Thrice

This piece, like its name suggests, is a triptych. The number three is an important one, both in the work of Damien Jalet and in the references he cites, from Greek tragedy to Japanese theatre, mathematics to religion; past, present and future, body, mind and soul; matter, time and space. This number also and above all recalls the elements that Octavio Paz summons in his poem Wind, Water, Stone. These fundamental, complementary components are gathered here in three sequences, Gusts, Médusés and Brise-lames, around a literal common ground. Indeed, during each new chapter, the performers roll out carpets, on the sides then in the back of the stage, thus building a decor, or rather a portal to another dimension. The Wind, the sea and the water thus become the main characters that together hold the timeless and evolving language of this piece; that of bodies attempting not to solidify.

Gusts, the first section, is about air – breath and movement – and pays homage to the force that carries us. With live music by acclaimed Norwegian saxophonist Bendik Giske, performing a newly commissioned original composition, Gusts becomes a dialogue between body and sound, highlighting the tension between gravity and centripetal force. With unpredictable outbursts and spiraling patterns, the dancers seem to surf on invisible air currents in a piece that feels like a succinct extract of an infinite loop.

Médusés, the second chapter, takes its cue from the myth of Medusa and the idea of being petrified by a gaze. Here, bodies resist between rigidity and fluidity, humor and dramatic intensity. The piece is an evolution of one of Jalet’s early pieces Les Medusées created at the Louvre Museum in 2013, where three female dancers in synchronicity to a complex polyrhythmic score, only moving to hit sculptural poses, with a visceral freedom-seeking energy. 

Brise-lames the final part, transports us underwater. Created in collaboration with visual artist JR and featuring live music composed and performed by renowned Japanese pianist Koki Nakano, the piece was first conceived during the pandemic in 2020 for nine dancers of the Paris Opera but never presented live due to national lockdown. The title refers to the wave breakers, wooden pillars planted on the shore to protect it from the violence of waves. With movements carrying both the gentle ebb and flow of a low tide and the intensity of overwhelming and crushing waves, Brise-lames is a reminder of both our resilience and need of connection in overwhelming situations.

“Thrice” thus becomes a manifesto against any kind of hardening of heart, especially the hardening of the heart manifested in European politics. Masterful in its choreography, dance, music and sound, lighting, stage, and composition, the piece is deeply moving with the poetry of its images and the humanism of its subject matter. A great work of contemporary dance

__Die internationale kulturplatform

Both Jalet and de Keersmaeker sum up what many feel today helping.
__Ploebst Der standard 

A fantastic evening 

__Salzburger nachrichten

With the three-part Thrice, he has conquered all the crowns and stars of the ImPulsTanzFestival. Rarely does one see such a perfectly coordinated, diverse, and sophisticated performance. All good things, after all. A true highlight of Impulstanz festival.

 __Tanzschrift 

Everything seems to breathe a perfect harmony and produce in the viewer a rare hypnotic immersion effect

__Danser Canal Historique 

Jalet’s work often transcends traditional boundaries between different art forms, while at the same time keeping dance and bodily expression central. His ability to create dance by fusing different art forms in choreographies that can both be sensational and provide room for reflection has given Jalet deserved star status.

Thrice invites you to a whole that is not obvious, but is artistically rooted and works well.

_shakespearetidsskrift

Thrice
Damien Jalet / Nagelhus Schia Productions

Guests

Choreographer: Damien Jalet

Dancers: Even Eileraas, Christina Guieb, Aimillios Arapoglou

Lighting Design: Jan Maertens

Composer and live music: Bendik Giske 

Costume Design: Craig Green

Set Design: Jim Hodges and Carlos Marques da Cruz

Medusés

Choreographer: Damien Jalet

Dancers: Vebjørn Sundby, Mason Kelly, Shintaro Oue, Guro Nagelhus Schia, Christina Guieb, Karima El Amrani

Lighting Design: Jan Maertens

Costumes: Line Maher, Bernhard Willhelm

Set Design: Jim Hodges and Carlos Marques da Cruz

Music: Winter Family

Rhythmic composition: Gabriele Miracle 

Brise-lames

Choreographer: Damien Jalet

Associate choreographer: Aimilios Arapoglou

Dancers: Guro Nagelhus Schia, Christina Guieb, Karima El Amrani, Nora Svendsgaard, Vebjørn Sundby, Mason Kelly, Shintaro Oue, Aimilios Arapoglou, Even Eileraas

Image, set design & costumes: JR 

Live music and original composition: Koki Nakano

Additional track by: Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm

Lighting Designer: Fabiana Piccioli

Associate Lighting Designer: Sander Loonen

A production from the Paris National Opera

** 

Sound technician: Terje Wessel Øverland

Light technician: Jan Harald Ovrum

Video technician: Jan Martin Vågen

Stage managers: Carl Nilssen Love, Tomasz Jerzy Kujawski

Hair: Irina Jensen, Anette Klophus


Assistant to Damien Jalet: Jamila Hessaïne

Rehearsal director/assistant to Damien Jalet: Astrid Sweeney

Text: Theo Casciani

Photos: Rahi Rezvani

Nagelhus Schia Productions

Artistic Director: Guro Nagelhus Schia 

Assisting Artistic Director: Vebjørn Sundby 

Rehearsal Director: Kristin Hjort Inao   

Producer: Tara Ishizuka Hassel

Produced by Nagelhus Schia Productions

All pictures by Rahi Rezvani