Serpentine and Sadler’s Wells partner to present Lenio Kaklea’s Fauve in Lilian Baylis Studio

Serpentine and Sadler’s Wells come together in a first partnership to present the UK premiere of Αγρίμι (Fauve), by leading Greek dancer, choreographer and writer Lenio Kaklea, in Lilian Baylis Studio on Thursday 31 October & Friday 1 November 2024.

In Αγρίμι (Fauve), Lenio Kaklea interrogates Westernised relationships with the natural world and draws on literary references to meticulously choreograph a ‘rewilding of the bodies’. Through on-stage dances, exercises and rituals, three performers including Kaklea explore the need to reclaim ‘wildness’, redefining what it means, away from traditionally limiting interpretations. Linking Kaklea’s choreography to the geographical, environmental and poetic richness of the forest, Αγρίμι (Fauve) positions dance as another wild zone to defend.

Lenio Kaklea said: “The title, Αγρίμι (Fauve), takes me back to the cultural history of this word that I often hear in Greek to mean a non-domesticated wild animal or an antisocial woman or girl. In my eyes, these free women refuse to see their destiny as being associated with the domestic (oikos). They are looking to blossom outside of the context of marriage, reproduction, and the home. Placing the word “fauve” at the heart of this creation allows me to link our perception of female sexuality to our relationship with the world of the wild. It’s my way of invoking an otherness to domestication.”

Bettina Korek, CEO, Serpentine and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director said: “We’re thrilled to present this new performance by Greek choreographer Lenio Kaklea co-commissioned by Serpentine to UK audiences for the first time. Αγρίμι (Fauve) is a visceral performance which questions significant and current themes of identity, relationship to nature and intimacy. Amplifying our live programme and placing dance at its centre, the programme fosters our mission of building new connections between artists and audiences. We couldn’t be prouder to collaborate with Sadler’s Wells, one of the world’s leading dance organisations for more than three centuries.”

Rob Jones, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artistic Director said: “We’re so excited to be working in patron-ship with Serpentine to present the work of Lenio Kaklea. This artist’s work feels like the perfect point of inquiry for our two institutions to meet and collaborate. We look forward to hosting them in October and to more fruitful collaborations in future.” 
 
Since 2009, Lenio Kaklea’s artistic practice uses a wide range of media including choreography, text and video and is informed by feminism and postcolonial critique. The research for Αγρίμι (Fauve) stems from literary references such as Nastassja Martin’s autobiographical narrative Croire aux fauves (In the Eye of the Wild), in which she describes her attack by a bear in the Siberian mountains, as well as Charles Stépanoff’s examination of the figure of the ‘empathic predator’ and the paradoxical relationships between hunting, protection and compassion. Jack Halberstam’s book Wild Things: The Disorder of Desire, in which the ‘wild’ is an unbounded and unpredictable space that offers opposition to modernity’s orderly impulses, also inspired Kaklea.

Αγρίμι (Fauve) was developed in Strasbourg at Pôle Sud – CDCN de Strasbourg before travelling to La Briqueterie – CDCN Val de Marne. It premiered in Brussels at Kunstenfestivaldesarts in May 2023 before touring to the Athens Epidaurus Festival and ImPulsTanz International Festival and DanceWEB Life Long Burning Network in summer 2023. Αγρίμι (Fauve) returned to France in late 2023 at ACTORAL Festival and later at CN D Pantin and Festival d’Automne. 

Lenio Kaklea’s Αγρίμι (Fauve) will be at Lilian Baylis Studio Thursday 31 October & Friday 1 November. Tickets from £17. Book at sadlerswells.com   

Lenio Kaklea, Αγρίμι (Fauve), image credit Maria Toultsa