Clorinda Agonistes

Shobana Jeyasingh dance

Monteverdi | Jeyasingh | Roustom

Resistance. Resilience. Rebellion

Internationally celebrated Shobana Jeyasingh Dance presents this explosive union of opera, dance and film in a thrillingly inventive new production.

Inspired by Monteverdi’s masterpiece, Il Combattimento, in this visceral production the fiery Saracen female warrior Clorinda battles the Crusader Tancredi in ancient Jerusalem, ferociously defiant in the face of danger.  The second half brings us bang up to date, catapulting Clorinda into the 21st century as a woman still determined to tell her own story in her own way.

Bold and achingly beautiful, the epic story of Clorinda, exposes a world of violence and resilience across the boundaries of culture and time.

Monteverdi’s sublime score is paired with the celebrated Syrian-American composer Kareem Roustom’s highly evocative new music, played live by an on-stage string quartet. Both works unite one of the country’s most popular tenors, Ed Lyon, with the acclaimed Conductor Robert Hollingworth of I Fagiolini.

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance is one of the most dynamic and distinctive forces in UK dance. The Company’s vivid and powerful productions live long in the memory, applauded by audiences and critics alike across the globe.

‘Richly layered… These exceptional dancers create an electric charge – they leap, kick, roll into exhaustion.’

David Jays, The Guardian

‘Clorinda Agonistes is an intense and thought provoking work, skilfully bringing together attitudes bridging many centuries. It is moreover a multifaceted and stimulating work of art.’

Mark Aspen, Mark Aspen Reviews

Photo credits: Foteini Christofilopoulou