16 to 18 August 2007, 9 pm, tif – Theater im Fridericianum

Yvonne Rainer is represented at the documenta 12 by two of her dance performances. She is staging one new and one already existing dance choreography. Her performance piece RoS Indexical (2007), a PERFORMA Commission with documenta 12, will have its world premiere within the context of the documenta 12. In this piece, Rainer attempts to “re-envision” Igor Stravinsky’s controversial Le Sacre du printemps, which premiered in 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, creating a scandal at the time because of its dissonant, forceful music and “primitive” movement vocabulary. Drawing on a wide range of source material for movement and gestures — from the BBC’s dramatisation Riot at the Rite, to Sarah Bernhardt, Robin Williams and Groucho Marx — the dance invokes the passion and furor that accompanied the premiere of the original. After documenta 12, RoS Indexical will make its U.S. premiere in New York from 18-19 November 2007, as part of the PERFORMA07 biennial.

For the second piece, AG Indexical, with a Little Help from H.M. (2006), Rainer draws on a ballet classic from 1957, re-enacting Agon and, in doing so, interpreting it anew. This modernist piece was co-created by the choreographer George Balanchine and the composer Igor Stravinsky. Rainer’s title, AG Indexical, with a Little Help from H.M., parodies and analyses this great original; it intensifies its absurdity. The work exemplifies how Rainer combines compositions and images from earlier dance works with new dance material.

Film music from The Pink Panther replaces the music composed by Igor Stravinsky. On the basis of her own memories and with the assistance of documentary footage, Rainer creates a new version of Balanchine’s choreography. Originally conceived for eight male and four female dancers, Rainer rewrites it for three female modern dancers and the former prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, Emily Coates. Having put aside dance for three decades to turn to film, Rainer now reflects on her own career with these new pieces.

Tickets: € 18/€ 12 (reduced)
Available directly from the ticket office, Fridericianum – courtyard entrance Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Or reservations by e-mail to franke@documenta.de; tickets must be collected from the box office no later than 30 minutes before the start of the performance.

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