Achterland

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker / Rosas

Achterland is a seminal choreography in Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s oeuvre. In this 1990 performance, for the first time, the choreographer gave the musicians a central position on stage and let them play an active role in the overall dynamic—an approach she would repeat in many subsequent projects. The unusual combination of György Ligeti’s and Eugène Ysaÿe’s music inspired De Keersmaeker and her dancers to create an original dance score with a delicate balance between energetic virtuosity and deceleration. This also was the choreographer’s first time writing dancing material specifically for men; she added three male dancers to what until that point had been a predominantly female company. In Achterland, the prevalent femininity and minimalism of several of Rosas’s earlier works gave way to an ambiguous no-man’s-land characterized by a blurring of boundaries and symbols.

Choreography
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Mise en scène
Jean Luc Ducourt

Danced by (alternating)
Laura Bachman, Lav Crnčević, Léa Dubois, José Paulo dos Santos, Anika Edström Kawaji, Bilal El Had, Frank Gizycki, Robin Haghi, Yuika Hashimoto, Laura Maria Poletti, Soa Ratsifandrihana, Luka Švajda

Created in 1990 with
Nordine Benchorf, Bruce Campbell, Vincent Dunoyer, Fumiyo Ikeda, Marion Levy, Nathalie Million, Carlotta Sagna, Johanne Saunier

Music
- György Ligeti, 8 Études for piano solo (Désordre, Cordes à vide, Touches bloquées, Fanfares, Arc-en-ciel, Automne à Varsovie, Galamb Borong, Fém)
- Eugène Ysaÿe, Sonatas 2, 3 & 4 for solo violin

Musicians
Piano: Wilhem Latchoumia / Joonas Ahonen
Violin: Juan María Braceras / Naaman Sluchin

Decor
Herman Sorgeloos

Lighting
Jean Luc Ducourt

Costume
Ann Weckx

Assistants for the revival
Nordine Benchorf, Johanne Saunier, Fumiyo Ikeda, Vincent Dunoyer

Producer
Rosas

Co-producers
De Munt / La Monnaie (Brussel/Bruxelles), Kaaitheater (Brussel/Bruxelles), Fondation Van Gogh 1990, Théâtre de Rotterdam, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris)

Premiere
27.11.1990, Muntschouwburg (Brussels)