Marko Japelj, disTANZ

At Ballett Zürich from May 27 (world premiere) to July 2

A huge paraboloid made of a polygonal metal grid hangs and tilts above and behind the dancers making a scenic element of great effectiveness. The geometric pattern becomes progressively denser towards the central oculus thus creating circular motives in its interaction with light depending on the inclination.

disTANZ, together with Lady with a Fan, is part of the ballet “Corpus”, born from the encounter between Ballett Zürich and the “Orchestra La Scintilla,” which performs on historical instruments.

Choreographer Filipe Portugal is a charismatic soloist of the Ballett Zürich and a choreographer with several years of performances behind him. After having been inspired by the music of Swiss contemporary composer Nik Bärtsch last season with the production Dialogos, in this new creation he confronts himself with the Bach sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann.

Marko Japelj comes from Maribor, Slovenia. He studied architecture in Ljubljanaa where he designed his first set in 1986 for Hedda Gabler at the Theatre Academy. He has designed almost 200 scenographies for theatre and opera. He was a guest professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and has worked for theaters in Eastern Europe and Germany.