Alain Platel - LES BALLETS C DE LA B Factsheet

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Les Ballets C de la B was founded in 1984 by Alain Platel. This dance and theatre collective has now developed into a group that is successful both at home and abroad. Les Ballets C de la B is often mentioned in the same breath as Wim Vandekeybus, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jan Lauwers and Jan Fabre, all artists, since referred to collectively as the Flemish Wave, who were responsible for bringing about changes in the Flemish theatre landscape.

Les Ballets C de la B became world renowned with an eclectic, almost surrealist mixture of modern dance, plays and music. Over the years the company has become an artistic platform for various choreographers, its inspirers being Alain Platel and also Christine De Smedt and Koen Augustijnen. Hans van den Broeck was also a member of the company until he founded his own company, Cie Soit, in 2002. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui worked as a choreographer for Les Ballets C de la B until 2006, and is at present making performances for Het Toneelhuis in Antwerp. Due to a constant cross-fertilization of artistic visions it is impossible to classify the collective in one category. As a result of the interweaving of the artistic and the business side of things the collective has a very specific operational organization.

As a member of the collective Alain Platel has in turns played the role of performer, choreographer and artistic director. Following Allemaal Indiaan – the culmination of a whole series of successful productions – he retired as director. Fuelled by a journey through Palestine, Platel returned with the music-theatre production Wolf (2003), and this new impulse continued in VSPRS (2006).

Christine De Smedt joined Les Ballets C de la B in 1990 after completing her studies in Criminology. She created her first solo La force fait l’union fait la force in 1993. In 9x9 (2000) she used the human masses as a starting point and set to work with participants from different backgrounds (the elderly, young people and photographers). In 2002 Christine De Smedt was appointed co-artistic director of Les Ballets C de la B.

Koen Augustijnen started his career as a dancer for Les Ballets C de la B in 1991. From 1997 onwards he worked as a choreographer in To Crush Time, in which he revealed the vulnerability behind the façade of heroes like Mohammed Ali and John Massis.

Les Ballets C de la B also clearly presents itself as a socially committed group and focuses special attention on youngsters

Alain Platel - LES BALLETS C DE LA B

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