It is rare indeed that a theatre production can appeal to everyone young and old - from dance lovers to media enthusiasts, and from art connoisseurs to musicians. But, for one night only, there will soon be such a show in Malta.
'Parade & The Velvet Gentleman' will have just one performance on 27 July at the Teatru Manoel, and it is a contemporary reworking of the classic 1917 ballet 'Parade', which features a collaboration between three 20th century masters: composer Erik Satie, writer/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, and artist Pablo Picasso. Condensed into 'PARADE & The Velvet Gentleman', however, will be the work of some of the most renowned local artists currently from the worlds of Maltese fashion, dance, theatre, film, puppetry and animation.
One such collaborator in the show is the team from Maka Visuals, a dedicated motion picture production house with an impressive resume of past projects including big-name music videos and commercials. Jake Spiteri, an animator on the team, is delighted that Maka Visuals is working on a live performance project such as this. "There is such a thrill from seeing your work on a large scale coming to life, in collaboration with other artists from such completely different sectors. The best feeling is seeing the live reaction from the audience, which we don't often get from our other film projects!"
While Maka Visuals contribute a series of projection dance sequences to the project, other elements of the show are being provided by similarly-experienced local artists. Under the artistic direction of Ruben Zahra, costumes are by fashion designer Ritienne Zammit, stop motion animation is by Christ Scicluna, masks and puppets are by Charles Bezzina, a paper cinema is by Trevor Zahra, and choreography and the dance performances are by 'Artists of the Year' (the Malta Arts Awards) Diane Portelli and Dorian Mallia of Moveo Dance Company.
Working together, this group of high-profile Maltese artists was gifted with an exquisite source material for the production, namely the iconic ballet 'Parade'. Premiered in 1917 by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, 'Parade' featured music by Erik Satie set to a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau, and costume design and scenography by none other than Pablo Picasso.
It was during a discussion with Teatru Manoel artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona in 2015 that Ruben Zahra realised that most people were unaware of 'Parade'. "This motivated me to revisit this ballet on a contemporary platform with new media techniques," he says. As a result, the premiere of 'PARADE & The Velvet Gentleman' was performed to eager audiences of all ages in 2017 as part of the Ziguzajg Children's Festival.
Mr Zahra approached Maka Visuals to produce a video for the final scene of the ballet featuring a technique known as 'projection dancing'. When the two dancers enter the stage, they appear to cast a shadow on the screen... but this is not really their shadow - it is actually a video projection that develops into a choreographic 'dialogue' between the two dancers and their own silhouette. "The choreography was broken down into short sections and the dancers filmed against a green screen," explains Mr Spiteri. "The footage was then imported into a motion graphics software to create the shadows that would interplay with the live dancers."
With so many Picasso-inspired elements throughout the show, including new choreography to a piano cycle by Charles Camilleri entitled 'Picasso Set' and costume design in homage to Picasso's artwork, 'PARADE & The Velvet Gentleman' pays homage to the artistic legends of yesteryear so may live again in the many talented artists of today.
'PARADE & The Velvet Gentleman' is organised by Teatru Manoel, the Valletta 2018 Foundation and the Malta Association for Contemporary Music as part of the culture programme for Valletta 2018 - European Capital of Culture. 'PARADE & The Velvet Gentleman' will be presented for one night only at Teatru Manoel on 27 July. Tickets are priced at €10 and available on www.teatrumanoel.com. It is recommended for children aged eight and over
