A portrait of Badin got him to start taking an interest in his fate. The black man among the Swedish royalty, who was he?
It turned out that Badin, born "Coushi", was a star on the Swedish ballet scene and a diplomat in the queen's service. He was also a slave from the West Indies, a "gift" from Denmark to Sweden's Queen Lovisa Ulrika in the mid-18th century.
It's an incredible story, it's hard to beat. As a filmmaker, one wonders why we haven't told this story before, says Amir Chamdin.
A "fixed idea"
When he discovered that Badin belonged to the ballet elite, it became a "fixed idea" to put him on stage again.
I'm telling a story, but it's Pär Isberg who is the choreographer and creates the story with dance, says Amir Chamdin.
The work, which has its world premiere at the Royal Opera on Friday, October 18, is both a love triangle drama and a love drama. The performance depicts Badin's life in the Swedish court and as a dancer.
Badin came to the royal court as a child and grew up together with the queen's own children Gustav (III), Karl (XIII), Fredrik Adolf, and Princess Sofia Albertina. He was an experiment, an exotic element at the Swedish court, and was raised in the spirit of philosopher Rousseau.
There is evidence that he behaved badly, biting people's legs at the dinner table. But he may have actually behaved as expected, like a savage, says Pär Isberg.
Dimming down
The image that was projected onto Badin did not seem to match his inner self. "I got all these names when I came here, but none of them revealed who I was" he is said to have expressed.
Many can identify with this. You dim down in a new country, you're a survivor, you may play along sometimes because it's required. But who are you really? When do you stop playing a role and become yourself, says Amir Chamdin.
Guillaume Diop, étoile (principal dancer) at the Paris Opera, who portrays Badin, wants the story to reach the audience.
He's an interesting character and an important person in Swedish history, a slave who becomes famous, he says.
The secret and forbidden relationship between Badin and Sofia Albertina depicted in the performance is an important part of the story and choreography.
Even though there is no blood relation, they are brother and sister and cannot be together. It's beautiful, but also very sad, says Guillaume Diop.
"Gustavia – The Story of Sweden's Unknown Prince" has its premiere at the Royal Opera in Stockholm on October 18.
Amir Chamdin is responsible for direction and libretto (text in a musical work). He made a name for himself as the front figure of the hip-hop group Infinite Mass in the 90s. He is also a film director and was last featured with the film "Börje – the journey of a legend" about ice hockey player Börje Salming, and with "Cornelis", the film about Cornelis Vreeswijk.
Pär Isberg is responsible for the choreography. He was last featured at the Royal Opera with "The Nutcracker" and has a background as a principal dancer himself.
Guillaume Diop, who plays Badin, is an "étoile" at the Paris Opera since 2018 and is on loan from there. He was seen, among other things, at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris last summer. Badin is alternately portrayed by him and Brazilian João Felipe Santana.
Music by Franz Schubert, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, and the death metal band Opeth.
The costumes are designed by fashion designer Selam Fessahaye, set designer is Hollywood veteran Cinzia Lo Fazio, and lighting designer is Tobias Rylander.
