TIRANA, Nov. 4 – The Ballet Preljocaj company led by Albanian-French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj is back to Albania, this time with the premiere of the Noces (Wedding) show. The Ballet Preljocaj’s performance to Albania’s comes after last year’s stage of La Stravaganza, a show created by Preljocaj in 1997 for the New York City Ballet.
“As far as my memory goes, weddings have always seemed to me like strange tragedies. By Balkan tradition or just the fantasy of a temperamental child, I knew that the mystery would grow progressively around the bride, always absent from the festivities,” says Preljocaj about his 1989 “Noces” creation.
“The bridesmaids would change her into currency, passing from one family to another, and then she would appear at the ultimate moment, when all the spirits dim from a full day of ecstasy, staring at her, a veiled reflection of the drama which they could no longer ignore. Then offering herself in a back-to-front version of a funeral ritual, she would walk slowly, her eyes brimming with tears, towards the consented rape,” adds Preljocaj.
The show is scheduled to stage at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet on November 7, 8 and 9 at 19:00.
Back in 2014, the renowned French choreographer of Albanian origin Angelin Preljocaj was awarded the Nation’s Honour presidential order for representing the best of Albania’s values in choreography internationally and making everyone proud of being Albanian.
“I remain deeply connected to Albania in every piece I stage,” Preljocaj has said.
Since founding Ballet Preljocaj in 1985, Angelin Preljocaj has created 45 choreographic works, ranging from solos to larger formations. The company performs internationally and at home in France where it is recognized as one of the country’s leading dance companies.
“Born in Paris just five days after his parents escaped from communist Albania, Preljocaj felt French while at school and Albanian when at home with his parents and their tight-knit community of Albanian friends,” The Guardian writes about him.
In 1992, Preljocaj, now an internationally famous representative of the Albanian diaspora, was invited back to the newly democratised country, and taken by presidential helicopter to his parents’ mountain village. His choreographic work is steeped in his writing of the history of classical ballet, but is resolutely contemporary. He is considered one of the most important choreographers of dance today. He joined the repertoire of the Paris Opera Ballet in the early 1990s and has headed the company since 1985.
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.
