Opus.11
World première: 10 July 2013
Semperoper Ballett, Saxon State Opera
Semperoper, Dresden, Germany
Choreography and Light Design David Dawson
Music Greg Haines
Costume Design Yumiko Takeshima
Assistant to the Choreographer Tim Couchman
OPUS.11 is a love letter to two artists whom I have had the privilege of knowing and working with the most during my choreographic life.
Together we have experienced a connection that for me cannot ever be matched. Both share a special and natural talent that goes far beyond technique, partnered by an ability to use their bodies intelligently thus becoming instruments of the purest physical emotion. Making music become a truly visible presence. We have shared a deep love for our art form since we first met, hungry to learn and constantly questioning our beliefs and knowledge and to try and discover new ways to move within classical technique.
In the studio it sometimes feels as if we can read each others minds, they inspire and push me to challenge them with the best ideas I can think of. From piece to piece we have developed and informed each other how to go further. They have always brought out the very best in me which they then transform into unforgettable transcendent performances that have captivated audiences all over the world.
This partnership is one of a kind. Without them both, who in my opinion are superstars, I would not have been able to have created the works the way we see them, and I would not have been able to have had the experience of existing in a little corner of heaven while creating them.
Yumiko Takeshima and Raphaël Coumes-Marquet – I thank you.
