«  How does the Annunciation, that key moment which underpins a whole religion, resonate in us, what does it awaken? 

While so many painters over the past 2000  years have sought time and again to understand the flurry of  contradictory symbols, which in effect is what the Annunciation is, it  comes as something of a surprise that a theme, a subject in which so  many issues about the body are so manifestly implicated should have  reminded almost entirely absent from choreographic art. 

And yet, what we find here, deep down, is truly fascinating. 

In traditional iconography, Mary is often  shown in an enclosed or walled garden, symbolising her virginity. There  is, therefore, a parallel between what might be called her inner space  and her surroundings. 

When the angel breaks into this private world,  he is saying, in so many words, that the workings of her body are about  to be dramatically altered. This explains why it is that, although in  the Bible the Virgin displays a screen acceptance of the forthcoming  event, many artists have chosen to make her the prey of doubt, anxiety,  even rebelliousness. 

The strange co-existence of acceptance and  rebellion, the collision of space and time, tell us that at the very  moment the message is given, fertilisation takes place. We are, as it  were, inside biology, the very act of conception. 

This coming to life in gradual stages takes us  to the heart of the process of creating art; the message is no longer  an abstraction, it is reality. 

Rather than something finished, isn’t what we  call nowadays conceptual art the portent of a new art, the Annunciation  of an art yet to be born?  » 

Angelin Preljocaj (source: website of Ballet Preljocaj - http://www.preljocaj.org)

Angelin Preljocaj was born in the Paris region, in France, and began studying classical ballet before turning to contemporary dance, which he studied with Karin Waehner.
In 1980, he went to New York to work with Zena Rommett and Merce Cunningham, after which he resumed his studies in France, there his teachers included the American choreographer Viola Farber and the French one Quentin Rouillier. He then joined Dominique Bagouet before founding his own company in December 1984.

His productions are now part of the repertoire of many companies, many of which also commission original production from him, notably La Scala of Milan, the New York City Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet. He has made short films ("Le postier", "Idées noires" in 1991) and several full-length films, notably "Un trait d’union" and "Annonciation" (1992 and 2003). In 2009, he directed "Snow White", featuring his own piece, and in 2011 he signed, for Air France, the commercial "L’Envol", based on the choreography of "Le Parc".
Since then he has collaborated on several films of his own choreographic work: « Les Raboteurs » with Cyril Collard (based on the painting by Gustave Caillebotte) in 1988, « Pavillon Noir » with Pierre Coulibeuf in 2006 and « Eldorado/ Preljocaj » with Olivier Assayas in 2007.

Since October 2006, the Ballet Preljocaj and its 24 permanent dancers have resided at the Pavillon Noir in Aix-en-Provence, a building entirely dedicated to dance, with Angelin Preljocaj as its artistic director. Made with Valérie Müller, the first full-length feature film by Angelin Preljocaj, « Polina », danser sa vie, adapted from the graphic novel by Bastien Vivès, came out in cinemas on November 2016.

Source: Ballet Preljocaj 's website

More information

preljocaj.org

Since 2001, the National Center for Dance (CND) has been making recordings of its shows and educational programming and has created resources from these filmed performances (interviews, danced conferences, meetings with artists, demonstrations, major lessons, symposia specialized, thematic arrangements, etc.).