Festspillene i Bergen: Emergence with Scottish Ballet

A modern classic by Crystal Pite and a brand-new work by Julia Cheng. Ballet with a bite. In Crystal Pite's Emergence the dancers move like swarming creatures in a dark universe. Classical ballet is blended with raw, insect-like movement, in a set design of beehives, with evocative electronic music. On stage, large groups of dancers move in razor-sharp choreography inspired by swarm intelligence and the behaviour of bees. The critically acclaimed Emergence (2009) was Crystal Pite's first commission for a large ballet company and her international breakthrough. Now Pite is staging the production anew with Scottish Ballet, Scotland's national dance company. The Glasgow-based company is over 55 years old and performs regularly throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The same programme includes the new work Entress by Julia Cheng, which is shown before the interval. Entress has its world premiere in autumn 2026 in Scotland. The British Cheng began in the ballet studio at the age of three, but later found her distinctive style in hip hop and waacking, a queer dance style from the 70s. The new work has original music, and in the performance the percussionist Beibei Wang plays live with the dancers.

• Beibei Wang
• Isobel Waller-Bridge