In Spring of 2024, Iván Pérez’ choreography »Firebird & Rite of Spring«, was performed in Taiwan by a cast of 20 dancers, thanks to a cooperation between Dance Theatre Heidelberg and Dance Forum Taipei. The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra guided by conductor Chien Wen-bin gave life to Stravinsky´s iconic scores. A total of four presentations took place at the National Kaoshiung Center for the Arts and the National Theater and Concert Hall of Taipei, as part of TIFA, Taiwan International Festival of the Arts.
In 1910 and 1913, "The Firebird" and "The Rite of Spring" premiered in Paris. With music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Michel Fokine and Vaslav Nijinsky, these two icons of dance history mark not only a high point in the ballet tradition but also a significant break.
While "The Firebird" focuses on the exotic figure of the firebird, "The Rite of Spring" depicts a closed community that sacrifices one of its members—an act that implies a defamiliarization of what was once familiar. With his new creation, "Firebird & Rite of Spring," the artistic director of Dance Theatre Heidelberg, Iván Pérez, aims to reinterpret these contrasting narratives. In collaboration with Elias Grandy and the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra, he explores the impact of an alien element on a given social arrangement.
Choreography and Direction: Iván Pérez
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Conductor: CHIEN Wen-Pin
Musical direction: Elias Grandy
Costume Designer: Sofie DURNEZ
Costume Consultant: LIN Ching-ju
Costumes Maker: HUANG Yu-Cong
Original Lighting Design: Tanja Rühl
Lighting Designer: Channel Huang
Choreographic Assistance: Jorge Soler Bastida
Rehearsal Director: CHEN Kai-yi
Rehearsal Assistants:LO Yi-wei, SU Kuan-ying
Dramaturgy: Marcos Mariz
Artistic Collaborator: Renan Martins
Production Team: PING Heng, YEH Chiung-fei, Channel HUANG
Tour Manager: Adrián Castelló
Musicians: Evergreen Symphony Orchestra
Performance Group: Dance Forum Taipei, Dance Theatre Heidelberg
Dancers
(Dance Forum Taipei) HUANG Yen-Chieh, CHANG Tai-Hsin, CHEN Pei-Chi, LIU Yen-Pei, LIN Si-Qi , TSAI I-Hsuan, CHANG Chi-Wu, YANG Min-Hsuan, WU Kuan-I, YEN Chia-Cheng, LO Ting-Wei
(Dance Theater Heidelberg) Inés Belda Nácher, Thamiris Carvalho, Jochem Eerdekens, Marc Galvez, Yi-Wei LO, Andrea Muelas Blanco, Lucía Nieto VERA, Kuan-Ying SU, Mathias Theisen, Adrien Ursulet, Julia Kosałka
This production premiered on March 5, 2022, at Marguerre-Saal in Heidelberg, Germany. Originally produced by Dance Theatre Heidelberg and Theater und Orchester Heidelberg