In New York earlier this past summer, two radically different, but equally celebrated dancers, began rehearsals for the new creation of a two-woman show, “Goddesses and Demonesses” (“Déesses and Démones”), receiving its world premiere this coming December at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.On one side of the Didrachm (the ancient Greek silver coin worth two drachms) is Spanish dancer, choreographer, film director and actress Blanca Li, known for her dance spectrum ranging from hip hop to ballet and flamenco, and her collaborations with Beyoncé, Pedro Almodovar and Paul McCartney. One the other side, the French choreographer and Paris Opera Ballet’s prima ballerina Marie-Agnès Gillot, who has in the past collaborated with the likes of Sophie Calle, Olivier Mosset, and Marianne Faithful.Their collaboration started in December 2014, when the two co-choreographed and performed a spellbound duet together for the first time, for “Le Projet ICCARE Association” - a charity event against AIDS, hosted by the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris.Following their rehearsals, an extract of “Goddesses and Demonesses” was performed at NeueHouse in New York last September, with their co-choreography crafting a lyrical, mysterious, and deeply poetic duet that mirrors them as both, Doppelgangers, and as Odette and Odile cast in a mythological world. They are together foils which complement but also counteract the other; they are as much the same, as they are different.“Goddesses and Demonesses” castrates the Gods and delves into life's paradoxes when these are confronted by the feminine contradictions inherent and inseparable of Greek female mythological figures. Loyalty and cruelty, benevolence and vengeance, their battles propel each other into a tempest both chaotic and harmonious. The two dancers, like Leto and Hera, are rivals; like the daughters of Oedipus Rex, Antigone and Ismene, they represent opposing forces of nature, with good rising from the one and evil from the other; like the sisters Electra and Chrysothemis, they stand for revenge and empathy; like the sea-monsters Scylla & Charybdis, they are counterparts who lure, destroy, and form dangerous threats; and like Persephone’s abduction from her mother Demeter by the ruler of the dead - Hades - their relationship also reflects that of mother and daughter.In the case of Li and Gillot, their unison follows an unexpected separation as the programme of this production has now changed. Due to Gillot’s tight schedule for the new season at the Paris Opera, rehearsal matching with Li became impossible. As a result, Gillot cancelled her participation, and is to be replaced by the Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Maria Alexandrova.“Goddesses and Demonesses” is directed by Blanca Li, with music by Tao Gutierez, scenography by Pierre Attrait and video lights by Charles Carcopino. It is unknown whether Gillot’s choreographic input for this new creation will be used, but there is no doubt that if it will, Maria Alexandrova will interpret her role with as much virtuosic strength as she can muster, however certainly not with Gillot’s duende. We shall wait and see what is to come at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées which will still serve as a locus, a counterpart to the Elysian Fields, where “Goddesses and Demonesses” will be initiated and call even the dead back to life. The production will be premiered on 22 December 2015 and runs through 3 January 2016, at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.
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