Two is an energetic work featuring a female dancer imprisoned in a box of light, thereby symbolising Russell Maliphant’s fascination with the relationship between movement and light.

The dancer interpreting this powerful solo links up her movements in an extraordinary fusion between music, movement and light through to the end climax. 

The musical score was specially created for this ballet by Andy Cowton.

Two was commissioned by the London Dance Umbrella Festival.

Source : programme CCN - Ballet de Lorraine 2004 - 2005

Russell Maliphant trained at The Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet before leaving to pursue a career in independent dance. He danced with DV8, Michael Clark, Rosemary Butcher and Laurie Booth – with whom he was awarded a Time Out Live Award for ‘raising improvisational dance to new heights’. From 1991–1994 Maliphant studied anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, and qualified as a practitioner of the Rolf Method of Structural Integration (or Rolfing) in 1994. These studies inform both his teaching and choreographic work, along with a diverse range of body practices and techniques including classical ballet, contact improvisation, yoga, capoeira and tai chi. Since 1994 he has collaborated closely with lighting designer Michael Hulls, evolving a language where movement and light are intimately connected and the meeting point becomes a new language in itself. In 2010 he began to collaborate with the animator Jan Urbanowski, He formed Russell Maliphant Company in 1996 and has also worked with renowned companies and artists including Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage, Isaac Julian, BalletBoyz and Lyon Opera Ballet. At the end of that year he created « Broken Fall ».

Broken Fall was restaged in 2004 as part of the programme Rise and Fall, an evening comprising of three of Maliphant’s works. In 2005 Sylvie Guillem invited Maliphant to create an evening of work for them both, culminating in the duet « PUSH », which premiered at Sadler’s Wells. « PUSH » has since toured throughout the world and continues to do so. Its creation was followed by two artistically diverse collaborations: « Cast No Shadow » with visual artist Isaac Julien, and « Eonnagata », which was created and performed with theatre director Robert Lepage and Sylvie Guillem.

In 2009 Maliphant created part one of « Afterlight » for In the Spirit of Diaghilev, Sadler’s Wells’ celebration of Les Ballets Russes. Parts two and three of "Afterlight" followed and toured as a full evening together with part one. His next company work, "The Rodin Project", opened at Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris at the end of January 2012 before touring the UK, Europe and the USA and was adapted for film, in collaboration with the directors Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones, re-titled « Erebus ». In 2013 Maliphant created « Fallen » for the BalletBoyz, and three pieces for his own company in the new "Still Current" evening. Also in 2013 he choreographed commercials for Lexus, Audi and Spotify. In 2014 Maliphant choreographed « Spiral Pass » for Bayerisches Staatsballett and "Second Breath" for English National Ballet. "Conceal | Reveal" is a program created in 2016 in collaboration with creator light Michael Hulls, including "Broken Fall" and two new creations: a solo, "both, and", created for the ex-star dancer of the Royal Ballet Dana Fouras, and a quintet entitled "Piece No. 43". He created in 2016, with lighting designer Michael Hulls, the  program "Conceal | Reveal", including "Broken Fall" and two new pieces: a solo, "both, and", created for the ex-star dancer of the Royal Ballet Dana Fouras, and a quintet entitled "Piece No. 43".

Source : Maison de la Danse - show program 2016

More information : russellmaliphant.com

Since acquiring the CCN title in 1999, the Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet de Lorraine has dedicated itself to supporting contemporary choreographic creation. As of July 2011 the organization is under the general and artistic direction of Petter Jacobsson.
The CCN – Ballet de Lorraine and its company of 26 dancers is one of the most important companies working in Europe, performing contemporary creations while retaining and programming a rich and extensive repertory, spanning our modern history, made up of works by some of our generations most highly regarded choreographers.
The CCN functions as an art center and venue for multiple possibilities in the fields of research, experimentation and artistic creation. It is a platform open to many different disciplines, a space where the many visions of dance of today may meet. 

More information : http://ballet-de-lorraine.eu