New original work / Solo Echo
Christos Papadopoulos
Crystal Pite
Nederlands Dans Theater 1
In 2024, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is supporting the Théâtre de la Ville for the presentation of a double bill performed by the NDT1: a new original work by Christos Papadopoulos and Solo Echo by Crystal Pite.
After the success of Mycelium with the Lyon Opera Ballet, Christos Papadopoulos was next in The Hague to transport the legendary NDT into his universe. And there is the delight of adding an original work to their repertoire, a work of finesse and precision developed after observing large groups of birds and fish. The gifted man from Athens has brought the intensity of micromovements to the NDT dancers, giving options for expression contrasting dramatically with the register of Crystal Pite. And she, the woman from Canada who has been enchanting audiences at the Théâtre de la Ville season after season with her breathtaking dance-theater, is now distinguished on a more romantic level. Two Brahms sonatas, snow and seven beings appear in a desperate existential quest where the amplitude of dance and feeling will be a source of wonderment.
© Rahi Rezvani
About the artists
© Elina Giounanli
Christos Papadopoulos
Born in 1982 in a small village in the Peloponnese (Greece), Christos Papadopoulos studied dance and choreography at SNDO (School for New Dance Development) in Amsterdam, theatre at the National Theatre of Greece Drama School (GNT Drama School) and political science at Panteion University (2000). His unique choreographic style is characterized by a highly developed visual dimension, a particularly close relationship between body and space or movement and music, and the importance of the choral group.
Nature never ceases to invent a profusion of forms, movements, and structures, the observation of which is a source of inspiration. Fascinated by the creativity of natural processes, Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos has devised an organic dance that transforms how bodies interact and organize themselves - broadening our perception of how they relate to each other. Drawing on the simple movements of the human body, he develops trance-like experiences, involving all the senses in a multi-dimensional aesthetic immersion.
Since 2003, he has taught movement and improvisation at the Athens Conservatory Drama School. After working as a choreographer assisting various directors, his first works in 2016 and 2017 quickly earned him national and international recognition.
©Elina Giounanli
Crystal Pite
In a choreographic career of thirty-five years, Crystal Pite has created over sixty works for companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. She is an Associate Artist of three institutions: Nederlands Dans Theater, Sadler's Wells (London) and Canada's National Arts Centre. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University and is a member of the Order of Canada.
In 2002, she founded her company Kidd Pivot in Vancouver. Kidd Pivot tours internationally with works such as Betroffenheit, Revisor and Assembly Hall (co-created with Jonathon Young) as well as The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action and The You Show.
© Michael Slobodian
