Press Release: Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion at Sadler's Wells from 2-3 February 2015

[Jan McNulty]

Jonathan Burrows & Matteo Fargion

ONE FLUTE NOTE & BODY NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells

Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 February

Performances: Mon & Tue at 8pm

Tickets: £17

Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

The internationally renowned duo, British choreographer Jonathan Burrows and Italian composer Matteo Fargion will present their 2013 piece One Flute Note alongside the 2014 Venice Biennale commission Body Not Fit For Purpose, at the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells on Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 February 2015.

 

One Flute Note is a meditation on memory and music, which generates accumulating worlds of sound and action out of a single event. Body Not Fit For Purpose is their first overtly political work, taking as its starting point the uselessness of dancing to express anything of any real concern and at the same time the inherent, gloriously foolish radicality of the attempt.

 

Collaborators for 25 years, the artists combine humour and intellectual rigour to create work that radiates delight even as it makes the audience think. They clash the formality of classical music composition with an open and often anarchic approach to performance, bringing them a worldwide following.

 

Jonathan Burrows began his career as a Royal Ballet soloist before forming his own company to present his work. His commissions include work for Sylvie Guillem, Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt and the National Theatre, London. Burrows has been an Associate Artist at Kunstencentrum Vooruit in Ghent, Belgium, London’s South Bank Centre and Kaaitheater Brussels. He is a visiting member of faculty at P.A.R.T.S Brussels and has also been Guest Professor at universities in Berlin, Ghent, Giessen, Hamburg and London. His book ‘A Choreographer's Handbook’ has sold over 7,500 copies since its publication in 2010. He has led the Summer University as part of the Jerwood Studio Sadler’s Wells for 4 years running, is co-mentor for Jonzi D's Back To The Lab hip hop mentoring project and was recently commissioned to make The Elder's Project for Exilir at Sadler’s Wells, featuring former dancers of London Contemporary Dance Theatre and the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. 

 

Matteo Fargion studied composition with composers Kevin Volans and Howard Skempton and his interest in dance began after seeing Merce Cunningham perform in London. He has written music for choreographers including Lynda Gaudreau and Russell Maliphant, and has worked particularly closely with choreographer Siobhan Davies, writing music for some of her most significant work including The Art of Touch (1995) andMinutes for the Collection (2009). Farigon also writes for theatre, particularly in Germany, where he has worked over a number of years at the Residenz Theater Munich and at the Berlin Schaubühne with Thomas Ostermeier.

 

The two artists met in 1989 through the UK International Course for Choreographers and Composers and have since worked closely on a body of work conceived, created and performed together. They have given over 300 performances across 31 countries. The two are currently in-house artists at the Nightingale Brighton and contributing artists for William Forsythe’s Motionbank website project.

 

 

Notes to Editors:

Listings information

Jonathan Burrows & Matteo Fargion

One Flute Note & Body Not For Purpose
Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells
Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 February 2015
Performances: Mon & Tue at 8pm
Tickets: £17
Ticket office: 0844 412 4300 / www.sadlerswells.com

 

About Sadler’s Wells

Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, 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 international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists and 3 Resident Companies and nurtures the next generation of talent through its National Youth Dance Company, Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates.

Located in Islington in 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 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England.