Eldstad. <\/i>A fireplace. A hearth. A city on fire. Mats Ek’s ballet encompasses all\u00a0of these various meanings: a burning city with its deadly heat, a war, a place of despair and division.<\/p>\n
Ek recounts that his initial inspiration for Eldstad<\/i> came in the form of a photo in Dagens Nyheter (the Swedish national daily newspaper) in which four native Peruvians are seen dragging a corpse in a tarpaulin. Perhaps it is a known enemy, or maybe a stranger? Eldstad<\/i> leaves it open to question.<\/p>\n
In Eldstad\u2019s <\/i>third sequence we see these four characters, now soldiers, with the bundle between them. Suddenly the dead corpse unfolds from the tarpaulin, springing to life like a butterfly from its cocoon. Despite the inevitable pain of this becoming, her movements nonetheless convey a sense of hope, an embodied affirmation of life.<\/p>\n
In Eldstad’s<\/i> first sequence, we see a family dancing – mother, father, son and daughter. They try to remain together despite a chaos forced upon them through an external disaster. But, it is later revealed, this sense of calamity is one that they also have internalized. In their will to stay together there is thus another pressing quest, a necessity even, to break free.<\/p>\n
In Eldstad\u2019s <\/i>second sequence, a young man and woman dance past each other. While seeking one another in the form of a pas de deux, they nonetheless never touch. \u201cThese two preceding scenes are linked to a choice of music\u201d, says Mats Ek. To meet. To grow up. To become. It is on these thematic fragments that Eldstad <\/i>has been constructed.<\/p>\n
Two additional sequences have been added that depict the search for a similar vulnerability, belonging and affection. \u201cA woman of moderation\u201d refers both to women in boarding schools but also to vampires. The character of the runner is figure of altruism. While present, she is barely noticeable to others.<\/p>\n
The dancing family and the young couple appear again – on the hunt or escaping something?<\/p>\n
Music:
\nPhilip Glass, Glassworks
\nD von Bauszner Drei Expressionen
\nJean Sibelius Tuonelas svan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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