On 17 August, members of the National Ballet will be rehearsing COW by Alexander Ekman, to be premiered on the main stage on 22 August. Choreographer Alexander Ekman will himself be present. We will be attending the second part of the rehearsal, which is with sets and costumes.
COW is a pompous work of dance theatre in 12 scenes that will touch our senses, tickle our funny bones and also challenge our notions of ourselves and of society at large. Ekman originally created COW for the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden.
Ekman has been described as the enfant terrible of dance in the North; his merits include filling the stage with water for Swan Lake at the Oslo Opera and with straw for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Opera in Stockholm.
The rehearsal will feature guest coaches and Senior Ballet Master Anu Sistonen, whom we will meet after the rehearsal.
Anu has been a dancer with the Finnish National Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet and the Cullberg Ballet, appearing in leading roles in numerous productions. After her dancing career, she has created more than 20 choreographies with performances for instance in France and Luxembourg. She has also visited several ballet companies in northern and central Europe as a guest teacher.