Wayne McGregor
Deepstaria
The multi-award-winning English choreographer Wayne McGregor, director of the Biennale Danza and "resident choreographer" of the Royal Ballet in London, presents at the Festival dei Due Mondi his new work that takes his thirty years of choreographic research towards a new and radical frontier.
Since the beginning of time, humanity has been fascinated by the void. From the deep sea to the farthest reaches of space, these dark and mysterious zones ignite our imaginations and our desire to explore the world to its edges. In Deepstaria-the title inspired to a mysterious jellyfish species with the name "space"-McGregor creates a sensory and meditative experience that reflects on the relationship humans have with emptiness and mortality.
“Journeying beyond ourselves”, says McGregor, “we search for knowledge to illuminate and develop our human condition. At the same time, these spaces of infinite blackness, womb-like, are strangely familiar – sounding forgotten connections deep within, and stirring, perhaps, faint echoes of unconscious states of being, floating in places of before and after”.
Utilising Vantablack Vision® technology on stage to create unfathomable darkness, McGregor visions an environment that disturbs traditional hierarchies of perception. In this void, acoustic imagery and animative music by Oscar-winning sound designer Nicolas Becker and renowned music producer LEXX create a sonic dreamscape that is continuously recomposed and performed by revolutionary digital audio engine Bronze AI* – thus re-configuring the relationship between live dance and live recorded music in real time.
Like the jellyfish with its capacity for regeneration, Deepstaria invites us to dream anew our immortal connection with the universe that holds us.
Deepstaria is conceived as the first work in a diptych. The second: On the Other Earth (a choreographic installation) will premiere in 2025.
CONCEPT, DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY AND DESIGN Wayne McGregor
CHOREOGRAPHY created with and danced by Company Wayne McGregor
Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Naia Bautista, Salvatore De Simone, Jordan James Bridge, Chia-Yu Hsu, Hannah Joseph, Jasiah Marshall, Salomé Pressac, Mariano Zamora Gonzalez
SET Benjamin Males
LIGHTING Theresa Baumgartner
COSTUME Ilaria Martello
JEWELLERY Hannah Martin
SOUND COMPOSITION Nicolas Becker and Lexx
Powered by Bronze
DRAMATURGY Uzma Hameed
LIGHTING ASSOCIATE Ben Kreukniet
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR Odette Hughes
co-produced from Montpellier Danse, France; Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, Italy; Pfalzbau Bühnen Ludwigshafen, Germany; Sadler's Wells Theatre, UK
co-commissioned from West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong
Supported by Harlequin Floors, Target 3D and the British Council as part of the UK/France Spotlight on Culture 2024 Together We Imagine.
Thanks to Centre for Creative and Immersive eXtended Realities, University of Portsmouth.
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Studio Wayne McGregor is sensitive to the exceptional climate and ecological crisis and issues of climate justice that the world is currently facing. To address this issue, Studio Wayne McGregor believes it is critical-as an art maker, leader, and figurehead-to proactively change by constantly innovating and reevaluating practices within all of its activities. The Wayne McGregor Studio is committed to to mitigating its impact on the environment, ensuring that environmentally responsible and sustainable processes and practices are at the core of its creative and operational activities. To learn more, visit the website: https://waynemcgregor.com/about/sustainability/.<br>
In addition to to reducing the impact of its activities, Wayne McGregor Studio also considers the positive environmental impacts it can have. Its woodland in the Caledonian Forest is managed from Trees for Life, a charity dedicated to revitalizing protected sites in the Scottish Highlands. You can view and support the woodland by visiting https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/386979/.
INFORMATION
Projections that might disturb people with from epilepsy or photosensitivity will be used during the performance.
Please be advised that dates and times may be subject to change.
See www.festivaldispoleto.com for updates.
He is an award-winning British choreographer and director, known to internationally for pioneering innovations that have radically redefined dance in the modern era. McGregor's multidimensional works, the result of his interaction with a range of artistic forms, scientific disciplines and technological interventions, have placed him at the forefront of contemporary arts for nearly three decades. He is artistic director of Studio Wayne McGregor, which includes creative collaborations in dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science, learning and research programs, and a touring company of dancers, Company Wayne McGregor, the first resident company at Sadler's Wells, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023. McGregor is also resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet, director of dance for the Venice Biennale and regularly receives invitations from the world's leading dance companies, including the Ballet de l'Opera in Paris, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Bolshoi Ballet. He is also in demand as a choreographer for theater,opera, film, fashion and music videos. McGregor choreographed the ABBA concert Voyage, premiering to London in May 2022. In 2011 McGregor was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)for services to dance.
