First performance on 4 July 2015 – 7:30PM until July 16, 2015

For four jazz soloists and large ensemble.

Wayne McGregor has steeped himself in the work of Francis Bacon, finding in his strange, visceral universe an echo of his own choreographic research. He has been inspired by the shapes, colours and textures of Bacon’s paintings to explore, not merely the visual impact, but the expressive potential of the dancer’s body, pushing his interpreters to new limits.

This piece was conceived for a work by the composer, Mark Anthony Turnage: Blood on the Floor, also named after a painting by Bacon. The Ensemble Intercontemporain and four jazz soloists accompany the dancers in a space evoking the artist’s tryptich paintings and structured by the minimalist architect John Pawson.

This strong and profoundly original piece was first performed in 2011 by the Paris Opera Ballet and stands out as one of the major works presented this season.

Les Étoiles, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet

Orchestra: Ensemble intercontemporain

Conductor: Peter Rundel

Choreography: Wayne McGregor

Costumes: Moritz Junge

Sets: John Pawson

Lighting: Lucy Carter

Soloists:

• PETER ERSKINE, drums
• MARTIN ROBERTSON, SAXOPHONE
• JOHN PARRICELLI, electric guitar
• MICHEL BENITA, bass guitar