Verklärte Nacht & Mycelium

The dancers of the Lyon Opera Ballet explore the complexity of human connections through two sublime works by leading contemporary choreographers: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Christos Papadopoulos.

A rare foray by Flemish choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker into the Romantic repertoire, Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) takes its title and dramatic flow from a youthful work by composer Arnold Schoenberg. Inspired by a poem by Richard Dehmel, in which a woman confesses to her lover that she carries another man’s child, the string sextet alternates between passionate and vulnerable expression. The choreography — premiered in 1995 — translates these tensions and emotions into movement through interactions among three performers.

While emotions drive the dynamics in this piece, other energies shape Mycelium, premiered in 2023 by Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos for the Lyon Opera Ballet. Guided by meticulous lighting and electronic music, the piece draws inspiration from mycelium — the fine, root-like filaments of a vast fungal network — to imagine a dance that transforms the way bodies interact and organize. Executed in micro-movements, subtle shifts of rhythm, and repetitive structures, the 20 dancers’ feet never leave the ground, yet seem connected by countless invisible threads.

Lyon Opera Ballet

Mycelium
Choreography: Christos Papadopoulos
Music: Coti-K.
Lighting Design: Eliza Alexandropoulou
Costumes: Angelos Mentis
With 20 dancers

Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)
Choreography: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Music: Arnold Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4, recording with Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Costumes: Rosas Rudy Sabounghi
Lighting: Luc Schaltin, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Musical Dramaturgy: Georges-Élie Octors

Ballet Masters: Amandine François, Marco Merenda, Raúl Serrano Núñez
Rehearsal Directors: Boštjan Antončič, Cynthia Loemij, Johanne Saunier, Clinton Stringer
With 3 performers

Production Lyon Opera Ballet