French choreographer Emanuel Gat originally wanted to be a conductor, but eventually chose for dance. Following scores by Bach, Boulez and Puccini, among others, he dives into the world of the famous British pop duo Tears For Fears with LOVETRAIN2020. A stunning group of dancers pays tribute to the exuberance of the glorious 80s with its utopian power and epic groove. A group choreography to music from 40 years ago, yet it feels more contemporary than ever.
LOVETRAIN2020 reads like a contemporary musical and celebrates themes of connection, life and love, with the interaction between music and movement coming together perfectly. A feast for the senses!
Light-hearted but sophisticated
The group virtuosity in LOVETRAIN2020 consists of baroque costumes, striking chiaroscuro lighting and different colour layers and textures.The senses are visually saturated, perhaps even overwhelmed. Movements speed up, enthusiasm splashes off, colourful fabrics sway around, tulle and fleece spin on the energy of agile bodies.
Strong group moments alternate with duets, trios and even solos. There are moments of peace and quiet, where only the movement continues. The empathy of the dancers combined with their interplay, their precision and purity in performance evoke sympathy.
It makes you yearn to be part of what unfolds before your eyes on stage. It is a lot, it is playful and powerful and grabs you by the throat.
Tears for Fears
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the two founders were both born in 1961. They met in Bath, England when they were 13 years old. The band was formed in 1981 and originally Tears for Fears began as a newwave and newromantic pop group.
The group's name derives from primal therapy devised by Arthur Janov in which patients are encouraged to scream (their No 1 hit Shout, Shout, Let It All Out, refers to this), cry and hit with objects to express their feelings. Hence the name ‘Tears for Fears’.
In 1983, they released their debut album The Hurting, and many songs dealt with bad childhood experiences of both boys. But this album also largely reflected the malaise of teenagers under the Thatcher era and thus had a huge impact in the UK. In 1985, the second album Songs from the Big Chair was released. From this album came the successful singles Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels and I Believe.
The third album The Seeds of Love was released in 1989 and included the singles Sowing the Seeds of Love and the mega hit Woman in Chains, sung by Oleta Adams and featuring Phil Collins on drums.
This performance is shown thanks to Fonds Internationale Dans (FIND). Amare, Holland Dance Festival and Nederlands Dans Theater join forces in this fund with the aim of bringing high-profile international dance productions to the Netherlands and presenting them in Amare to profile The Hague as the dance city of the Netherlands.
Choreographer Emanuel Gat
After his military service, he attended the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel-Aviv. His first introduction to dance was at the age of 23 during a workshop led by Israeli choreographer Nir Ben Gal. A few months later, he joined the Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Company with whom he created two works and toured internationally. In 1994, he started working as an independent choreographer.
Gat developed a unique and personal approach to choreography through numerous projects, collaborations and creation processes. In doing so, he laid the foundation for his artistic vision and future oeuvre. He founded his own company Emanuel Gat Dance at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, where his first pieces for the company were created. He then settled in France and has since created a diverse repertoire of works.
Gat is regularly invited by companies and dance institutions for which he creates pieces: in France, he has worked with the Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet du Rhin, Ballet National de Marseille, Ballet de Lorraine and Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon.
He is also guest choreographer with prestigious international companies: Sydney Dance Company, Tanztheater Bremen, , Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Los Angeles Dance Project, Royal Swedish Ballet, Polish National Ballet, Vancouver Ballet British Columbia, Scottish Dance Theater and Staatsballett Berlin.Gat's work has been presented at most of the leading dance venues and festivals around the world over the past 25 years. In parallel with his choreographic work, Gat designs the lighting for all his works, making it an integral part of his creative process.
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Gat created LOVETRAIN2020, a work set to the music of Tears For Fears. The work premiered between two lockdowns, received overwhelming audience response and was awarded best dance piece of the year by the French syndicate of critics in theatre, music and dance.
