Crystal Pite: The Power of Dance's Impermanence
Few contemporary choreographers command as much respect and demand as the multi-award-winning Crystal Pite. The Canadian artist, who founded her company Kidd Pivot in Vancouver in 2002, has created visually stunning works for prestigious institutions including the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet. What distinguishes Pite's oeuvre is its profound humanity. Her choreography never treats dancers as mere bodies in motion; instead, it masterfully illuminates complex relationships and emotional nuances.
Tackling Contemporary Issues Through Movement
Pite fearlessly addresses pressing global concerns through her art. Her productions have explored refugee crises in Flight Pattern, environmental collapse in Figures in Extinction, and political power struggles in The Statement. She frequently incorporates text in innovative ways, pushing the boundaries of theatrical expression. Alongside intimate duets, Pite has developed a signature style involving large ensembles moving in powerful unison, creating awe-inspiring visual spectacles.
Landmark Production: Body & Soul (Part 1)
These diverse elements converge in Pite's upcoming work, Body & Soul (Part 1), which English National Ballet will perform at London's Sadler's Wells and Plymouth's Theatre Royal this spring. The piece originated from a series of stage directions delivered via voiceover, with the same text interpreted through different physical relationships—from intimate breakups to large-scale conflicts.
Career Highlights and Artistic Philosophy
Emergence (2009): Pite's first commission for a major ballet company, created for National Ballet of Canada. "It felt like entering a different planet," she recalls. "There's something thrilling and chilling about seeing a large group aligned in their task. It feels beautiful and dangerous."
Lost Action (2006): Pite's third production for Kidd Pivot, created while she was still performing. "I was thinking about dance's ephemerality—how it exists in a constant state of vanishing," she explains. "Dance leaves no artefacts. I believe this impermanence is precisely what gives it power."
Betroffenheit (2015): A collaboration with writer-performer Jonathon Young exploring trauma and loss. The German title refers to the shock following violent events when language fails. Though inspired by Young's personal tragedy, the work addresses universal questions of human suffering.
Flight Pattern (2017): Created for the Royal Ballet, this piece examines border experiences rather than specifically addressing the Syrian refugee crisis. "I always feel tiny facing enormous questions," Pite admits. "But in that stretch beyond comfort, there's creative spark. While outrage has its place, I find curiosity and love more generative approaches."
Figures in Extinction (2022): A collaboration with Simon McBurney's Complicité and Nederlands Dans Theater addressing the climate crisis. "We felt compelled to distill this colossal subject into something we could reckon with in theatre," Pite says. The first act features dancers embodying extinct species, creating elegies for lost flora and fauna.
The Creative Process: From Dread to Exhilaration
Despite her success, Pite confesses to moments of apprehension. "Sometimes approaching the studio, with 36 dancers waiting, fills me with dread," she reveals. "But once I'm there, face to face with these incredible humans, I feel completely exhilarated and hopeful. Dancers are extraordinary people."
Body & Soul (Part 1) runs at Sadler's Wells, London from 19 to 28 March, followed by performances at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 30 April to 2 May.
