OrphEus: A Dance Opera

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Event OrphEus: A Dance Opera
Venue The Opera House (1977-), Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand
Umbrella Event New Zealand Festival 2018
First Date 16 March 2018
Opening Date 16 March 2018
Last Date 17 March 2018
Dates Estimated No
Status Professional
World Premiere No
Description One of New Zealand’s most acclaimed choreographers, Michael Parmenter, returns to the Festival with the world premiere season of OrphEus – a dance opera, a bold new work with The New Zealand Dance Company. Parmenter has drawn on a ravishing musical score, including Rameau and Charpentier, reflecting a period during which the ancient Greek hero invoked a harmonious cosmos and a hierarchical political order. Since then, Orpheus has come to represent art’s power to transcend suffering and death. In this richly layered, epic dance work, Parmenter brings these contending perspectives into conflict and dialogue. OrphEus confronts the power of music and voice in both the personal and the political realms, revealing, in this familiar story of love and loss, the tensions between seduction and restraint, harmony and disorder. Combining the power of dance, live music and theatre, Parmenter’s incredible vision is brought to life by The New Zealand Dance Company, performing alongside Grammy Award–winning American tenor Aaron Sheehan, baroque ensemble Latitude 37 and special guests. Through the lens of this mythic yet deeply personal tragedy, OrphEus thrillingly stages the eternal challenge of the artist – to seek the familiar or venture into dangerous uncharted territory. Co-produced by the New Zealand Festival, Auckland Arts Festival, and The New Zealand Dance Company.
Description Source Programme
Primary Genre Dance
Secondary Genre Music
Opera
Related Events
Organisations
Contributors
Name Function Notes
Michael Parmenter Choreographer
Works
Text Nationality Australia
New Zealand
United States of America
Production Nationality Australia
New Zealand
United States of America
Event Status Completed
Data Source
Source Description
Programme New Zealand Festival 2018 programme
Event Identifier 157284
Dataset AusStage