The start of the school year is marked by the publication of awaited books, such as a very beautiful and invigorating comic strip surprise. A drawn history of dance signed by our colleague Laura Cappelle associated with the screenwriter and designer Thomas Gilbert. And as we had put aside other works received at the editorial office in recent months, here is an overview of the publications for the year 2024. The children’s edition having also been very rich, DALP will look at the latest news in a future article.
A DRAWED HISTORY OF DANCE DE LAURA CAPPELLE & THOMAS GILBERT
Published on September 6, 2024 by Editions du Seuil.
The authors – Sociologist of art, Laura Cappelle is an associate professor at Sorbonne Nouvelle University and a researcher at CERLIS. She led New history of dance in the West (2020). She writes about dance and theater for the New York Times and the Financial Times. Thomas Gilbert is a screenwriter and comic book artist. We owe him in particular at Dargaud Black light (2021) a four-handed album inspired by the world of contemporary dance.
Our opinion – The dance from Prehistory to the 21st century in comic strips, the project seems a little crazy even if it runs for 256 pages. How can we synthesize this wealth of information, not forget certain key figures, and set in motion periods for which there are mainly handwritten archives? So many obstacles skillfully overcome. To take their readers by the hand, the pair Laura Cappelle and Thomas Gilbert had the idea of another fictional pair Andréa and Camille who crosses the ages by experimenting with dance gestures. Astonishing red threads which humanize this erudite crossing of dancing centuries. Adaptation of the collective work Nouvelle histoire de la danse en Ouest published in 2020, this comic strip reveals itself absolutely fascinating. Full of details of which it is clear that a single reading is not enough to grasp everything, this book takes us on a journey into different aesthetics always connected to a social reality and rub shoulders with essential personalities. Ambitious, but fun and accessible, this Cartoon history of dance can be devoured like any successful editorial project whose work, elegance and precision are praised.
A drawn history of the dance of Laura Cappelle and Thomas Gilbert
CREATING BALLETS IN THE 21st CENTURY BY LAURA CAPPELLE
Published on May 23, 2024 by CNRS editions.
The author – Sociologist of art, Laura Cappelle is an associate professor at Sorbonne Nouvelle University and a researcher at CERLIS. She directed New History of Dance in the West (2020). She writes about dance and theater for the New York Times and the Financial Times.
Our opinion – The year is definitely busy for Laura Cappelle, between her comic strip mentioned above and this research book. From the long-term work that she undertook as part of her thesis, Laura Cappelle chose to draw a book where she asks essential questions about the creative process in classic repertory companies (today much less focused on the one and only figure of the choreographer) while illustrating them using concrete examples. This anchoring in a current reality makes this book certainly dense, but very important. For around ten years, the sociology researcher surveyed four of the most prestigious companies, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the English National Ballet and the New York City Ballet. A fantastic dive into prestigious institutions that question their classical identity in a very different way. From these immersions, she drew observations that raise essential questions for performers, choreographers and company directors. Like for example the stereotypes that permeate the repertoire, but it is far from being the only one. She also points out the lack of diversity, the underrepresentation of women choreographers, and the myth of the persistent demiurge choreographer. Despite everything, we perceive the vitality of classical dance, certainly subject to changes in society, but ready (many signals attest) to consent to them.
Creating ballets in the 21st century by Laura Cappelle
FRAMEWORK BY ANTOINE LE MENESTREL
Published on March 7, 2024 by Paulsen editions.
The author – Antoine Le Menestrel is today a dancer and choreographer of the company he created, Lézards Bleus. He lives in the Luberon, near the cliffs of his past exploits and his still vital encounters with the rock.
Our opinion – Of him, we have some images engraved in our memory such as his way of taming the facade of the main courtyard of the Palais des Papes to Inferno, staged by Romeo Castellucci at the 2008 Avignon Festival. What a fascinating journey this climbing prodigy has! From rock to concert halls, Antoine Le Menestrel tried to find his own balance and chart his own path in life. This guided him towards artistic creation already in the making in this unique way of approaching verticality. In this novel entitled Formulateas he describes himself, he reveals himself and each word, each fumbling is overwhelming. Now a choreographer and dancer with the Lézards bleus company, he creates dance-climbing shows. Of those with whom he associates climbers with disabilities, he casts a modest veil and does not speak in this book. See you next time…
Formulate by Antoine le Menestrel
WHAT MAKES THE STARS SHINE BY AURÉLIEN BENOILID & MAUD NISAND
Published on February 14, 2024 by Flammarion editions.
The authors – Specialized in civil and criminal law, Maud Nisand is a lawyer at the Strasbourg bar. She has always had a passion for dance which she practices assiduously. President of the European Bioethics Forum and neurologist, Aurélien Benoilid published in 2019, an essay entitled No, it’s not just in your head!where he denounces brutal medicine, which is practiced in denial of the psychic part of the human being.
