Separate Ways

SHUT EYE – SOL LEON & PAUL LIGHTFOOT

In Shut Eye, house choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot have captured their innovative poetic approach towards contemporary dance once again. The piece expresses a world full of fantasy, that carries symbolic meanings behind the dynamic use of black and white, the respective light and shadow. Shut Eye offers the spectator a glimpse into a surrealistic world that asks the question: is what we see limited by our senses or is it conditioned by how we let our brain manipulate the image through our emotions?

SHUT EYE – SOL LEON & PAUL LIGHTFOOT

In their 27 years as a choreographic duo, Sol León (Córdoba, Spain) and Paul Lightfoot (Kingsley, England) have built a rich repertoire of over fifty ballets that shows a wide range of compelling pieces that, however diverse, share a strong, innovative, artistic voice. As NDT’s house choreographers since 2002, the artistic voyage of both choreographers and their partnership, is a celebration of their idiosyncratic style and their inexhaustible work ethic. By doing so they have given colour to the company as one that is not afraid to take artistic risks and that pushes the boundaries of creativity, highlighting NDT as one of the best modern dance companies on national and international level. Together León and Lightfoot have won prestigious awards, such as the Benois de la Danse, the Herald Archangel and a Zwaan award. Shut Eye marks their first new creation for NDT 1 since 2014. Shut Eye is dedicated to Georgi Milev.

CLOWNS – HOFESH SHECHTER

….In that City
Where ways are lost
Clown turn into King
Prophet turn to clown….
– Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Clowns is Hofesh Shechter’s (Jerusalem, Israel) first creation for NDT 1. The Israeli, London-based Shechter is considered one of the UK’s most exciting choreographers and composers who’s pieces often address matters of war, terrorism and politics through the medium of dance and movement. He is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells in London, and in 2008, he founded the international touring Hofesh Shechter Company. Shechter’s works have been taken into the repertory and commissioned by the likes of many UK and international dance companies including Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (New York), Carte Blanche Dance Company (Norway), Bern Ballett (Switzerland), Scottish Dance Theatre (UK), CandoCo (UK), Sadler’s Wells (UK), The Place (UK) and the Southbank Centre (UK).

Programme booklet (NDT 1 | Separate Ways)