Ballet in two act's on Lev Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina and selected works of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's music. Original libretto by Teet Kask.

Lev Tolstoy's message to reader, audience and to performers.

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." – Romans 12:19

With developing the project attempt was/is not to recreate Tolstoy's novel on stage as such (Tolstoy is one of the greatest master with words and his novel by itself is complete, but using unique dance art to express, what Tolstoy kept between lines, this is where I see current interest) but rather, so to speak, go to under Anna Karenina's skin, to discover her from perspective of contemporary human being.

Focus is on Anna Karenina as character, who comes in to conflict, with her needs as woman and with expectation of society. Centuries old conflict between individual and inertly changing social expectancy. Spectators will follow woman, who is shaped by same social rules against, what she rebels. Anna believes that only way to protect her discovered love, with out what she looses her identity, with dignity is to take her life.

Anna in her desperation, can't continue as living dead, she use love as way out of misery. On end of both ways waits her death. Anna was emotionally dead in relation with Karenin - where was no love and with Vronsky she experienced love what was not accepted by society. Anna Karenina was not able to tolerate ignorance from society. Not compromising her love and protesting again society she takes her life.

Music for particular version of Anna Karenina is collage from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's works. Tchaikovsky leaved same time, when Tolstoy worked on Anna Karenina. Tchaikovsky's works are filled with the fragrances and pulsations of its time, what will give authenticity, depth, colour and uniqueness to interpretation of ballet version of Tolstoy's novel. Romantic works of Tchaikovsky, will contrast ideally with tragic story of Anna's character, who trough novel do not reaching to point, where she could enjoy peacefully romantic love.

90min. Premier 20. November 2015, Teatro di Milano, Milano, Italy

Music: György Ligeti  - String Quartet No. 2

Concept: Teet Kask

Choreography: Teet Kask

Dancers: Norwegian National Ballet 

Musician: Norwegian National Opera Orchestra

Duration: 13 min

Premier: May 2014, Norwegian National Opera, Oslo

Description

Main inspirational source for project is György Ligeti's String Quartet No. 2 and themes which led to compose this particular piece of music. Second string quartet will function also as a guide to develop structure and choreographic language.

Ligeti's music will be treated not as a basic, where dance have illustrational role, but as a “dancer” and a partner, shifting focus in plaiting like method creating conditional expression. 

Intention is to go under the skin of dancers and music. To discover territories, what are common to contemporary people and Ligeti musical composition. What are this sustainable human values, what will be touched and have a urge to be brought out. 

String Quartet No. 2 have in it strong presence of theme of melancholy, what in this musical work is symbolized with static sound mass, what gradually shifting rhythmic layers. The layers start together and gradually move out of sync with one another. Composer describes it as the effect, with what he was trying to achieve sensation of like house full of clocks all ticking at different times.

Melancholy is symbolizing here humans tragedy when we do not accept Will manifested in Creation – follow the laws of Nature. Otherwise man is forever doomed to searching, restlessness and skepticism – uncertainty. 

Project will research process of individual development of person,  who when sensing that time spent with loved ones is not in synchrony anymore (ex. because of death). 

Dreaming back in to past, where “clocks” did tick together. Making journeys to places on emotional landscape, where was painful to admit 'A rhythm' of time in relation to himself and others. 

Project is focusing on characters, who lives alone in 'a house full of clocks ticking away all the time.'  Experiencing inner restlessness, what leads to melancholy. Character who will travel in memory-timeline back and forward where wishful thinking, desires, dreams and fantasies mingle freely. 

Between amorous adventures where characters outward shyness may serve only to conceal perversity. Where the inner monologues are made up of their nostalgic longings and insatiable desires. Where they retrospectively re-live their lives, hard and soft, “like a machine that breaks down”, "melting of solids into air", “as clouds move across the sky” (a metaphor Ligeti uses), penetrated by shards of sunlight.

Premier: May 2014, The Norwegian National Opera, Oslo

One act ballet made for a Nina Ananiashvili's 30 Years on Stage Celebration with State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

Tampopo 

(a girl’s name in Japanese meaning ‘dandelion’)

One act ballet

Stage Director / Choreographer / Set - Teet Kask

Lighting - Margus Vaigur

The dandelion flower is a golden colour. Gold represents precious value. The rest of the plant is green, representing life, nutrition and rest.  The juice of the dandelion is white. White represents the righteousness. “dandelion” means “teeth of the lion.”  Nobody fools with a lion.

Dandelions bring no harm and are good not only to and for us. The rabbits and deer's eat them. The birds eat the seeds. The bees love them. Elemental balance restored to the earth where dandelions grow.

Dandelion seeds fly with the wind.

Dandelion seeds drop into the ground and come up again multiplied. 

While the dandelion “dies” over winter, it rises again because it is a perennial.

"Father Hunger" 

(w.o.r.k. in progress III)

To Let Go is not to stop caring,

It's recognizing I can't do it for someone else.

To Let Go is not to cut myself off,

It's realizing I can't control another.

To Let Go is not to fight powerlessness,

But to accept that the outcome is not always in my hands.

To Let Go is not to try to change or blame others,

It's to make the most of myself.

To Let Go is not to fear less, it's to love more.

Director-Choreographer: Teet Kask

Performed by Külli Roosna, Harriet Toompere/Kristo Viiding, Kiwa

Light Designe: Margus Vaigur

Sound Design and partial visuals: Kiwa

Costumes and stage design: Teet Kask

Producer: STÜ

Supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Cultural Heritage Department

Premiere on April 26th, 2011 at POT Festival.

"Joanna tentata" is contemporary dance performance, commissioned by prestige music and dance festival in North-Europe, Birgitta Festival. Event celebrated 80 years birthday of composer Eino Tamberg, who is one of the most important representatives of neoclassicism in Estonian music.

Director-choreographer Teet Kask used music from Tamberg 3 act ballet "Joanna tentata", what tells tale of a Mother Superior possessed by demons and the man who tries to save her.

It is a story about dogmas, exorcism and love, what is based on real event occurred in 17th century, with Ursuline nuns of the town of Loudun in France.

It is a love story about a man and a woman who wear church clothes, and whose religion does not allow them to love each other. The devils that possess these characters are the external manifestations of their repressed love.

Joanna role is performed by wonderful dancer Mareike Franz, who is guest artist with Pina Bausch Wuppertal Dance Theatre and Susanne Linke Company and exorcist priest Syrin by great pantomime actor Lihito Kamiya, who Studied physical theatre at International Theatre de Lecoq Paris, France.

Other participants:

Orchestra of Moscow Novaya Opera

Conductor - Eri Klas

Stage Designer - Kisa Kawakami

Costume Designer - Teet Kask

Lighting Designer - Margus Vaigur

Duration: 35min.

www.teetkask.com