The Rite of Spring (2013)
by and with Min Kyoung Lee & João dos Santos Martins

Special guests Kristian Larsen & Carol Brown

running time: 90 minutes

Synopsis

The Rite of Spring (2013) is a dance that battles and marathons with The Rite of Spring (1913) of Vaslav Nijinsky, the mythical absent choreography, and its subsequent numerous versions of the last 100 years, to test the role of dance, sacrifice, pleasure, and death in the community of theatre.

Biographies

Carol Brown is a choreographer and artistic director whose work explores the cracks between art forms. Working in sustained collaborations, her body of work has evolved through dialogue and experimentation in diverse settings including urban, architectural and theatrical environments in response to questions of space, belonging and identity. Carol studied expressive dance with Shona Dunlop-MacTavish and Jan Bolwell in Dunedin and completed a History Honours degree at Otago University before leaving New Zealand for Europe where, with composer Russell Scoones, she established Carol Brown Dances during a residency at the Place Theatre London. Awards for choreography include a Jerwood Prize and the Ludwig Forum International Prize for Innovation. Carol has a PhD in choreography and is an Associate Professor in Dance at the University of Auckland. 

New Zealand based artist Kristian Larsen is an award winning choreographer, new performance artist, and essayist/blogger. A graduate of three of New Zealand's key dance institutions (UNITEC-PASA, The New Zealand School of Dance, and the University of Auckland). Larsen has worked extensively as a performer and collaborator with and for internationally renowned artists including Jerome Bel (France), Lemi Poinfasio (NZ/Europe) Ko Nakajima (Japan), Hans Van Den Broeck (Belgium), Min Tanaka (Japan), Magpie Music Dance Company (Netherlands). Paul Pinson (Scotland), and istheatere (Australia). Larsen is an artistic director for a new interdisciplinary improvisation ensemble, Shameless Crowd Pleaser. 

João dos Santos Martins was born in 1989, in Portugal. He has studied dance and choreography in various institutions across Europe and works as a performer and choreographer since 2008. He created Le Sacre du Printemps (2013) with Min Kyoung Lee, Masterpiece (2014) and Continued Project (2015). He collaborated in Tropa Fandanga (2014) by Teatro Praga and in Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy. He is currently performing in Estzer Salamon’s Monument 0 (Hunted by wars 1913-2013) and preparing a new collaboration with Cyriaque Villemaux, “Self-Titled”, premiering next October in Portugal.

Min Kyoung Lee has been working as a dance/performance maker and performer since 2004 and performed and presented her own and collaborative works in various venues and festivals in New Zealand, Europe and Korea.   She studied Chinese Philosophy (Sungkyunkwan University, Korea), Contemporary dance (Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand) and Choreographic Studies (MA) at Centre Chorégraphique Nationale Montpellier / Montpellier 3 University (France). Min is a recipient of scholarship/funds of danceWEB Europe, Creative New Zealand Professional Development, Todd Foundation, Asia New Zealand Foundation, Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, and is a co-founder of Sweet and Tender Collaborations, a network of international artist. Currently she is presenting ‘Karaoke for Peace’ in Festival Bom in Seoul. 

The touring of The Rite of Spring (2013) is made possible with the support and collaboration of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Consulate General of Portugal in Sydney, Unitec Department of Performing and Screen Arts in Auckland, Allen Hall/Theatre Studies of the University of Otago, BATS Theatre in Wellington.

 

PLEASE NOTE:
This show is suited to mature audiences and has an R15 rating.