The first premiere of the new season at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb opened on Friday with the double ballet 'Kazimir's Colours / Rossini Cards'. The audience was introduced to the works of choreographer Maura Bigontei, with the Zagreb audience seeing these two contemporary ballets by the Italian choreographer for the first time.
Bigontei is in Zagreb during the work on the production and the first performances of his works with the HNK Ballet ensemble. The choreographer for both works is the Italian Bigontei, one of the most important choreographers of his generation. The work 'Kazimir's Colours' was created in 1996 for the Stuttgart Ballet and it brought him international fame. It is inspired by the painting of Kazimir Malevich, and choreographed to Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings. The work states that geometric shapes and the suprematism of colours become the starting point for the exploration of space and movement.
'Rossini Cards' is an abstract work without a firm dramatic framework, inspired by the works of Gioachino Rossini and his passion for gastronomy. Instead of a conventional story, it presents images, visions, and comic and absurd situations. Rossini's music is the starting point for the movement, energy, irony and poetry, and the ballet movement brings different types of dance, including singing and monologue.
Bigontei has stated that the music is the foundation of his creation and that he does not imagine the movement as a follow-up to the music, but that it is deeply woven into the way he thinks about the movement. For 'Kazimir's Colours', the connection of Malevich's colours and the feeling of his paintings with the music of Stravinsky inspired him, while for 'Rossini Cards' the music, as he states, is the driving force of the work. Bigontei states that he is interested in the exchange with the dancers, whose creative contribution is equally valuable as the music. His choreographic expression is not reduced to one style, but is described as the result of the intersection of different experiences gained from working with many companies and dancers.
The set designer and light designer for both performances is Carlo Cerri. The choreographies are by Béatrice Mille and Roberto Zamorano. The costumes for 'Kazimir's Colours' are by Lucia Socci, and for 'Rossini Cards' by Helena de Medeiros. The ensemble of the HNK is involved in the performance, among others, Natalia Kosac, Yuho Yoshioka, Miruna Miciu, Taiguara Goulart, Hinako Shinzaki, Ivana Viti, Pavel Savin, Helena Troha and Lucija Radic-Palink.
Bigontei has been choreographing since 1990. After working at the Teatro dell'Opera, he moved to the company of Aterballetto, and then worked with many international ballet companies and theatre houses. His choreographic language is characterised by the connection of movement and music, physical energy, theatricality and visuality, and the connection of classical ballet technique with contemporary dance expression. The production is realised with the partnership of the Embassy of the Republic of Italy in the Republic of Croatia, the Università Popolare di Trieste and the Unione Italiana.
