On the weekend of 15–16 June 2024, the biennial Danse Élargie choreographic competition finally returned to the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, after years of renovation work. The competition began a month before with almost 400 applications, 20 of which were selected by the competition partners: Théâtre de la Ville, Boris Charmatz’s company Terrain, Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Cndc – Angers, directed by Noé Soulier, and La Comédie de Valence, CDN Drôme-Ardèche, directed by Marc Lainé.
The rules of the game? Simple: at least 3 dancers on stage, 10 minutes on the clock, with 10 French and 10 international choreographers, to keep everyone happy.
The programme presented a kaleidoscope of artistic forms: happenings, extracts from creations, condensed versions or works-in-progress.
The winners were chosen after a rigorous selection process by a panel of eminent artists, talented young dancers, experienced theatre technicians and a panel representing the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers. This process, conducted in a tumultuous French social and political climate, proved to be an ingenious platform for giving a voice to civil society. However, there is a certain irony: in this feast of cultural consumption, where twenty shows are gobbled up to retain only ten, then three, artistic digestion is guaranteed, but the final selection is bound to cause surprises and controversy.
Between you and me, let me share a confidence: nothing touches me more deeply than when choreographic art explores our world by dealing with subjects that resonate with us, themes with which we can all identify. With this in mind, allow me to present my four personal favourites, creations that have captivated me – and audiences – with their boldness and commitment.
My first prize: Tous les Français by Compagnie Arborescence, directed by Simon Roth. Imagine forty or so everyday superheroes from civil society, aged 5 to 78, who take to the stage. The mission of this choral piece? To transform political speeches into a crazy samba. Excerpts from interviews and speeches become a soundtrack where they react in a totally zany and refreshing way. Their offbeat gestures neutralise the heaviness of the speeches, like an antidote to the anxiety-inducing climate. These men and women, united in a collective choreography, remind us of what’s essential: bringing laughter and smiles back into our collective imagination. It’s hilarious, vibrant and necessary. No cash prize, but a huge vote of appreciation for this bold stand.
My second prize: A Very Eye by Belgian company Tumbleweed, performed by Angela Rabaglio and Micaël Florentz. This is choreographic magic at its purest: a unique concept that stretches out over time with hypnotic elegance. Imagine six performers knitting the space together, meeting, embracing, pushing each other away, and doing it again and again. Like a danced version of Groundhog Day, but much more poetic. All these patterns of repeated embrace take us back to the essence of the human encounter, reminding us how much we are social animals. This performance makes you want to see the full version, without pause or fast-forward.
My third prize: Gush is Great by artistic and cultural collective De l’impertinence unveils a tight formation of five performers from the same generation, lined up like modern warriors in search of meaning. Then, with total surprise and pure magic, they embark on a slow-motion journey, from the back of the stage to us in our seats, to a relaxing soundtrack of waves.
And then it’s time to unpack: from trouser pockets, bras and mouths, fetishes of our age overloaded with doubts and anxieties burst forth. A book, a newspaper, a beer can, a cigarette, a mobile phone, a plastic bag, a board game, a flower pot… you name it! These objects, symbols of our social, environmental and political dysfunction, are thrown around casually, as if to say ‘basta!’ The show is a bitingly ironic reminder that the responsibility for building a better world lies with all of us, individually. Gush is Great also won the second prize in the competition.
My fourth-equal prize: Beste Cantate by Juliette Chevalier of Compagnie La Drache, and L’Heure du Thé by Rebecca Journo of La Pieuvre. These two creations brilliantly integrate the dramaturgical and scenographic dimensions, and deserve a special mention.
