Carte Blanche from Bergen to perform in Houston
The Norwegian national company of contemporary dance, Carte Blanche, is to perform at the annual Dance Salad Festival in Houston.
Dancers from Carte Blanche performing Uprising. Photo by Erik Berg
The Dance Salad Festival 2009 has three evening performances scheduled for April 9, 10 and 11, 2009 at 7:30 PM in the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater.
Each curated performance presents a roster of outstanding dancers and choreography from around the world. Among those coming to Houston exclusively for Dance Salad Festival are Carte Blanche from Bergen, Norway, along with the English National Ballet, London, England; The Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Mats Ek and Ana Laguna, Stockholm, Sweden; Gothenburg Opera Ballet, Sweden; SemperOper Ballet, Dresden, Germany; Staatstheater Ballet Wiesbaden, Germany. Choreographers represented in the performance program include: Mats Ek, William Forsythe, David Dawson, Hans van Manen, Jorma Elo, Stephan Thoss and Kenneth Kvarnstrom.
Carte Blanche from Bergen, Norway is premiering in the United States with a choreographic work by Hofesh Schechte, his widely praised Uprising, set to Schecter’s own originally composed musical score. The Norwegian National Contemporary Dance Company, Carte Blanche has made a mark for itself as a leading company with a growing reputation on the international dance scene. Its very diverse repertoire includes a broad range of choreography by both young and established choreographers from around the world. Under its newly appointed Artistic Director, Bruno Heynderickx, Carte Blanche is striving to expand its artistic identity and international profile.
The New York Times refers to Hofesh Schechter “as one of the most inventive choreographic voices to turn up in quite a while.” He comes from Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company where he worked with Artistic Director and choreographer Ohad Naharin. Schechter’s passion for creating experimental music with a focus on drums and percussion is apparent in his dynamic and ever-popular Uprising created for seven male dancers. The press has quoted that his choreography is an “intriguing, eminently watchable magpie-mix of styles and influences.”
For more information on the festival and tickets, please visit: dansesalad.org.
