FOLIA

Folia, which is translated as “madness”, is a remarkable phenomenon in the history of music. This simple melody is terribly attractive. It gave inspiration to dozens of composers, from Lully, Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Grieg, Liszt and Rachmaninov to Vangelis and Michael Nyman. The magical folia is over 500 years old. And even though hip-hop is not yet 50, it already gained some experience and an army of fans, but it is still young at heart and has a large following. Both were born in the street as popular genres, so that both are freedom-loving, receptive, vigorous, and impossible to resist. They have much in common, but each retains its absolutely coherent nature and vivid individuality. The idea to blend them on stage seems like sheer madness – as is often the case with everything novel and unusual. We all know that in order to be regarded as crazy, one only has to act differently from everyone else. The renowned choreographer Mourad Merzouki and the respected expert on Baroque music, Franck-Emmanuel Comte, did take the risks. They gave the two street genres an opportunity to engage in lively dialogue. These two dissimilar worlds are talking to and following each other, they argue and change, giving birth to a brilliant and subtle show. The music of the Baroque and hip-hop dancing blend together, and rediscover themselves in the process.