Piano Works Debussy (2020)

Lisbeth Gruwez & Claire Chevallier

Music is the space between the notes
– Claude Debussy

Piano Works Debussy is a duet between dancer Lisbeth Gruwez and pianist Claire Chevallier. Together they are in search of the space between the notes in the compositions of Claude Debussy, who fiddled around with the hegemony of rules. Their movements are suggestions rather than expressions, in line with Debussy’s search for ‘la musique immatérielle’. Rather than evoking a steadfast reality, Gruwez and Chevalier install an imagination behind the gauze of the material.

For the first time in her career Gruwez is getting involved with classical music. After her formation in classical ballet she found freedom in contemporary dance, gradually developing a language of movement that’s referential by now. In this respect, Piano Works Debussy is a unique dialogue between a classical and contemporary framework that somehow uncovers her choreographical trajectory.

Lisbeth Gruwez: “Piano Works Debussy is an aquarelle. Think about the airiness of colours that flow in one another, dry for a while, and become moistened again to establish new connections. Debussy’s music irrigates the dance and continually shakes up the material.”

 

CREDITS

Choreography: Lisbeth Gruwez;
Music: Claude Debussy;
Performance: Lisbeth Gruwez & Claire Chevallier;
Artistic Assistance: Maarten Van Cauwenberghe;
Dramaturgy: Bart Meuleman;
Light Design: Stef Alleweireldt;
Scenography: Marie Szersnovicz;
Sound: Alban Moraud & Maarten Van Cauwenberghe;
Technical director: Gilles Roosen;
Production manager: Anita Boels;
Communication: Sam Ecker;
Production: Voetvolk vzw (BE);
Co-production: KVS – Royal Flemish Theatre (BE), Le Fonds de dotation du Quartz (FR), Theater Freiburg (DE), Klarafestival (BE), ADC Geneva (CH), Vooruit Ghent (BE), Liepāja concert hall ‘Great amber’ (LV), Festival d’Avignon (FR) & MA scène nationale – Pays de Montbéliard (FR);
Residencies: KVS – Royal Flemish Theatre (BE), Arts Centre NONA (BE), Ultima Vez (BE), Les Brigittines (BE) & Le Quartz (FR);
With the support of: NONA, the Flemish Community & the Belgian Tax Shelter;
Distribution: Key Performance (SE)

Photo by Danny Willems