Our opinion – A couple for twenty years, the two authors, who are writing their first novel here, have chosen the Palais Garnier as a backdrop to their work which builds bridges between two eras, the 1940s and today. This family wisdom sequenced in four chapters, each bearing the name of a famous opera or ballet, interweaves the journeys and dwells on the complexity of family ties. A story carried by an obvious romantic breath, it contains surprises, in particular this dedication that we had not anticipated.
What makes the stars shine by Aurélien Benoilid and Maud Nisand
FRED ASTAIRE, THE DANCING DANDY BY FANNY BEURÉ & JULES SANDREAU
Published on January 10, 2024 by Sorbonne Université presses.
The authors – Fanny Beuré is a lecturer in film studies at the University of Lorraine. She is notably the author of That’s Entertainment! Music, dance and performances in the classic Hollywood musicalpublished at Sorbonne Université Presses in 2019. Jules Sandeau is a doctor in cinema studies and teaches at the University Paul Valéry Montpellier 3. He notably published the book The Unsinkable Kate : Katharine Hepburn et son public (PUB, 2022).
Our opinion – Attention all fans of the legendary elegance, grace and lightness of Fred Astaire! This book is made for you. It will help you unravel the unfathomable mystery of the crazy charisma of this dancing dandy, the particularity of his style. The one who always gave the impression of having fun while dancing had a horror of improvisation, and refined his choreographies down to the smallest detail. The two authors also endeavor to highlight how Frederick Austerlitz embodied a certain WASP masculinity. Dense work, full of references and anecdotesit remains accessible to all those nostalgic for this golden age of Hollywood musicals. Be careful, when you close this book, and even before, there is a risk of being seized by an insatiable desire to revisit the filmography of the man that an employee of a production company had summarized in a few unflattering words following ‘a bit of testing: “bad actor, slightly bald, can dance a little.” Read before discovering, we don’t yet know when, the biopic of the dancer in preparation.
Fred Astaire, the dancing dandy by Fanny Beuré and Jules Sandeau
AND ALSO…
MEDITATE WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC BY GAËLLE PITON & JEAN-JACQUES GRIOT
Published on September 12, 2024 by Éditions Eyrolles.
The authors – Gaëlle Piton is a sophrologist, meditation instructor and speaker. She specializes in supporting artists and created the TedX “Dance your life”. Jean-Jacques Griot is a musicologist and lecturer. In 2019, he founded the site www.ecouteclassique.com and collaborated with the Philharmonie de Paris and Radio-France.
Our opinion – For those who know the attachment of Gaëlle Piton in dance, we know that she never strays far from it. In this latest work, associated with Jean-Jacques Griot, musicologist, she suggests meditating with classical music, another way to ultimately get moving. An immersive approach that will appeal to everyone, but even more so to dancers who have such a special bond with music. Practical, this book helps us take full advantage of this experience and live it in the best possible conditions. Then, it’s up to everyone to choose which musician to undertake the trip with. The playlist offers sixteen. Of Philipp Glass has John Cageof Stravinsky has Tchaikovskywe are free to “become one” with the music and to open ourselves to the proposals of this well-matched pair.
Meditate with classical music by Gaëlle Piton and Jean-Jacques Griot
THE PRICE OF THE STAR BY FRANÇOIS ALU
Published on October 3, 2024 by Robert Laffont editions.
The author – François Alu was named principal dancer of the Paris Opera, after twelve years spent within the institution. Known for his unusual personality, he announced his departure from the Opera only a few months later to pursue a personal artistic career. After being a jury on the television show Dancing with the stars which made him known to the general public, he currently produces and performs his show Completely thrown away!. He also works in businesses.
Our opinion – Two years after deciding to leave the Paris Opera, François Alu releases an anticipated autobiography. A book in his image, punctuated with side steps, poetic digressions and life precepts which sometimes flirt a little with all-too-common personal development advice. There is no ad hominem settling of scores here (even if some take it a little for their rank), but rather an introspection, an exploration of these difficult years marked by a deep depression born from his thwarted hopes, from this nagging quest for ‘a Star title awarded by the public for a long time. “Adversity builds, it pushes us to question ourselves, to evolve, to lose ourselves and to find ourselves, to surpass ourselves to prove that we are better than what others think. Ultimately, the struggle, if not taken in the right place, leads nowhere except destruction“, he writes, without us really knowing if he comes away peaceful. Leaving the Opera may have been vital to him. What remains is the feeling of a huge missed opportunity, which for the moment neither talent nor ingenuity have succeeded in transforming into destiny. We begin to dream that the artist continues to lead the fight in the right place: the stage.
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The price of the star by François Alu
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