Opus 3 Artists is pleased to tour Ballet Preljocaj’s acclaimed La Fresque (The Painting on the Wall) in 2019. Created in 2016 and based on a traditional Chinese tale, this work for 10 dancers is “infused with sensual beauty” (Le Figaro) and showcases how Artistic Director and Choreographer Angelin Preljocaj is “skilled at telling stories without compromising any choreographic demands” (La Terrasse).
After Roméo and Juliet in 1990, Snow White in 2008 and Siddharta in 2010, Angelin Preljocaj is continuing his exploration of the literature by telling the fantastical tale of a painting come to life and a journey into another dimension where the picture becomes a place of transcendence and a person can become a part of the picture. The ballet seeks to explore the mysterious relations between representation and reality, fixed image and movement, immediacy and duration, the live and the inert.
Choreography Angelin Preljocaj
Music Nicolas Godin
Costume Design Azzedine Alaïa
Set Design Constance Guisset Studio
Lighting Éric Soyer ... read full bio
Created in December 1984 by Angelin Preljocaj, the Preljocaj company became the National Choreographic Centre of Champigny-sur-Marne and Val-de-Marne in 1989. In 1996, the ballet was welcomed at the Cité du Livre in Aix-en-Provence and became Ballet Preljocaj – National Choreographic Centre of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, the Pays d’Aix Community and the City of Aix-en-Provence.
Since founding his company, now composed of 24 dancers, Angelin Preljocaj has created 50 choreographic works, ranging from solo to larger formations. The Ballet performs about 100 dates per year on tour, in France and abroad. Angelin Preljocaj has multiplied his collaborations with other artists such as Enki Bilal (Roméo et Juliette, 1990), Air (Near Life Experience, 2003) Granular Synthesis (« N », 2004), Fabrice Hyber (Les 4 saisons..., 2005), Jean Paul Gaultier (Snow White, 2008), Constance Guisset (Le funambule, 2009), and Azzedine Alaïa (The Nighs, 2013).
His creations have been restaged by numerous other repertory companies, from which he also receives requests to create new pieces, including La Scala in Milan, the New York City Ballet, the Staatsoper in Berlin and the Paris Opera Ballet.
Beyond the repertory performances, Ballet Preljocaj has worked to bring dance to Aix-en-Provence and neighboring communities. The outreach has included lectures on dance interpretation through video, open public rehearsals, contemporary dance classes and workshops, and dance interventions in urban public space - all means of viewing and understanding dance from different perspectives.
In 2006 Ballet Preljocaj moved into a new home in Aix-en-Provence, The Pavillon Noir. The space was designed by the architect Rudy Ricciotti exclusively for dance and allows artists to experience the entire creative process, from workshops and rehearsals to staging and performance. The Pavillon Noir opened its doors on October 20, 2006. Performances are programmed year round, both artistic director Angelin Preljocaj’s creations and from other invited companies.
