CRYSTAL PITE: Light of Passage Comes to Den Norske Opera This Month

Crystal Pite: Light of Passage comes to Den Norske Opera this month. Performances run 28 February - 2 March 2024.

The painfully relevant refugee crisis is on the agenda when the Norwegian National Ballet performs a full-length production with Crystal Pite, one of the leading choreographers of the 21st century.

Grand, brutal ensemble work 

Light of Passage is a continuation of award-winning Flight Pattern from 2017. This was choreographer Crystal Pite’s response to the refugee crisis, which she describes as “the story of our time”. Now the large-scale ensemble work is transformed into a full-length ballet in three acts, following all three movements of Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. 

The stage is filled by the dancers of the Norwegian National Ballet as well as children from the Ballet School, and elderly dancers. 

When this ballet premiered at the Royal Opera House last autumn, an avalanche of good reviews and full houses followed. 

Fearless and empathetic to Górecki 

Górecki’s music explores themes about motherhood and the separation of families. Pite gives these themes new meaning in a work that moves from the big picture of displaced communities to focus on the emotions of individuals. The large ensemble cast moves as one body, packed together in tight rows, until one distraught couple is marked out from the crowd through a poignant pas de deux. 

The ultimate passage 

The newly created second act is rooted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – it is a choreographic expression of our duty to protect children and the earth they are inheriting. The third act depicts the ultimate journey we will all go through; from life to death. 

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