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On October 23 Morphoses’ live performance of WITHIN (Labyrinth Within) at Västerås Concert Hall in Sweden will be live streamed to Scandinavia House. WITHIN (Labyrinth Within) by Swedish choreographer and filmmaker Pontus Lidberg is inspired by and expands on Lidberg's award winning 2010 film Labyrinth Within. Playing with perceptions of reality by weaving together film, live performance, interconnected relationships, and music by David Lang, Lidberg creates a mysterious and powerful experience. On stage is a cast of dancers, including New York City Ballet's Sara Mearns and Adrian Danchig-Waring, with Gabrielle Lamb, Laura Mead, and Jens Weber, who gradually relinquish performance space to the filmed images of Wendy Whelan, Giovanni Bucchieri, and Lidberg himself.
MorphosesStreams uses live-streaming technology in conjunction with social media to reach beyond the constraints of the theater and find their "next" audience. The company streams high-quality video, live from whatever theatrical venue they are in, over the internet to specifically selected locations. This initiative is part of Morphoses' overarching goal to establish meaningful connections to our art form and to close the gap between audiences and artists.
About Morphoses:
Morphoses' mission is to revitalize the art form of dance by fostering collaboration among artists to present theatrical experiences of the highest artistic standards. Because they believe in the transformative nature of dance, and therefore exist to continually contribute to growth in the art form, their primary objectives are to execute an operational model that is a permanent and nimble infrastructure capable of supporting the unique artistic vision brought to Morphoses by each year's Resident Artistic Director and to build an audience for dance by closing the gap between their artists and their audience by sharing the work they create.
In all that Morphoses does, they see that they serve their artists and their audience. An investment in their artists is an essential part of their goal to breathe new life into the art form – ultimately achieved by establishing and sustaining an environment in which dance is reimagined on an ongoing basis, where artists of various disciplines come together and are unencumbered by philosophy or tradition so they can create work that will help shape the future of the art form. Each year, an evening-length dance work is produced and performed by Morphoses and subsequently made available for domestic and international touring as well as licensing to other companies and digital media platforms.
About Pontus Lidberg:
Pontus Lidberg (2012 Morphoses Resident Artistic Director) Swedish choreographer, dancer, and filmmaker, is most recognized for his award-winning dance film The Rain (2007). As a choreographer for the stage, Mr. Lidberg has been described in the Swedish press as "one of our great choreographic talents" and has created over 30 works for major international dance companies such as The Royal Danish Ballet, The Beijing Dance Theatre, The Norwegian National Ballet, 59° North: Soloists of the Royal Swedish Ballet, The Vanemuise Ballet of Estonia, Morphoses, and for his own group Pontus Lidberg Dance, which recently made its New York debut with his Faune at the Fall For Dance Festival at New York City Center.
In just a few short years, Pontus Lidberg has firmly established himself as a creative and visionary artist bringing dance and film together. His first work for the camera was commissioned by Swedish National Television: Mirror has been screened on television as well as in dance film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. His most recent dance film, Labyrinth Within, which features New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan and a score by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, received the “Court Métrange du Jury” prize at Court-Métrange Film Festival in Rennes, France this past October and most recently won Best Picture at the Dance on Camera Festival in New York, created to foster creativity and encourage collaboration between choreographers and filmmakers. Lidberg’s prior work for Morphoses includes Vespertine, created for the company, which premiered at Works & Process at the Guggenheim in October 2010. In December 2010 NorrlandsOperan in Umeå, Sweden, commissioned Mr. Lidberg to create a new dance work with an original score by Swedish composer B Tommy Andersson. That work, entitled Warriors, was named “Best Dance Performance of the Year” in northern Sweden. Lidberg’s full-length work Duet for Dancer and Pianist, in collaboration with concert pianist Magnus Svensson, has been performed extensively on tour in Sweden, France, and Estonia.
Mr. Lidberg received his training at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm, Sweden. Among other international dance companies, he has danced with The Royal Swedish Ballet, the Norwegian National Ballet, Le Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, and the Gothenburg Ballet. He received the NOKIA Award for young talent in 2001 and the Stockholm Cultural Scholarship, also in 2001.
Co-presented by Morphoses.