Originally from New Zealand, she trained as a contemporary dance major at the New Zealand School of Dance. After graduating in 2011, she joined to the New Zealand Dance Company as an intern before moving to Townsville, Australia, to work with DanceNorth. She freelanced between New Zealand and Australia, working with several choreographers including Ross McCormack and Sarah Foster-Sproull. In 2013 she moved to London and continued to working as a freelance dancer throughout the UK and Europe. She joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2017.
A freelance artist from Gibraltar, she graduated from the English National Ballet School before moving to Warsaw to work with the Polish National Ballet. She then moved to London to begin to freelance work. She has worked to several projects spanning theater, advertising and film. Her goal is to find and create safe and inclusive spaces. She joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2023.
Born in Calabria, he trained to Milan at the Scuola del Teatro Carcano. He worked with companies and projects throughout Italy before moving to Germany to work with Deutsche Tanzkompanie and as a freelance to Berlin. He joined the Biennale Danza College 2021 in Venice dancing works from the repertoire of Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite. He joins to as part of the Wayne McGregor Company in 2021.
Born to Manchester, he graduated from the London Contemporary Dance School with a First Class BA Hons in Contemporary Dance. From 2014 to 2017, he toured nationally and internationally with Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Tavaziva Dance and Michael Clark Company, before joining to the Wayne McGregor Company in 2017. An award-winning dance filmmaker, he is founder/artistic director of Jordan Bridge Dance and an emerging choreographer/movement director working for stage, fashion and screen. His collaborations include Bloomberg, Paul Bert for London Fashion Week, Valgeir Sigurõsson, Asttina Mandella, CENKK, Tom Ashbrook and XPropaganda, to name a few. He has also taught to along around the world and gives master classes and workshops for private dance schools, institutions and companies.
Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, she began her training at Taipei National University of Arts before studying at the Rock School for Dance Education (USA). She later graduated from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. During her studies at Rambert, she performed with the Taiwan Ballet Company as a guest dancer. After graduation, she joined to the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, with whom she toured the United Kingdom and to internationally. She also took part in the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games with Corey Baker and appeared at the BBC Proms working with Anthony Roth Costanzo and the English National Orchestra. Throughout her professional career, she has worked with artists and choreographers such as Jose Agudo, Justin Allen, Justin Peck, Leigh Warren, Telmo Moreira, Yuanting Chuang, and Xiaoxiong Zhang. She joined the Wayne McGregor Company in February 2023.
Dance artist based at to London. She trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance and during that time worked for the Alexander Whitely Dance Company and was a finalist for BBC Young Dancer 2022. Previously, she performed works by Botis Seva and Russell Maliphant as part of the National Youth Dance Company. She has also worked with and performed works by Alessandra Seutin, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Deborah Norris, Ivan Michael Blackstock, Matsena Productions, New Adventures, and Seeta Patel. She joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2023.
Born in Bermuda, he began to dancing at the age of 16. He trained and studied at the Conservatory of Dance & Music in Toronto, Canada; as a fellow at the Ailey School in New York, exploring the techniques of Horton and Graham; and at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. After graduating from the Rambert School, he danced with the Fabula Collective Company and worked with several choreographers including Mthuthuzeli November, Cree Barnett Williams and Christopher Marney. He joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2023.
Born in southeast London, she is a professional dancer who trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (BA and MA) and has danced with Rambert 2 and Rambert Dance Company. She has interpreted works by choreographers such as Benoit Swan Pouffer, Sharon Eyal and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and danced for artists such as Dua Lipa, Fred Again and Idris Elba. She has also participated to numerous television and fashion campaigns, such as Burberry to/I and Stella McCartney 2020, and has acted and contributed movement direction and choreography to independent films. She joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2023.
Costa Rican artist residing to London. She began dance training at Jazzgoba Dance Academy and later continued at CityDance School & Conservatory in Washington DC. She accepted a scholarship to pursue a BFA in dance at the University of Southern California under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe. Between 2021 and 2023 he performed with Ballet Hispánico in New York City. An aesthete with a major in architecture, he is interested in the intersection of fine arts, crafts, dance and film and is eager to develop and explore his artistic interests to internationally on various platforms. He joined the Wayne McGregor Company in 2023.
