Red Bull Flying Bach: Breakdance + classical
We all love a good mash up of styles, right? Not too long ago we told you about a cool concerto that mixed the new and old in the form of things like an iPhone orchestra and now we’ve found something that goes even further. In the ultimate clash of cultures, Red Bull Flying Bach is fusing the unrestricted and explosive dance style of world champion breakdance crew, Flying Steps, with the elegant music of visionary 18th century composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. We found out more from Christoph Hagel, the Artistic Director of Red Bull Flying Bach:
How do you find classical music fans respond to Red Bull Flying Bach?
I think that the classical fans are impressed by the energy, by the acrobatic quality and especially by the authenticity of the dancers. And of course they like the unique way we combined this kind of dancing with this kind of music.
Why did you choose to team music from Bach with dancing from the Flying Steps?
After I saw different live shows and some videos of the Flying Steps, I started to think about what could be the right music. And I quickly thought that it have to be Bach, because it is not romantic and also not too smooth. It is kind of sharp and divided into different sections.
How do you find the breakdance style of Flying Steps complements the elegance of Bach’s music?
The style of Flying Steps bears the possibility to show very clear the different characters of the motives of Bach. And it has the potential to visualize the fugues – this is something that would not be possible with a classical ballet.
What do you say to people who think classical music is outdated?
What should I say to them?! It is obviously not true! If you take a look at current films for example, classical music plays a very strong part. It just depends on what you do with the music. And I think we transferred classical music in the spaces of street art.
Having been wowing crowds around the world, including a sold-out European tour and shows in Russia and Japan, Red Bull Flying Bach is heading to Australia for shows in Sydney and Melbourne in March. You can see tour dates on the Facebook event page and tickets are on sale now at www.redbull.com.au/flyingbach
