The electro rhythms of French pop-rock group Air will fill Royce
Hall on Nov. 12-13 as the soundtrack to Ballet Preljocaj’s
“Near Life Experience.”
Whimsical rock musicians Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin
of Air, who wrote the music for “The Virgin Suicides”
in 2000, have composed a completely original soundtrack for the
bold new ballet by Angelin Preljocaj.
With music that is often described as dreamy and hypnotic, their
collaboration with Preljocaj comes as no surprise: The
choreographer’s latest work is all about moments of
transcendence.
“It’s actually about different levels of states in
the body, like ecstasy and getting out of your own body and not
being able to control the movement,” said Claudia de Smet,
one of the ballet’s 12 dancers.
Preljocaj directed each dance by improvising to previously
written Air music. After he choreographed most of the show, Dunckel
and Godin observed the dances and wrote the score, said de
Smet.
Traditionally, people view out-of-body experiences as near-death
experiences. Preljocaj preferred to focus on heightened moments of
emotion in life, like euphoria and rapture.
“It goes to different levels,” de Smet said.
“(Preljocaj) believes making love is a way where you lose
control. (He choreographs) exterior sensations, like when somebody
is born, and you have all of these features in the
piece.”
With its soothing beats that lull the listener, Air’s
music actually sounds similar to how one might imagine air to
sound. Preljocaj’s choreography enhances the viewer’s
sense of being in a trance.
Unlike some of his previous pieces that were fast and in unison,
“Near Life Experience” is slower and concentrates on
the individual dancer.
“It’s all in white and you can really enjoy it
because each scene is slow and can be quite abstract sometimes
because there is also a lot of emotion going on,” said de
Smet.
The minimalist production is abstract on purpose ““
Preljocaj hopes viewers will bring their own experiences to the
piece and interpret the emotions in their own way.
The ultramodern rock soundtrack and contemporary themes test the
limits of traditional ballet. But the performance still maintains
classical technique in that the dance is very linear, de Smet
said.
However, Preljocaj plays with upper body movement, making the
ballet more stunning.
“The audience has to go with an open mind. Something might
not be clear all the time, but the general idea of ecstasy makes it
pleasant to watch as a spectator,” said de Smet.