Rite of Spring (The)

How much of ourselves do we sacrifice to fit in with the group, to become part of it? To what extent are individuality, madness, imperfection allowed? What does a man represent to a woman, a woman to a man? What do the rites of passage mean in our contemporary society?

With some of these questions in mind, choreographer Stijn Celis set out to explore the complexity of the multi-layered rhythmic structure of the orchestral version of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, its amplitude of sounds, its fiery energy, and its intensifying construction—an exciting empirical and visceral experience. The work exists in an indefinite space-time and includes references to Stravinsky's original Rite of Spring for some of the choreographic sequences, yet set in a decidedly abstract and contemporary context.

With a fluid structure, the ballet is composed of seven scenes, subdivided into tableaux, alternating between the feminine and the masculine, tension and relaxation, circles, spirals, and the formation of structures, light and shadow, protection, and abandonment.