Choreography by Ola Maciejewska
Performed by Jean Lesca, Leah Marojevic, and Maciej Sado
Presented by FIAF and Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival
In this work for three dancers, choreographer Ola Maciejewska draws inspiration from Loïe Fuller’s signature invention, the Serpentine Dance (1892). She brings the iconic legend face to face with her paradoxes and intangible character. The title, Bombyx Mori, refers to the silkworm, which has become entirely dependent on humans for its survival. Dance, archives and artifice are interwoven in this performance, engendering a metaphor for the hybrid nature of things.
A trailblazing dancer who defied characterization, Loïe Fuller was a performing artist before the term even came into being. A controversial figure in Western dance, she merged dance with special effects to capture the movement of fire, water and other natural elements, hiding her body under vast sweeps of silk. As the first person to use electric lights on stage and to explore movement outside the human body, she was a force for innovation in the world of theatre and dance. She collaborated with such pre-eminent figures as Auguste Rodin, the Lumière brothers, Henri Sauvage and Marie Skłodowska-Curie.
The performance on Friday, November 3, will be followed by a conversation and Q&A with Ola Maciejewska.
Approx. 60min performance
Ola Maciejewska
Ola Maciejewska is an artist, dancer, and choreographer whose unique choreographic works are distinguished for a strong interdisciplinary take on dance. Since 2013, she has developed a choreographic practice based on re-reading the iconic Serpentine Dances, created by Loïe Fuller in the 1890s, through the prism of dance and visual arts.
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Between 2016 and 2018, she was an associated artist at the Centre Choréographic National de Caen in Normandy. In 2020, she received a grant from the Internationale Tanzmesse NRW (the largest professional meeting for contemporary dance) to lead research on the scenography of Rolf Borzik in the Pina Bausch Foundation’s archives. In 2022, Maciejewska received a fellowship from the Watermill Center, founded by Robert Wilson, and also premiered her new solo performance Figury (Przestrzenne), a multifaceted work articulated around time, endurance, and the sculptural. She is currently working on a new piece involving Serpentine’s sculptures and dancers, premiering at the Ménagerie de verre in Paris in 2024 with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Website: olamaciejewska.carbonmade.com
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Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Deeply immersed in the world of dance since its origins, the High Jewelry Maison strengthens its commitment with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. Guided by the values of creation, transmission and education, this initiative aims to support artists and institutions in presenting choreographic heritage, while also promoting new productions.
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Since its launch in 2020, it has promoted numerous dance companies for their creations as well as the presentation of multiple performances around the world. The program is complemented each year by major events, including the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, whose first edition took place in London in March 2022. This support further extends to awareness-raising actions focused on dance culture for the broadest possible audience, professionals and amateurs alike.
Learn more at dancereflections-vancleefarpels.com.
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