Modern Music Days (MMD), which was behind the highly-successful musical installation Bandli and the visual-collaboration of Rhythms of Vision, is now back with Music in Motion, a free event that will be held at the Valletta Campus Theatre on 10 and 11 November. Organised in collaboration with the Department of Dance Studies at the University of Malta and supported by Teatru Manoel and Malta Association for Contemporary Music as part of the Valletta 2018 Foundation's cultural programme of events, Music in Motion will connect a live recital of modern string quartets with contemporary dance.
With four new choreographies, Music in Motion will offer fresh perspectives on string quartets by Philip Glass, Alfred Schnittke, John Adams and Norma Beecroft. The music will be performed live by Zene Quartet and will feature Ayako Omoto and Klara Nazaj on violin, Vincenzo Picone on viola and Akos Kertesz on cello. Music in Motion will also set the stage for the upcoming Dance Studies Association (DSA) conference. Hosted by the University of Malta in Valletta between 5 and 8 July 2018, the DSA conference will be investigating the topic 'Contra: Dance and Conflict'.
"MMD is committed to promote the performance and understanding of 20th century and contemporary music through interdisciplinary expression," explains the artistic director for the collective, composer Ruben Zahra. "Connecting the live recital of these avant-garde quartets with new choreographies within the framework of the Department of Dance Studies will hopefully introduce the repertoire to new audiences."
With an artistic brief for choreographers 'to embrace the theme of human conflict through an evening of new choreographic works,' Music in Motion also aims to open up conversations around how dance can be a metaphor for both illuminating and resolving interpersonal and international conflict - all while offering a platform for dance artists in Malta to showcase their work.
Music in Motion includes a cast of seven students currently reading for a Bachelor in Dance Studies at the University of Malta's School of Performing Arts. The choreographers selected for this project are well-known Maltese dance artist Francesca Tranter, French choreographer Niels Plotard, Danish actress and director Marie Keiser-Nielsen, and Vancouver-based Swedish dance artist Emmalena Fredriksson.
Music in Motion will be held at the Valletta Campus Theatre (former MITP) on 10 and 11 November at 8pm. For more information, visit www.modernmusicdays.eu.
For tickets, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 2124 6389