Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker . Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

An evening that blends music and dance into a captivating whole: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen presents three early works by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, which translate classical compositions into movement, combining abstract concepts with vivid storytelling.

In 1986, De Keersmaeker first engaged with Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, creating a choreography that captures the work’s complex rhythms and harmonies in a manner that is both combative and playful. In 1992, she turned her attention to Beethoven’s Great Fugue, translating its counterpoints into physical form through a powerful movement vocabulary. With Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht in 1995, she immersed herself in a romance that questions and reinterprets gender roles through duets and trios. Each of these works stands as a choreographic response to classical music and demonstrates De Keersmaeker’s unique flair for storytelling.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Flemish avant-garde icon and founder of the Compagnie Rosas, combines dance, music and concept into rigorous, spatiotemporal structures – from Steve Reich to Johann Sebastian Bach, from opera to museum. Opera Ballet Vlaanderen is Flanders’ largest cultural institution and positions itself as a driving force of the Flemish avant-garde – programmatically rooted in the fusion of opera, ballet and experimental work.

CAST & CREDITS

Bartók
Music: Béla Bartok - Quatuor N°4
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker choreography, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Herman Sorgeloos lighting, Rosas costumes

Beethoven
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven - Die Grosse Fuge opus 133
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker choreography, Jean Luc Ducourt director, Jan Joris Lamers set design, lighting, Rosas costumes, Georges-Elie Octors musical analysis

Schönberg
Music: Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker choreography, Gilles Aillaud, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker set design, Vinicio Cheli lighting, Rudy Sabounghi costumes, Georges-Elie Octors musical analysis

Dancers of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen dance