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- October 24, 202614°
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- October 24, 202614°
“Wind Tree” modern dance work premieres today at AKM
MDTistanbul, a troupe affiliated with the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet, will present Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo’s modern dance work “Wind Tree” to audiences today at the Atatürk Cultural Center Theatre Stage. The production, part of the Istanbul Theatre Festival, will also be staged on October 25.
MDTistanbul, the modern dance troupe operating under the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet, is bringing back “Wind Tree,” a work prepared in 2023 by Brazilian-born choreographer Fernando Melo for the Danish Dance Theatre.
The production, prepared as part of the 30th Istanbul Theatre Festival, will premiere today at the Atatürk Cultural Center Theatre Stage. “Wind Tree” will also meet audiences on October 25.
İDOB’s goal of international productions
İDOB Director and Artistic Director Caner Akgün said the institution closely follows cultural and artistic movements around the world. Akgün said they attach importance to working with creators who focus on realistic and simple narratives, the constraints experienced by people and society’s search for answers.
Akgün said İDOB continues to produce productions connected with the world and described Fernando Melo as an important choreographer who creates works in line with this approach. Saying that MDTistanbul is a strong troupe when it comes to interpreting modern works, Akgün said the support of the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism contributes to their work.
Festival partnership to set an example for future generations
Akgün said there are many audience members under the age of 30 in the fields of opera, ballet and modern dance, adding that young people also follow productions on digital platforms. He said the institution is trying to reach new audiences by using technology in different areas.
Highlighting the importance of the partnership with the Istanbul Theatre Festival, Akgün said bringing together different institutions and different voices is valuable for new projects. Akgün said he believes this partnership will set an example for future generations and added that cooperation with national and international institutions continues.
Melo praises MDTistanbul dancers
Fernando Melo, who has prepared choreographies for dance companies such as GöteborgsOperans, Atterballetto and Introdans, said restaging the work with MDTistanbul dancers was an important opportunity for him.
Melo said “Wind Tree” could gain a new interpretation each time it is performed with different dancers. Saying that the MDTistanbul team had transformed the work and created a new version, Melo expressed his satisfaction with the dancers’ interest and willingness to work.
An experience open to different interpretations by the audience
Melo said the work is open to the audience’s active interpretation and that each viewer may see a different meaning on stage. The choreographer said he aimed for the production to offer audiences an experience of observing and empathizing with the people on stage.
Melo said “Wind Tree” is a continuation of ideas he had contemplated and researched over the years, adding that he considered it important to bring the dancers together with the stage design. He said the lighting, stage design and music were incorporated into the choreography, adding that the performance takes viewers on a journey of constantly changing images.
The production’s visual and musical world
Inspired by the enigmatic world of Vilhelm Hammershoi, the production shows bodies appearing and disappearing, movements progressing in slow-motion rhythm and the arrangement on stage constantly changing. The performance, built around silence, uncertainty and the emptiness of interiors, examines the perception of reality in different ways.
The symphonic music composed by Signe Lykke and recorded by Copenhagen Phil is among the production’s key elements. The stage arrangement designed by Raphael Solholm and Fernando Melo presents a structure that changes throughout the performance.
Raphael Solholm designed the lighting, Solholm and Melo designed the stage, and Maria Ipsen designed the costumes. The music recording bears the signature of Copenhagen Phil, while Rafael Canete Fernandez handled the sound design and Christian Oland conducted the orchestra.
Anna Viktoria Zesakes, Berk Can Ceylan, Bianca Cerioni, Chiara Giorda, Demet Aksular, Ekin Ançel, Evrim Akyay, Miray Bacı, Tufan Elitaş, Tuğçe Göncü Ceylan, Müge Bayramoğlu, Kamola Rashidova, Ferhat Güneş and Mert Aksu will perform in the production in alternating casts.
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