The 9th Seoul Performing Arts Festival

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Yesterday - UK

Time :

Oct 31(Sat) 19:00
Nov 1(Sun) 16:00 [CA]

Venue :

Daehangno Arts Theater

Ticket Price :

General R : 50,000 won S : 40,000 won
Y/S R : 30,000 won S ; 20,000 won

Duration :

75 min

Rating :

15 and over

Choreographer :

Jasmin Vardimon

Company :

Jasmin Vardimon Company

Wells, the cradle of innovative choreographers. It includes Lullaby which was shown as a BBC documentary However, this is not simply an edited version of her previous works. Witness creativity befitting the winner of the 'New Choreographers' Award by the London Arts Board and 'Changing Stages' Award by the Jerwood Foundation.

Introducing

"A composite goody bag of modern dance by Jasmin Vardimon"

Yesterday (2008) celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Jasmin Vardimon Company. It is a composition of highlights from previous works such as Tête (1991), Lure Lure Lure (2000), Ticklish (2001), Lullaby (2003), Park (2005) and Justitia (2007). At the same time, it is very much a work in itself as a journey into the world of the choreographer, Jasmin Vardimon. She is the choreographer at Sadler's Wells and can be likened to the world-renowned Mathew Borne, Akram Khan, or Russell Malifunt. Her work is well known for the lucidity in her interpretation of major issues facing modern society. Her body-breaking dynamism, stimulating choreography and sensitive detailed expression of sentiments indicate her direction in modern dance of today. To show the inconsistencies of modern society, Vardimon produces an unequivocal medium that contrasts excessive physical expressions with touches of deep human sentiment. The large vertical screen and cameras on stage allow the audience to view images that have been enlarged live on stage. The esthetics of imagery does nothing to infringe on the humanity of the dancers except to enhance it. Since its premiere at the Brighton Dome in 2008, this performance has been seen at the Athens Arts Center, Sadler's Wells and the Peacock Theatre, and it is on tour in Korea in 2009.

Performance

Yesterday, the latest production by Jasmin Vardimon is not simply an edited version of previous works. The minimal stage is enough to erase all traces of nostalgia for previous performances and, if anything, acts as a route put down for new works. A big vertical screen at the far back of the stage spontaneously shows black and white images whose meaning remains elusive. The performance begins with a woman singing with a fishing rod in hand on top of the legs of a man lying on the floor. From the start, a high level of balance is required of the dancers. At some point, their bodies are exposed to danger. A precarious balance between sadism and sensationalism mixed with witty images and animation is employed to build the esthetics of Jasmin Vardimon's dance.

Diverse spaces including a park, hospital and home are suggested through various stage effects. In due course, the bodies of some dancers turn into two-dimensional blank slates. They then start to draw continuous black lines on their bodies forming pictures of houses with windows and doors on their stomachs and houses on fire, which appear much like paintings on paper. The stark contrast in expression with the other dancers who are dancing to such a background creates an odd sensation. The audience watches the dancers live on an enlarged screen captured by camera. This use of live images and picture drawing as part of the background on stage is innovative enough to capture the attention and rapport of the audience.

The bodies of the dancers fill up the minimal space as they meet the challenges of the well-organized, acrobatics-filled, and demanding choreography of Vardimon. Her sharp instincts and innovative ideas are expressed as a compulsively repetitive dynamic dance that takes the audience by surprise. The choreography of this major work is like a collage piece seamlessly sewn together and enhanced by Vardimon's insightful humor and wit as well as the smart details in composition found in her work. Even those who are a bit weak-hearted and may, at first, only be remembering the stimulating scenes in the performance will undergo a catharsis of the heart with the last scene, which is almost too beautiful to take in.


Choreographer	- Jasmin Vardimon Born in Israel, Jasmin Vardimon entered the Kibbutz Dance Company. She won the On the Way to London Prize in 1995 awarded by the British Council. In 1997, she settled in London to find the Jasmin Vardimon Company. She worked as choreographer for The Place in 1998 and as a Yorkshire Dance Partner between 1999 and 2005. At present, Vardimon is the choreographer for Saddler's Wells. She has choreographed pieces such as Justitia (2007), Park (2005), Lullaby (2003), Ticklish (2001), Lure Lure Lure (2000), Tête (1991), Madame Made (1998) and Therapist (1997) at the Jasmin Vardimon Company. Lullaby (2003) was shown as a BBC documentary and at the Dance Film Academy in 2005. Her trademarks of sharp instincts and challenging freshness have been the engines behind her activities. Her high level of achievement has been recognized and rewarded with the New Choreographers Award by the London Arts Board in 1998 and the Changing Stages Award from the Jerwood Foundation in 2004.
Company	- Jasmin Vardimon Company Set up in 1997, the Jasmin Vardimon Company is one of the most forward-looking body dance drama companies in the UK. Named after the Sadler's Wells artist since 2006, Jasmin Vardimon, the Company is intent on expressing universal issues of modern times by going beyond physical limitations and yet remaining true to human sentiments. Whimsical descriptions, innovative techniques, and eye-catching texts and movements vindicate her emphasis on human behavior. Her unusual drama colored by an insightful sense of humor shows that the works of the Company contain a voice on human experience and social participation. Lauded for its dynamic performances, determination and technical finesse, the Company has gone on tour at major theaters worldwide. In 2009, the company is on tour both in Europe and Asia with Yesterday (2008) and Justitia (2007). Its most recent repertoire includes Yesterday (2008), Justitia (2007), Park (2005), Lullaby (2003), Madame Made (1998) and Therapist (1997). http://www.jasminvardimon.com
Staff	Associate Director/Dramaturg : Guy Bar-Amotz Set/Media Designer : Guy Bar-Amotz Light Designer : Chahine Yavroyan Costume Designer : Linda Rowell Sound Designer : Nick Kennedy Animation : Michael Klega Production Photographer : Alastair Muir Co-Production : Brighton Dome
Cast	Paul Blackman, Luke Burrough, Tim Casson, Mafalda Deville, Christine Gouzelis, Yunkyung Song, David Nondorf, Elena Stavropoulou

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