include: Sculpting Movement and Time: Making Slow Dancing, a behind the scenes look at David Michalek’s inspiration and work process for Slow Dancing, in Blake’s Barn; John Lindquist / Jonas Lundqvist, a photographic comparison of the amazingly similar work of these prominent dance photographers, in the Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby; Dance to Go, a selection of favorite photographs (which are now available for purchase) of pioneers such as Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, as well as the Pillow itself, in the Doris Duke Studio Theatre Lobby; 40s Photos: A Hans Knopf Time Capsule featuring previously unknown 1940s photographs of dance legends such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Merce Cunningham, in Blake’s Barn; and Not So Long Ago, featuring the recent work of resident Pillow photographers Mike van Sleen and Christopher Duggan.
Activities at Jacob’s Pillow
The Archives at Jacob’s Pillow allows impromptu visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Pillow Interactive, a popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant interlinked access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s.
Patrons are always welcome to explore the historic grounds to discover all the reasons why the Pillow was named a National Historic Landmark, with Guided Tours leaving from the Welcome Center every Friday and Saturday at 5:30pm. Self-guided tour maps are always available as well.
Visitors can also relax in the historic Tea Garden, where Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers welcomed the first Pillow audiences in the 1930s, as they peek into the Bakalar Studio to watch rehearsals; or stroll through several ecological zones on the Wetlands Trail, created as part of the Pillow’s responsible stewardship of its 163 acres of rural environment.
Dance Opportunities
Morning Jumpstart Classes offered in Pilates, Ballet, Modern, and more, Mondays through Fridays at 8am. All experience levels, 16 and older, $8 per class, Ruth St. Denis Studio. Call the Education Hotline at 413.243.9919 x17.
Weekly Master Classes are led by Festival artists Sundays at 10:30am to noon for intermediate and advanced dancers, $15 per class. Pre-registration is required. Call the Education Hotline at 413.243.9919 x17.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow is open to public observation Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9am–5pm, featuring world renowned faculty at no charge. Interested groups of four or more should confirm space availability by calling 413.243.9919 x17.
Dining
The Pillow Café offers fine dining with wine service under the tent on The Great Lawn. Wednesdays through Saturdays, dinner is served 5–7pm. Saturday and Sunday brunch is served noon to 2pm. Reservations are required, call 413.243.2455.
The Pillow Pub offers casual family fare, takeout for picnics and full bar service. Wednesdays through Fridays 5pm–midnight, Saturdays noon–midnight and Sundays noon–5pm.
The Coffee Bar and Ice Cream Bar are open pre-performance and during intermissions.
Sample menus for each dining venue are available at www.jacobspillow.org. Pillow Patrons are also invited to bring picnics and relax at one of many choice picnic spots on the Pillow grounds.
As of March 2008, major support for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival has been provided by: The Barrington Foundation; The Dana Foundation; Danish Arts Agency; Frances Alexander Foundation; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; The Leir Charitable Foundations, in Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts; Evelyn Stefansson Nef Foundation; Netherland-America Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation; Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; Arch W. Shaw Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Starr Foundation; The Surdna Foundation; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; National Endowment for the Arts; ALEX®; Ameriprise Financial; Big Y World Class Market; Black Swan Inn; Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation; The Legacy Banks Foundation; Pilgrim Inn; Rodeway Inn; Super 8 Motel Lee; Tourism Cares; WGBY Public Television for Western New England; The Pillow Business Alliance; and Jacob’s Pillow Members.
Major endowment support is provided by The Barrington Foundation; The William Randolph Hearst Foundation; The Leir Charitable Foundations, in Memory of Henry J. Leir; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Onota Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; and the Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation.
