FLASH #33 – (RE)CONNECTED
At first glance, the world of dance may appear small – yet dancers, teachers, choreographers, and directors across the globe form part of a ‘network’, because of a mutual passion that binds them together and links many generations of artists. A natural outcome of this are the deep and profound connections which emerge within the professional dance industry.
Although there had been no direct relationship with JBA until now, British-born choreographer Douglas Lee is by no means a stranger to the Belgian dance scene.
At the youthful age of 29, Lee was commissioned by former Royal Ballet Flanders artistic director, Kathryn Bennetts, to create a new work as part of the company’s 2005-2006 season production Dynamic Dances. It is then that Alain & Altea, who were at that time leading dancers in the company, first became acquainted with Lee’s fluid and articulated vocabulary: one that has since become well-known for its dark, minimalist beauty.
Alain Honorez: “When I had the idea of putting together an evening emphasizing fluency of movement in general, it was Douglas who came to mind early on. The vivid memory of working with him on Rubicon Play (Ballet Flanders) left me in no doubt that his particularly sinuous movement style and inventive partnering skills would result in a perfect match for FLOW.”
With a strong background in classical ballet (Lee graduated from the Royal Ballet School London and enjoyed a well-rounded career with the Stuttgart Ballet as principal dancer), Douglas made his choreographic debut in 1999.
Fast forward to 2026: this English creator has choreographed numerous ballets for many companies internationally.
Douglas Lee: “For this new JBA work, I was interested in making a piece that traces a silent negotiation between human impulse and mechanical logic. Movement begins with repetition and restraint, shaped by patterns that feel programmed, almost inevitable. Gradually those patterns dissolve. Small deviations appear: hesitations, accelerations, errors that m intentional. The body tests the machine’s rules, sometimes submitting to them, sometimes interrupting them. Human and machine are not antagonists here, but intertwined systems, each rewriting the other in real time.”
Programmed at the heart of the evening, this new creation will be the glue that holds our newest triptych together. As with FURORE last year, FLOW brings together 3 different choreographers, a combination of unique ‘dance voices’ which together will highlight the individual talents of our 21 ‘young artists of tomorrow’.
Be prepared for the unexpected – it’s JBA as you haven’t seen them before!
© Alain Honorez, De-Da Productions