Sidereal time—the time of stars—is the way that astronomers fix their telescopes on remote constellations from night to night, since the earth spins them away each day. Celestial geometrics align our bodies with the complex grids of galaxies, and fireflies remind us that we can almost cup the stars in our hands.

In this piece, Alonzo King explores the orientation of our bodies to light. A ground-breaking collaboration with artist Jim Campbell, Constellation is both luminous and lucid, encompassing and intimate. When the dancers glimmer into view, they move the way that ideas move through the mind: synaptically, in pulses and flashes. King’s duets seem to show that the dancers can turn on any axis, or arc upwards from any clasp. Over the course of the piece, strings of lights drape their bodies, and lighted globes are tucked into their hands or the crooks of their knees.

The score meshes Baroque music, sung by the regal Israeli mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani, with contemporary music by Leslie Stuck, Somei Satoh and Benjamin Juodvalkis; sounds of winds whirring on white ice and the echoes of birds wheeling in the air sweep through the theater. Sleek gossamer costumes by Robert Rosenwasser and subtle, expansive lighting design by Axel Morgenthaler— hailed as “gorgeous” by the San Francisco Chronicle—set off the beauty and precision of the dancers. And the dancers, moved by Alonzo King’s idea that dancing is a form of communion that takes us beyond ourselves, glide into the light.

Combining a classical technique with personal intervention, Alonzo King projects his performers in a nonstop dance translating into a staggering articulation of bodies. After a dancer's career at Alvin Ailey company and American Ballet Theatre, Alonzo King moved to San Francisco and in 1982 founded LINES Ballet which today is one of the most prestigious and exciting companies in North America. Highly recognized in the United States, he has worked regularly with opera, television and cinema. At the same time he is invited to work with the largest companies around the world. William Forsythe stated that "Alonzo King is one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times."  Admirer of Balanchine, he creates bridges between tradition and modernity and developes an inventive, sensual and vibrant dance with impeccable classically trained dancers.  Through his collaborations with artists from different disciplines and cultures, he proposes a work that is always new and fed by cultural diversity. As a visionary choreographer, Alonzo King is renowned for his incredible ability to grip the audience with a real humanity and a deep sense of freedom. The company 's repertoire includes 13 pieces, especially Meyer (2013), Biophony (2015), Sand et Art Song (2016) et Figures of speech (2017).

Source : Le Trait d'Union

More information : linesballet.org

Artistic Direction: Alonzo King

Creation: 1982

Alonzo King LINES Ballet is a celebrated contemporary ballet company that has been guided since 1982 by the unique artistic vision of Alonzo King. Collaborating with noted composers, musicians, and visual artists from around the world, Alonzo King creates works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions, imbuing classical ballet with new expressive potential. Alonzo King understands ballet as a science – founded on universal, geometric principles of energy and evolution – and continues to develop a new language of movement from its classical forms and techniques. Alonzo King’s visionary choreography, brought to life by the extraordinary LINES Ballet dancers, is renowned for connecting audiences to a profound sense of shared humanity.
 

"The term LINES alludes to all that is visible in the phenomenal world. There is nothing that is made or formed without a line. Straight and Circle encompass all that we see. Whatever can be seen is formed by a line. In mathematics it is a straight or curved continuous extent of length without breadth. Lines are in our fingerprints, the shapes of our bodies, constellations, geometry. It implies genealogical connection, progeny and spoken word. It marks the starting point and finish. It addresses direction, communication, and design. A line of thought. A boundary or eternity. A melodic line. The equator. From vibration or dot to dot it is the visible organization of what we see." Alonzo King

Source: Alonzo King LINES Ballet 's website

More information : linesballet.org