Classic Soul

In the organizer's words:

Dance by Dominique Dumais

to music by Nina Simone and Johann Sebastian Bach

World premiere on November 2, 2024

Age recommendation from 12 years

Bach made me dedicate my life to music.

Her songs such as "Feeling good" and "I put a spell on you" are well-known from films and television productions. The American jazz and soul singer Nina Simone (real name Eunice Kathleen Waymon) was born on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina. She grew up in a community with gospel and church music and discovered her enthusiasm for the piano as a child. She was particularly influenced by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. As soon as she became acquainted with his compositions, she wanted to become a concert pianist herself. At that time, in the middle of the 20th century, as a girl of African-American origin, she did not meet the requirements for studying classical music. Over time, however, she managed to gain a foothold as a singer and become more and more popular. Her songs are still known worldwide today and reflect her life story and her convictions. According to her own statements, Simone saw herself as a classical pianist throughout her career. She drew inspiration for her songs from Bach's compositions and occasionally included improvisations on Bach in her piano playing during performances of her songs. Looking back, she herself explains: "Bach made me dedicate my life to music."

In Classic Soul, Dominique Dumais devotes herself to this "musical affinity" between Simone and Bach, combining her choreography, Simone's songs and Bach's piano compositions to create an expressive dance production.