Appartement

Legendary Swedish choreographer Mats Ek‘s ballet was created for the dancers of the Opera National de Paris and is here danced by star names including Nicolas Le Riche and Marie-Agnes Gillot. 

The name “Appartement” comes both from the word for a living space but also from associations with separation and isolation. The choreography is divided into sections (The Bathroom, The Television, The Pedestrian Crossing, The Kitchen, Children’s Games, Waltz (Four Couples), March of the Vacuum Cleaners, Duo of the Embryos, Grand pas de Deux, Safety Barriers and This Division) and, from the outset, they allow a glimpse of the humour and the subtext inherent in this choreography.

The ballet is set to the music of the Swedish rock band Fleshquartet who here perform live on stage. The group, a highly expressive string quartet plus drummer and sampler, uses a fusion of classical, jazz, hard rock, rap, hip-hop and pop, which is characteristic of Mats Ek’s choreography.

Appartement does not tell a story. It circles around different situations linked to well known items, like a door, a lean-chair or a stove. A place we share with others or where we are alone, where the familiar turns its inside out.

Another Place by Mats Ek, Palais Garnier Véronique Doisneau by Palais Garnier Un Jour Ou Deux by Palais Garnier Three ballets by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker by Palais Garnier the Place by Mats Ek Svansjön by Mats Ek