98 Ballet Interview Choreographer Alexander Ekman on Play In 2017, Aurélie Dupont, director of Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, invited Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman to create a new work for her company. “I assumed she meant a short piece,” Ekman recalls, “but no, a full length produc- tion. In Paris. That was a huge thing for me. I was still young and I wanted it to be really good. Every creation is a risk: you never know what the end result will be. That is both the agony and the excitement of choreography. On the night of the premiere, I was terrified. I thought: my god, what have I done?” Creative freedom In Paris, he was given complete freedom. “That is something I deeply admire about the French approach to art and culture. Even if you want to order thousands of ball pit balls and drop them into a classical opera house, the answer is: ‘Oui, bien sûr.’ As long as it serves an artistic purpose.” He will never forget the first time they used the balls. “We had lived with the idea for so long, but we had no idea what it would actually look like. Then the moment came. The balls bounced across the stage and immediately the technicians started jumping around among them, completely off their heads. That was when I realised: yes, this works.” It gave Ekman precisely the feeling he was looking for. “For me, playing is one of the biggest joys in life. When you truly play, you are completely immersed in the moment. There is a kind of happiness in that, and I think that’s the only reason why we are alive. As adults, we should allow ourselves to play more, or at least create a space or mindset where it becomes possible. Perhaps then we might rediscover a sense of freedom, something we lose when responsibility takes over. That is also what the second act is about.” Special moment When the French critics ultimately embraced Ekman’s bold creation, he was able to breathe again. “That realisation was very special. So the whole process and ballet remain very special to me and I’m really looking forward to staging Play with your company. Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities, and through my time with Nederlands Dans Theater, the Netherlands feels a little like home. And this will be the first time another company performs the piece, which is exciting.” Another company actually means a slightly different ballet as well. “Although the foundation stays the same, when you teach a work to a different company something always changes. The feeling, the energy, the way of approaching it. All of that grows out of the culture and home base of the company.” For Ekman, however, it is ultimately about what play awakens within us, regardless of place or culture. “In the theatre, we can experience that together. If you succeed in bringing an entire auditorium into one shared moment, that is when true magic happens.” “ Creating is always a risk: you never know what the end result will be” In his ballet Play, Alexander Ekman explores how play can free us from the rules we impose on ourselves. Why do adults have such difficulty making space for play and imagination? Text: Lune Visser Play as a necessity of life
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