William Forsythe / James Blake - Blake Works I for Paris Opera Ballet

The world-famous Paris Opera Ballet was the birthplace of classical dance, with origins tracing back over more than 300 years. Since then, the company has never ceased to pursue excellence, establishing itself as a repertory company, remaining faithful to its dual vocation of ensuring the continuity of the repertoire and offering an open door towards creation. The company rarely tours to the region and in June 2019, Singapore audiences will be treated to the works of three renowned choreographers in one programme. Blake Works I by William Forsythe Created in 2016, this work is said to be a moment as important as the premiere of Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987. What Forsythe did then was radical: he moved ballet into new, utterly contemporary terrain. Almost 30 years later, he has taken a long and loving look at ballet’s past, and once again moved it into the future—some have called it Forsythe’s love letter to ballet. Created for Paris Opera Ballet, Blake Works I is performed to seven songs by the English musician James Blake, who writes delicate ballads over electronic keyboard and syncopated percussion. The choice of music, with its allegiance to popular culture and its narrative implications, is poetic, joyous, hopeful—a celebration of the youth, talent and collective knowledge of a new generation of Paris Opera dancers. William Forsythe is one of the most influential ballet choreographers and directors of the late 20th century. His choreographic style is both postmodern and deconstructivist. Believing that classical ballet is a language with rules to follow, his interest lies in bending and eventually breaking the rules. Using traditional positions, he develops them to the extreme where geometries of classical ballet are twisted, tilted or pulled out of line. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form.