House Programme - 9.2
Asian Premiere
Two great Deaf artists, one exuberant Ode to Joy
Beethoven composed his Ninth Symphony when he was almost completely deaf. Deaf choreographer Cai Glover chooses to dance onstage without his hearing aid. What do our senses – or absence thereof – say about the way we experience the world? And above all, how do they guide us beyond our differences?
In 2016, Hélène Blackburn created 9, a landmark work in the Cas Public repertoire inspired by the journey of Cai Glover – then a Deaf dancer who had worked with the company for over ten years. Never a mere subject, Glover was a full-fledged player in a creative process grounded in mutual listening between dancer and choreographer. Together, Blackburn and Glover laid the foundation for a work in which inclusion is not decreed but lived in constant dialogue – a shared path towards the universal, culminating in a profound reflection on perception, language, and difference.
9.2 marks a new stage in this adventure, retaining the essence of 9 with a fresh look forged by experience, maturity, and an intimate understanding of the subject matter. Now co-choreographers, Glover and Blackburn revisit the scenic score with rigour and poetry, sculpting a space where sensory reference points become blurred, where light plays with perception, and where every movement becomes a megaphone.
In this physical and visceral re-reading, Beethoven's Ninth (re)embraces the contemporary vocabulary of Cas Public. 9.2 invites all audiences, young and old, to cross the boundaries of silence, to make absence an anchor point, and to recognise in each body, each journey, a potential language.
- Free Seating.
- The performance runs approximately 60 minutes without intermission.
- Registered participants are required to arrive and be seated at least 15 minutes before the scheduled programme start time. Seats will be held until the scheduled start time; any unoccupied seats at that time will be released to standby attendees.
- Please switch off mobile phones and any other sound and light emitting devices.
- Photography, audio, and video recording are not permitted during the performance.
- Eating and drinking are strictly prohibited during the performance.
- Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. HKPAX reserves the right to final decision regarding programme arrangements.
9.2 takes its inspiration and roots from 9, a Cas Public co-production with the Kopergietery de Gent in Belgium, created in 2016.
Artistic direction : Hélène Blackburn and Cai Glover
Choreography : Hélène Blackburn in collaboration with Cai Glover
Playwright : Johan De Smet
Music : Martin Tétreault
Lighting design : Emilie B-Beaulieu and Hélène Blackburn
Set design : Hélène Blackburn
Costumes : Michael Slack and Hélène Blackburn
Films : Kenneth Michiels
With the participation of children from the Rabot neighborhood in Ghent : Seymanur Kizilca, Evgeni Miroslavov, Chaz Keith Salfamones, Ramzi Serrai, Burhan Zambur
Performers at the Creation : Nicholas Bellefleur, Cai Glover, Robert Guy, Daphnée Laurendeau, Danny Morissette and soprano Jolien de Gendt
Cas Public
Founded in 1989 by choreographer Hélène Blackburn, Cas Public emphasises research in choreographic creation based on the renewal of aesthetics in contemporary dance.
Cas Public defines itself as a contemporary dance company dedicated to all audiences. Since 2001, the company has successfully ventured into shows for young audiences, with the aim of introducing the public to dance and contributing to its development.
Renowned for its spirited, high-performance dance, Cas Public's reputation has been built on the exceptional quality of its creations and an assiduous presence on national and international stages.
Cas Public
