Jardí tancat is the debut work of Nacho Duato and, undoubtedly, one of the most important and significant works in the choreographer's extensive oeuvre. The piece is inspired by centuries-old texts in Catalan which the singer María del Mar Bonet has set to singing and music. The songs refer to the labour of the land and sea where the singing voice proclaims both the toughness of their work and their troubles with love. To our ears, this music sounds sad and melancholic. However, this is not always the aim, and nor does it always correspond to the content of the poems.
The cast of three couples gives the choreographer enough options to express moods, whether through all of the dancers, in couples or individually. The ballet takes on an atavistic character as if it were the rain and wind that determined the movement.
“I knew that my songs were created with rhythm, but I discovered it the day that Nacho Duato danced them. I was moved when I watched the first choreography, Jardí tancat: he had given them another life, they were independent and yet linked to me, but with a new pulse, on a different path”.
Mª del Mar Bonet
CREDITS:
Choreography: Nacho Duato
Music: María del Mar Bonet
Costume designs: Nacho Duato
Set design: Nacho Duato
Light design: Nicolás Fischtel (A.A.I.) (according to the original design by Joop Caboort)
Length: 14 minutes
Global premières: First performed by the Nederland’s Dans Theatre 2 in Hoorn (The Netherlands), 19 December 1983.
Distributor: YSARCA Art Promotions-Pilar de Yzaguirre