Press Release: UK premiere of Christian Rizzo's d'apres une histoire vraie, Sadler's Wells

[Jan McNulty]

UK PREMIERE

Christian Rizzo
d’après une histoire vraie
Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN
Monday 16 & Tuesday 17 November
Performances at 7.30pm
Tickets £20
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

French choreographer, set designer, director and visual artist Christian Rizzo presents the UK premiere of d’après une histoire vraie (based on a true story) at Sadler’s Wells on Monday 16 & Tuesday 17 November. This explosive, expressive choreography for eight male dancers is Rizzo’s exploration of Turkish war dances. 

Rizzo takes inspiration from his memories of a folk dance show at a festival in Istanbul in 2004, creating this piece using the feelings that the masculine, Turkish folklore performance evoked in him. Channelling these emotions into d’après une histoire vraie, Rizzo examines dance as it relates to communities, and how movement ties individuals together. 

Normally known for his thoughtful and introspective approach to choreography, this fierce and dynamic work sees Rizzo break away from his established canon. The movements and the music of d’après une histoire vraie play with both popular and contemporary forms. While taking cues from folkloric dance, Rizzo continues in his choreographic studies of falling and touching.

Initially concentrating on minimal, ritualistic movements, his cast of dancers are propelled by two drummers, whose rapid-fire percussion lead the audience towards a neo-traditional rock rave. The drumming by Didier Ambact and King Q4, bordering between tribal and psychedelic rhythms, creates the tense atmosphere of battle, accompanied by Caty Olive’s atmospheric lighting.

Christian Rizzo said: “This is collegial dance. It questions our notions of community. It digs into the ground while at the same time looking for elevation. Rather than recreating a pre-existing dance in its entirety, I wanted to understand why I felt such empathy with that precise moment in Istanbul and with that form of dance, and why their impact still resonates with me now.”

Christian Rizzo is Director of the Centre Chorégraphique National de Montpellier. He was awarded the 2013 prize for choreography by the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD). d’après une histoire vraie won the Syndicat de la Critique’s grand prix for dance in 2013. 


NOTES TO EDITORS

Christian Rizzo 
Christian Rizzo was born in 1965 in Cannes. His artistic career began in Toulouse, where he started a rock band and designed a line of clothing, after which he studied fine arts at the Villa d'Arson in Nice, then unexpectedly branched out into dance.

In the 90s he performed with a number of contemporary choreographers including Mathilde Monnier, Herve Robbe, Mark Tompkins and Georges Appaix, and sometimes created soundtracks and costumes for them as well.

He also worked with choreographers with a different artistic approach, such as Vera Mantero, Catherine Contour, Emmanuelle Huynh and Rachid Ouramdane.

In 1996 he founded L'association Fragile and began presenting events, dancing objects, solos and group pieces, as well as various projects and commissioned work in fashion and the visual arts.

Since then, over thirty projects have borne fruit, not counting his pedagogical activities. Christian Rizzo teaches on a regular basis in art schools in France and abroad, as well as in establishments devoted to contemporary dance.

Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates.

Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. 

Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.