Dancer Nacho Duato to Enchant in `Wings

By Seo Dong-shin

Staff Reporter

Nacho Duato, one of the most celebrated contemporary dancers and choreographers in the world, is back in South Korea. And dance fans hold your breath _ this time Duato is going to perform on stage himself during the entire running time of his latest piece ``Alas (Wings).''

It is hard to believe that the tall, short blonde-haired artistic director of the Madrid-based Compania Nacional de Danza is 50 years old, when one sees him gracefully speaking in a soft husky voice, with his stylish black-rimmed glasses.

``As a choreographer, it is even surprising for me that I am still dancing,'' laughed Duato in a press conference held at a Seoul hotel ahead of his upcoming performances, speaking in Spanish through a translator. ``I wish I could continue to remain on stage as a dancer.''

That would be a far too modest wish. In ``Alas (Wings),'' which was inspired by German director Wim Wenders' celebrated 1987 film ``Wings of Desire,'' Duato will perform for the entire 70 minutes of the show. He portrays Damiel, an angel who sheds immortality to become human. It is especially welcome news for his Korean fans, whose wish to see him perform in the 2004 piece ``Multiplicity'' was not fulfilled due to an injury.

In ``Alas (Wings),'' he will not only dance but also recite monologues _ which he describes as ``dancing with mouth'' _ thus integrating elements of theater into dance.

``I'll be speaking in a different language (than Korean), but viewers will feel the message with the dancers' body movements,'' Duato said. ``It's not about stage setting, or costumes, but the universal body expressions shared by human beings. The performance is based on the movie about solitude, love and death, which involves all human beings and suits my personality.''