Ballet BC x LYLE XOX: FOR EVER ☆ Folio.YVR ☆ Issue 25 May 2024 ☆ Luxury Lifestyle Magazine

Following a season of sold-out houses, record-breaking fundraising campaigns, and rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, Ballet BC returned to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for three nights for its season finale ' FOR EVER: A Full Evening of Works by Medhi Walerski.'

The evening included three works from Artistic Director and French choreographer Medhi Walerski, including Chamber and SWAY - both new to Ballet BC's repertoire - and a world premiere, his sixth for the company since first commissioned in 2011, were presented.

"I have been a part of Ballet BC for almost 15 years, so it brings me great pride to share each of these works with our audiences who have given so much to me over the years," shared Walerski.

"I am now at a point in my career, and in my trajectory with this company, where I deeply value the community we have built. Vancouver has absolutely become a global centre for dance creation, and I feel more fortunate than ever to have the opportunity to contribute to that, and to work next to some inspiring, like-minded artistic collaborators along the way."

The landmark evening featured a new creative collaborator for Walerski, the internationally acclaimed visual artist LYLE XOX [Folio.YVR Issue # 18]. Known for work that combines his experience in art, fashion, design and make-up artistry to create striking images using his face and body as canvas and plinth.

At the company's final program of the 23/ 24 season, FOR EVER, an artistic collaboration was years in the making. Company artist Emanuel Dostine stepped out onto the stage wearing the creation. The piece explored themes including loss, reuse, transformation, and reconstruction, and it was featured in the world premiere of Medhi's latest creation for the company, 'Pieces of Tomorrow. '

A central facet of Lyle's multi-media work is discovering and utilizing found objects and discarded materials to create something new. For this collaboration, materials were sourced from near and far, including Japan, Mexico, and from within the Ballet BC family itself, giving it special meaning.

Walerski said, "The creation of 'Pieces of Tomorrow' began with the concept of legacy. Drawing inspiration from LYLE XOX's sculptures made from found materials, the dancers and I aimed to create the choreography by exploring themes of destruction, creation, and reconstruction."

"Just as Lyle transforms materials, we focused on repurposing movement elements to breathe new life into them."

"Johan Ullen's recomposed violin sonatas from Bach deepened our exploration with a profound layer. The recycling of musical material echoed our approach, enriching our work with a sense of continuity and growth. Loss, transformation, and rebirth. The cyclical nature of artistic expression, and life.:

To which, LYLE XOX added, "Inspiration always begins with the found objects themselves Objects discovered or gifted from various parts of the globe, including discarded remnants from members of the Ballet BC family."

"It was essential to use pieces that reflected life in its many facets; embracing all genders and telling a story of creation, transformation, loss and rebirth. A sculpture that encapsulated strength and fragility."

"Medhi and I were instinctively drawn to the colour gold. A hue that is illuminating, sacred and precious; a colour with a spiritual connection The sculpture would live in the environment of movement, and so this particular piece was constructed in consideration of that."

"Watching it come alive on the dancer for the first time was an incredibly moving experience, a moment where two art forms bonded together."

AN EVENING OF EXPLORATION

In addition to 'Pieces of Tomorrow,' Walerski presented one of his most acclaimed and largest-scale works to date ' Chamber.' Inspired by Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring,' the piece is a visually rich echo of what the music provokes in the choreographer's imagination. It was named one of the LA Times top performances of 2013, a testament to its artistic merit and impact.

Danced by a large ensemble to a stunning score by decorated British composer Joby Talbot, Chamber is a primal, ritualistic work that seeks to balance order and chaos, ultimately underlining the duality between the collective and the individual.

'SWAY,' a North American premiere for seven dancers, joined Ballet BC's repertoire at FOR EVER. This piece, which invokes the lyrical movement language Walerski has become known for, is a unique ode to movement and its ability to communicate without words, offering a different experience from the other works in the program.

The evening concluded with a long-awaited world premiere, Walerski's sixth with the company and his second new creation since becoming Artistic Director. This captivating piece, set to music by Bach and featuring the entire company of 20 dancers, reinforcing Walerski's continued innovation and artistic vision.