Glancing back into his past repertoire as inspiration for the present, Belgian choreographer and filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus and his company, Ultima Vez, premiere new dance creation "Spiegel"(Mirror) in Los Angeles for 2008.
A retrospective based on excerpts from seven of his works from 1987-2000, the material explores the explosive energy, emotions and intensely physical demands of provocative artist, Vandekeybus, world-renowned for pushing his dancers and technology beyond their limits in inspiring new ways.
Fascinated since childhood by animal movement and instinct, a chance theater workshop as a young man ignited his future interest in the human relationship between body and spirit and its expression through dance, film and photography.
Integrating moving images into his performances, Vandekeybus finds the confluence of relations that exist between film and live performance. The works find foundation in his focus on the physical body- its restless, unpredictable power juxtaposed with its fragilities and instinctive reflexes that can hide or reveal parts of the psyche that confront us all as part of the human condition.
Vandekeybus received a Bessie Award in 1988 for his international breakthrough piece "What the Body Does Not Remember" and has since created nearly 20 performances with international casts with almost as many film and video productions.
With music as a vital and inherent part of his inspirations, this latest piece scored by a contemporary soundtrack of international artists includes compositions and original music by David Byrne, Pierre Mertens, Thierry De Mey, Marc Ribot and Peter Vermeersch.
Using nine dancers including veterans and newcomers, "Spiegel" is a dangerous game of hopscotch: a stomping man scares a sleeping woman who must dodge his threatening feet, while a man unceremoniously dumps three limp women onto the stage before hoisting himself onto a chair hanging upside-down on a chain.
And if that was not enough to intrigue and invoke curiosity, there will also be a special guest appearance by creative helmsman Vandekeybus for both performances.
"Spiegel" plays Friday-Saturday, May 2-3 at 8pm at UCLA Live, Royce Hall at UCLA campus. Run time is 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission; contains brief nudity.
Tickets are $42, $30 and $22 and may be purchased online at www.uclalive.org tickets in advance for $15, UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310.825.2101, or at all Ticket Master outlets.
Student rush tickets subject to availability offered one hour prior to show time at the same price to students with a valid ID.
Photos by Jean-Pierre Stoop
