Bye

Set to Beethoven’s final piano sonata No 32 in C Minor this arresting and exploratory dance film was especially written for French ballet superstar, Sylvie Guillem CBE (Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote) and was performed two years before her retirement from the stage in 2015. Directed and choreographed by acclaimed Swedish choreographer, Mats Ek (Manager of Cullberg Ballet and The Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm) it is a poignant self-reflective solo exploring themes of femininity, aging, human connection, and belonging and has a powerful cinematic quality.

Imaginative and exploratory, the dance is performed in street clothes with rigorous precision by Ms.Guillem. Portraying a sense of urgency throughout, the piece encompasses both classical and contemporary ballet and the choreography is a fusion of these two dance forms. A striking rectangle of light forms a powerful backdrop on an otherwise bare stage.

Described by critics at the time as, “exuding a special aura yet blessed with the common touch” Ms Guillem is mesmerizing during her solo performance. “A virtuoso piece that straddles the line between ballet and modern dance,” the short twenty-two-minute ballet is as thought-provoking as it is compelling to watch.

A pertinent swansong for one of the greatest living dancers of a generation.