SCHMETTERLING

The two-part ballet evening Schmetterling combines two choreographies by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, Silent Screen and Schmetterling, which are among the defining works of their oeuvre. The successful artistic collaboration between the two choreographers dates back to 1989. Together, they have created more than 60 world premieres for the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), where they were resident choreographers from 2002 to 2020. Both works, Silent Screen and Schmetterling, are characterised by the unmistakable dance language of Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. This is characterised by technical sophistication and a pronounced sense of theatricality. All steps, gestures and figures are based on an emotional attitude, a narrative content or a poetic idea. As a result, human existence unfolds in both ballets as a specific experiential space that stretches between the lust for life and the awareness of death.

or the choreography Silent Screen, which premiered in 2005, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot were inspired by silent films. Like ballet, this genre is about interpersonal but not verbal communication. In Silent Screen a man and a woman lead the dance dialogue, which revolves around the emotional phases of a couple's relationship. Different characters appear in further scenes, reflecting the couple's story in ambiguous images. The choreography follow a dream logic rather than a coherent story and is realised by the ensemble to instrumental works by the American composer Philip Glass.

The second half of the ballet evening features the eponymous choreography Schmetterling from 2010. This ballet was also premiered originally at the NDT. The term "Schmetterling (butterfly)" symbolises transience, beauty, life, death and transformation. The work begins with the relationship between a mother and her son, who is confronted with her death. This pair is joined by a group of other characters who express the human condition in a thoughtful, humorous and sarcastic way in their dance movements. The music used in Schmetterling consists of compositions by Max Richter and several songs by the indie rock band The Magnetic Fields. The absurd, sad, sarcastic, passionate, longing and human aspects of the entire human emotional world can be heard in the tracks from their album 69 Love Songs. Here, love in all its shades forms the energetic centre.