In 1913, Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky produced a scandalous classic that has been reinterpreted many times since then: Le sacre du printemps, also known as The Rite of Spring. Now, Dada Masilo, one of the youngest fixtures in the cosmos of international choreography, has taken up the subject and added a new cultural dimension. The Johannesburg-born artist owes her success to her adaptations of ballet classics such as Swan Lake, Carmen and Giselle marked by African influences. When Masilo started working on her latest piece, THE SACRIFICE, in 2019, she asked herself: “What do we sacrifice in our daily lives?” She wanted to expand the somewhat simple plot of The Rite of Spring to “tell a bigger story”. Finally, she has created a piece in its own right, an intense work for herself and eleven dancers of her Johannesburg ensemble to the live-music by Tlale Makhene, Ann Masina, Leroy Mapholo and Nathi Shongwe. Their energetic Tswana dance mixed with Ballet convinces with ritual highlights, energy and powerful images.
Austrian Premiere
Duration: 75 Minutes
