Teresa Catalán: Gravity 0º

The genesis of Gravity 0º lies in a chance encounter between Teresa Catalán and Jean Philippe Dury, when the composer explained to the choreographer her interest in music designed to be danced to, specifically her creation La danza de la princesa(The Princess's Dance). Dury conceived an intimate work in contrast to the musical power of Teresa Catalán's notes. Valentina Pedica takes on a dance that is both technically and expressively challenging with sensitivity and strength.

Free admission with invitation, available at the box office

THE SHOW

Approximate duration: 20 minutes

Solo dance by Valentina Pedica

Three artists united by musical composition, choreography, and the body as object-subject. Three generations and a shared or estranged vision of thought and the female body. Vertigo, risk, questioning limits, and the tempting apple are instruments in this three-way narrative.

The work provokes a sense of danger in the viewer: the slightest vibration could cause Valentina Pedica to fall. It is a journey of emergency and urgency. The piece questions aspects of gender relations from the solitude of a female body.

Choreographer Jean Philippe Dury

Composer Teresa Catalán

Dancer Valentina Pedica

Musical performance Basque National Orchestra.

Work premiered and recorded under the direction of Maestro Carlo Rizzi in April 2014, as part of the 2013-2014 Season of the Euskadi Symphony Orchestra.

Lighting design: Pablo Seoane

Set design: Jean Philippe Dury

Music Recording: Ars Incognita Foundation.

Video and Photos: José Luis Magaña

Acknowledgements:

To Javier Ecay. Ars Incognita Foundation, Z Audiovisual Solutions, for so many years of support for music.

To Miguel Soto Valadés, José Miguel, Lint Chini from "Todo en Orden y Eventos," Beatriz Francos, Pablo R. Seoane

In collaboration with: Teatro Conde Duque – Madrid City Council. Centro Danza Canal. Mariemma Professional Dance Conservatory.

Work subsidized by the Community of Madrid – Directorate General for Cultural Promotion

BIOGRAPHIES

TERESA CATALÁN (COMPOSER)

Teresa Catalán, composer and Professor of Composition and Instrumentation at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, was born in Pamplona, where she studied music, graduating with degrees in Piano and Composition. Her training as a composer in Spain and Italy was influenced by her teachers Ramón Barce and Agustín González Acilu.

Doctor of Philosophy in Art and Master's Degree in Aesthetics and Musical Creativity from the University of Valencia. She has received several awards for performance, composition, and recognition of her musical career. She was a founding member of the Pamplona Composers' Group (Iruñeako Taldea Musikagileak). She has been a member of the Culture Council of the Government of Navarre and the State Council for the Performing Arts and Music. She has directed the music section of several conferences and festivals.

He has received commissions from various national and international institutions and has taught courses and given lectures at festivals, institutions, universities, and conservatories, notably at the invitation of the P. Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.

Author of the treatise Tempered Compositional Systems in the 20th Century, she also publishes articles in important books and magazines. Her compositions for symphony orchestra, chamber music, solo instruments, etc. are programmed at the most important international festivals (Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Argentina, Russia, USA, Netherlands, Cuba, Romania, etc.). In 2011, she was awarded the Order of Civil Merit.

JEAN PHILIPPE DURY (CHOREOGRAPHER)

Jean Philippe Dury began studying dance at the age of six. He entered the Paris Opera Ballet School at the age of eleven and joined the company seven years later. During this period, he also worked with renowned contemporary choreographers such as Lionel Hoche, Jean-Claude Gallotta, Laura Scozzi, Maurice Béjart, Pina Bausch, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, and Jirí Kylián.

In September 2007, invited by Nacho Duato, he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza as a principal dancer. In 2009, Gradimir Pankov invited him to be a guest artist with Les Grands Ballets de Montréal. Back in Spain in 2010, he returned to the Compañía Nacional de Danza for the last season of its artistic director, Nacho Duato, and settled permanently in Madrid.

In 2013, Jean Philippe created his own company, Elephant in The Black Box, and won first prize at the Talent Madrid festival with Cel Black Day. In 2016, Dury began a comprehensive project for dance and young people, which runs parallel to his work with EBB and invitations from international companies (Basel Ballet, Leipzig Opera Ballet) as a choreographer.

With more than fifteen choreographies to his name, he is also resident choreographer in Leipzig. EBB Dance Company tours in the United States, South Korea, Spain, France, and Switzerland, and participates in various festivals. Dury is a bold and innovative creator, demanding in terms of performance and technique, whose choreographic career is characterized by his unique language.

VALENTINA PEDICA (DANCER)

Italian Valentina Pedica began her studies at Tersicore l'Arte della Danza in 1996. She continued her training at the Mariemma Royal Conservatory in Madrid and, from a very young age, decided to begin her professional career as a freelancer, encouraged by numerous choreographers who appreciated her talent. She joined Dantzaz Konpaina and worked with Itzik Galili, Jacek Przybylowicz, and Jone San Martin. In 2012, she was invited by Enzo Celli to participate in the creation of MeMe. She was awarded First Prize in Contemporary Dance at Spoleto 2013. She joined Elephant In The Black Box (EBB Dance Company) in September 2015, invited by Jean-Philippe Dury. She also teaches contemporary dance and improvisation for EBB Junior.

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