A creative director and set designer with an innovative style, he skillfully blends advanced technology with art. At the forefront of emerging technologies and new materials, Males draws on a unique range of technical and creative skills, creating visual projects and digital experiences that challenge convention. A co-founder of Studio XO, Males' career highlights include the world's first flying dress/drone, designed for the launch of Lady Gaga's Art Pop album; collaboration with Intel for the set design of Gaga's David Bowie Tribute performance at the 2016 Grammys ; and the first-ever use of costumes with video controlled from DMX for the Black Eyed Peas' Beginning Tour in 2011. More recently, as creative director of his own studio, Males designed DJ Gesaffelstein's Vantablack set design, a ten-meter-tall monolith that debuted at Coachella in 2019; the one-off Vantablack car for BMW unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show; the "Black Ops House" for the launch of Call of Duty Black Ops 4 in 2019; and the immersive Museum of Infinite Realities experience in 2024. Males has spoken at the Web Summit and SXSW and is also the Director of Innovation for HXOUSE, the educational initiative founded from The Weeknd.
Theresa Baumgartner's artistic activities focus primarily on exploring alternative realities, using spatial and light installations to create immersive environments that encourage audiences to to reflect on their perceptions of reality. Baumgartner's recent works include INFINITE II, a collaboration with Matt Lambert and Michelle Lamy, Not Yet with Bendik Giske, and Seaphony created together to Tony Myatt and Chris Watson. He designed the set design for CHERNOBYL OST, which received the Opus Klassik 2020 award for most innovative live performance. In collaboration with Marcel Weber (MFO), he contributed set design for Jlin's Black Origami Tour and for Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein for their Emmy Award-winning musical performances for Stranger Things. Baumgartner is also co-founder of Bestfilmsforever/ BFF, a video and media arts collective committed to to promoting inclusivity in the film industry by supporting FLINTA* subjects in the technology sector.
She holds a bachelor's degree in English and German Literature, followed from a master's degree in Textiles from Goldsmiths, London. She is a doctoral candidate at the London College of Fashion, UAL. Her research investigates the relationship between humans and non-human entities in the creative process of developing costumes for dance. She currently serves as Senior Costume Production Manager at the Royal Ballet and Opera. Her costume design projects include Kyle Abraham's Optional Family for the Royal Ballet (2021), Alexander Whitley's Noumena for the Royal Ballet (2017), Robert Binet's Void and Fire for the Royal Ballet (2016), and Valentino Zucchetti's Enticement's Lure for the New English Ballet Theatre (2016). She was a costume consultant for the Oskar Schlemmer Estate in 2019 and continues to carry on her collaboration with Raman C. Schlemmer. She works with dancers as a mentor and collaborates regularly with artist Carolina Mazzolari, with whom she devised the work Alone, Together with Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer Kristen McNally, presented during the 2023 Venice Biennale. She is also a freelance writer, guest lecturer and speaker in the field of costume design.
He worked in the French film scene of the 1990s alongside contemporary artist Philippe before becoming one of Hollywood's most sought-after sound designers. His films include La Haine, Gravity, Ex Machina, and Arrival. In 2021 he won the Oscar for best sound for Sound of Metal. His projects include designing an immersive sound installation for the Louis Vuitton fashion show with contemporary artist and longtime collaborator Philippe Parreno and supervising the sound and music for the Basquiat exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris. Becker is currently working with experimental filmmaker Momoko Seto and Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold on their next feature films and recently released his debut collaborative album with Quentin Sirjacq entitled The New Atlantis.
LEXX is co-founder of Bronze, a technology that enables musicians to create and publish animated music. Bronze has been used from artists such as Arca, Jai Paul and Philippe Parreno.
British writer, director and dramaturg. A frequent collaborator with Wayne McGregor, she has been dramaturg for Woolf Works, The Dante Project, Obsidian Tear and Multiverse by the Royal Ballet; for Autobiography and Universe: to Dark Crystal Odyssey by the Wayne McGregor Company; for MADDADDAM by the National Ballet of Canada; and for the staging of AfteRite + LORE by Teatro alla Scala. He also collaborated with director Isabelle Kettle for The Seven Deadly Sins/The Mahagonny Songspiel for the Royal Opera and with choreographer Cathy Marston for Northern Ballet's Victoria. In 2021 he published UNDYING, a two-book novel written with his sister Ambreen Hameed. In 1997 she founded The Big Picture Company, an avant-garde theater company that combines new forms of writing with choreography and film. As associate director of Derby Playhouse, she directed Schiller's Shirley Valentine, Dracula, Frankenstein and Maria Stuart. She has also directed for Kali Theatre, led projects at the National Theatre Studio and given lectures and workshops for organizations such as the Royal College of Art, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Edinburgh International Festival.
Il Posto / Wanda Moretti
+ Marco Castelli Small Ensemble
Friedemann Vogel
Adrien M & Claire B
Mehdi Kerkouche