Wexner Center Hosts U.S. Premiere Of 2010 European Dance “Production of the Year”

"This could be the best production of the season.... It succeeds in knocking us off our feet."—De Standaard (Belgium), on les ballets C de la B’s Out of Context—for Pina

Columbus, OH—The leading European dance theater ensemble les ballets C de la B from Ghent, Belgium, returns to Columbus on Friday, October 8 at 8 PM for the U.S. premiere of artistic director Alain Platel’s Out Of Context—for Pina. Dedicated to trailblazing dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch— Platel’s friend and mentor, who passed away last year—this work was recently selected as 2010 Production of the Year by a jury of 29 European critics, gathered by the noted European dance magazine Tanz.

For Out of Context, Platel addresses the widespread state of anxiety that characterizes our daily lives and accelerated culture by amplifying human emotion and social dynamics through a spectrum of idiosyncratic movements that display the points of tension between the unconscious and the choreographed. The company’s nine exquisitely skilled dancers stalk the raw stage to the sound of pianist Glenn Gould's landmark interpretations of Bach's Goldberg Variations, along with music by Ravel as well as R&B hits. Gould, known for the catalogue of eccentricities and tics that underscored his genius, serves as a touchstone for the “penetrating portrait of the human condition” that the dancers creates, writes De Morgen (Belgium). That review also notes, “Platel intertwines impulsive, uncontrolled movements and well-considered gestures into choreography that contains tenderness and desire. Five Stars.”

Many Columbus dance fans will remember the company’s striking U.S. debut at the Wexner center in 1996 with Platel’s deeply affecting dance theater work Les Tristeza Complice, a piece set to baroque compositions by Henry Purcell played on 10 accordions. Les ballets C de la B returned in 2003 to perform the sole U.S. performance of Foi by the choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

More information on the company: lesballetscdela.be/#/en/.

Dramaturg’s notes: bit.ly/bozh6d

FROM THE TANZ PANEL : “In the performance director Alain Platel... is searching for the tension between the wide range of uncontrolled movements and the traditional choreographic elements, between the unconscious and superconscious. Tanz praises Out of Context because of its space for humor and sense of fun on stage. In Out of Context we see a call to make dance a popular art form, in the name of [choreographer] Pina Bausch....”

EVENT INFORMATION: les ballets C de la B (pronounced say duh la bay) will perform on Friday, October 8 at 8 pm in Thurber Theatre at the Drake Performance and Event Space at 1849 Cannon Dr. (near Ohio Stadium). The show is 85 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $24 for the general public, $20 for Wexner Center members, and $10 for students. For tickets, call (614) 292-3535, or visit wexarts.org or ticketmaster.com.

EVENT AND SEASON SUPPORT

Major support for the Wexner Center’s 2010–11 performing arts season is generously provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Out of Context—for Pina is a production of les ballets C de la B / Alain Platel. Coproduced by Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Le Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, TorinoDanza, Sadler’s Wells (London), Stadsschouwburg Groningen, Tanzkongress 2009/ Kulturstiftung des Bundes, Kaaitheater (Brussel), and Wiener Festwochen.

With thanks to Timur Magomedgadzhiev, Farah Saleh, Quan Bui Ngoc, Juliana Neves, Fabrizio Cassol, Isnel Da Silveira, Berlinde De Bruyckere, and Toneelgroep Ceremonia.

Made possible with support from The Flemish authorities, City of Ghent, and Province East Flanders. Les ballets C de la B is Cultural Ambassador of the UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education.

Accommodations provided by The Blackwell.

All performing arts programs and events also receive support from the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members, as well as from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.