In Vidy-Lausanne, from June 6 to 8, contemporary dancer and choreographer Anna-Marija Adomaityte revisits the world of TikTok with seven teenage performers. The show “TikTok-Ready Choreographies” fascinates with its collective power.
A fixed, vertical shot of a few seconds. Just enough time to broadcast verse and chorus to dance his “chore” in front of the camera. And presto, the affair is announced on TikTok and we will see if it resonates beyond the circle of best friends. All the same, these millions of young girls who dance their little bit of glory on social networks? Are these choreographies identical to a backdrop of K-Pop, Beyoncé or Dua Lipa? At first glance yes. Except, as always, the reality is of course more complex.
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From screen to stage
When a contemporary dance choreographer discovers TikTok through her little cousins, it initially raises a big question mark over the phenomenon. Very quickly the desire to know more and to consider all these mini choreographies without condescension arises. “Some young people use it as a performative language and try to represent their body by deconstructing certain popular codes.” In one sentence, Anna-Marija Adomaityte, almost 30 years old and light years away from TikTok, transforms the much-feared application for parents into a crucible for a new aesthetic with liberating potential.
Not sure that the Chinese at ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, have thought of such an interpretation for their F1 of social networks. We remind you: 1.7 billion TikTok users worldwide. “Not knowing anything about TikTok, it seemed essential to me to work with people who master the codes and vocabulary,” adds the Lithuanian choreographer.
After her bachelor’s degree in dance at the Manufacture de Lausanne, Anna-Marija Adomaityte continued with a master’s degree in directing. Since then, she has contributed to the aura of the French-speaking contemporary dance scene with shows (“Workpiece” and “Pas de deux”) visible at today’s major international dance events. Classifieds, auditions and here on stage are seven young dancers aged 15 to 18. Most have no dance training, but all know TikTok by heart.
A manifesto of collective power
What does the fruit of this encounter between contemporary dance and that performed by adolescent girls show us? The forty-five minutes of show in the company of Mégane, Lou, Adriana, Edith, Louane, Charlotte and Alessia are not the compilation of their favorite “chorés” stuck end to end. “We can find that very easily ourselves by going to TikTok,” notes Anna-Marija Adomaityte.
The seven performers form a ballet of superheroines, perfectly mastered gestures and looks, precisely timed on a musical flying carpet which throws a few nods to TikTok, notably the sped-up, this fashion of accelerating the hits of the moment as much as possible. Young young dancers and so many individuals, each with their own style, their own body signature to which is added interactions, a community movement with interdependent and united energy.
In dance, we could of course say that it has existed since Lully and that we call it a ballet. But “TikTok-Ready Choreographies” goes further, transforming a highly egocentric and individualistic practice into a kind of manifesto of collective power. A fascinating tour de force.
Thierry Sartoretti/sc
“TikTok-Ready Choreographies”, directed by Anna-Marija Adomaityte, Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, June 6 to 8, 2024.
