Celebrated choreographer and magnificent dancer José Navas of Compagnie Flak brings his daring and authentic Personæ to the NAC Studio from March 8 to 10, 2012. Danced by Navas alone on a bare stage, the piece is a sublime fusion of movement, music, and space that seeks out connections between divinity and desire.

In ancient Latin, persona means mask. Today, it usually refers to the social masks that people assume to blend into society. It is the image projected, the impression individuals wish to create, and the characteristics of the social personality.

Created at Concertgebouw, Bruges in May of 2011, Navas’s Personæ draws its inspiration from the choreographer’s personal meditations on desire and divinity, presence and absence, and how they intersect and merge. Out of this reflection emerged six characters or persona, each of which receives its own distinct solo. Each persona explores a unique way of understanding a connection between ‘desire’ and the ‘divine.” As the sometimes touching, sometimes-unsettling tableau unfolds, Navas remains constantly on stage, never breaking the spell to catch breath or change costume.

Born in Venezuela in 1965, Navas has been based in Quebec since 1991. He has proven himself a talented and charismatic soloist on the international scene, creating numerous audacious and striking group pieces. Navas is the founder and artistic director of Compagnie Flak and choreographer in residence for Ballet BC since the summer of 2010; his work has been presented in more than 25 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Abstraction, sobriety, intensity, and depth are the words that best characterize his current work.

Personæ is danced to music by Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Verdi, Vivaldi, Agustín Lara, and Patti Smith. The bare stage is transformed for each solo through the lighting design of Navas’ long-time collaborator Marc Parent, who has also worked with Théâtre Ubu, and is the resident lighting designer for the Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal.

“There are thus, in total, six perfect fusions of music and movement, of flesh and spirit. It is a self-portrait situated between earth and heaven, accompanied by tailored costumes which expose the dancer’s perfect physique.”
- La Presse, Montreal, January 2012

“José Navas, with his intimate and personally revealing show Personae at the Project, nearly stole the festival with his short interpretative personal dances…”
- The Irish Times, May 2011

Personæ
Choreographer and dancer: José Navas
Music: Antonio Vivaldi, Agustin Lara, Giuseppe Verdi, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Patti Smith, Maurice Ravel
Lighting: Marc Parent 
Costume design: José Navas
Duration: 60 minutes

Note: partial nudity

Personæ performs in the NAC Studio from Thursday March 8 to Saturday March 10, 2012 at 8pm. Tickets are $29.06, and $16.03 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card).

Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices; to reserve your seats, call 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

Tickets are available for purchase:
• In person at the NAC Box Office
• At all Ticketmaster outlets
• By telephone from Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS)
• Online through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC’s website (www.nac-cna.ca)
• A service charge applies on all purchases made through Ticketmaster

This production is eligible for the Trinity Live Rush program. Full-time students aged 13-29 with a valid Live Rush membership may buy up to two tickets per performance at the discounted price of only $12 per ticket. Live Rush tickets are available from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the performance. This includes all available seats, including the best seats in the house. Check out liverush.ca for information on the Trinity Live Rush program.

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For more information, please call:
Eleri Evans
Marketing and Communications Officer, Dance
National Arts Centre
613-947-7000 ext. 379; e-mail: eleri.evans@nac-cna.ca
or visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca