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Dance

De Keersmaeker/Kolesnikov/Franco, The Goldberg Variations, Sadler's Wells

06 Sep 22 – 07 Sep 22, 19:30 Dur.: 2 hours

The Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker brings her uncompromising approach to bear on Bach's The Goldberg Variations

By Teresa Guerreiro on 6/7/2022

Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker in The Goldberg Variations.  Photo: Anne van Aerschot
Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker in The Goldberg Variations. Photo: Anne van Aerschot
De Keersmaeker/Kolesnikov/Franco, The Goldberg Variations, Sadler's Wells De Keersmaeker/Kolesnikov/Franco, The Goldberg Variations, Sadler's Wells Teresa Guerreiro
Rigorous and uncompromising are perhaps the best two words to describe Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker's approach to dance. Even her most ardent fans can sometimes feel stretched by her absolute refusal to make allowances for the comfort of the audience.


And certainly a measure of endurance will be required to sit through The Goldberg Variations, her work set to J S Bach's complex late period work. De Keersmaeker has tackled Bach before, namely his Six Brandenburg Concertos, but whereas that work luxuriated in the complexity of Bach's music with a large cast, The Goldberg Variations is pared down to absolute basics.


Two pianists, Pavel Kolesnikov and Alain Franco, accompany a single dancer, de Keersmaeker herself, barefoot, silver hair in a plain ponytail, dressed in severe black, on a darkly lit stage.



The music features one aria and 30 intricate variations, and the choreography seeks to respond by mirroring the music's own pathways. It does so in a performance that lasts two hours and where, as you can see from the trailer above, her face remains inscrutable, the movements are abrupt and repetitive.


It's absolutely not everybody's cup of tea, but perhaps if you like your dance almost as visual mathematics, you may well enjoy de Keersmaeker's latest offering at Sadler's Wells.



by Teresa Guerreiro

What De Keersmaeker/Kolesnikov/Franco, The Goldberg Variations, Sadler's Wells
Where Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN | MAP
Nearest tube Angel (underground)
When 06 Sep 22 – 07 Sep 22, 19:30 Dur.: 2 hours
Price £20-£25 (+booking fee)
Website Click here to book



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J S Bach

The Goldberg Variations

Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker

Pavel Kolesnikov

Alain Franco

Sadler's Wells

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