In(e) the light – EDF Group Foundation – Dances with the pen

The EDF Group Foundation inaugurates a new program, In the lightby opening part of its permanent collections to the public, combined with a series of dance shows. Nestled in rue Juliette Récamier in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, the Foundation welcomes recognized choreographers until January, including big names in dance such as Angelin Preljocaj, Carolyn Carlson, Mourad Merzouki, Maud le Pladec, Jann Gallois and emerging creators. Imagined by Agnès Chemana, In the light propose a dialogue between a collection whose key word is necessarily light and this indefinable form of energy specific to dance.

In the light – EDF Group Foundation

The interest of the Parisian Electricity Distribution Company, the ancestor of EDF, for painting and Art in general is not new. Even before the Second World War, artists were asked to imagine this new, invisible world, carried by light. A great art lover, Charles Malégarie, director of the Compagnie Parisienne, was at the origin of this project by extending this energy revolution to the world of plastic arts. Man Ray and Raoul Dufy with The Electricity Fairy (now exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in the city of Paris) were among the first to accept this challenge. This taste for the embodiment of energy in the visual arts has never wavered. This is how the Fondation EDF is now at the head of a unique collection. Alexandre Perra, his new general delegate, had the idea of share this collection with the public by taking advantage of the vacant period between two exhibitions. But to enrich this experience, he wanted to add an ambitious program dedicated to dance in line with the Foundation’s credo as Alexandre Perra recalls in the preamble: “ Support individual and collective emancipation to allow everyone to find their place in a more harmonious society… We are invited with Danse (s) la Lumière to get moving for a fairer and more inclusive society…”.

This is not a simple profession of faith. The Foundation has long woven close links with audiences far from the art world. This is why the afternoon performances of this program are reserved for the public coming from schools and associations supported by the Foundation. It is this dialectic that Alexandre Perra wishes to bring out. To do this, he calls on Agnès Chemana, former programming advisor at the Théâtre National de la danse de Chaillot, who was a pioneer in this approach of bringing together dance and the arts. “ Dominique Hervieu, who was in charge of dance in Chaillot, asked me in 2001 to take artists to spaces that are not dedicated to dance. Pretentiously, I told myself that Chaillot was the second theater in France and I knocked on the door of the first of the museums, the Louvre. Thus were born the Chaillot nomads at a time when there was no dancing in museums…”.

Flux by Raphaëlle Delaunay

Drawing on this experience and her address book, Agnès Chemana put together a luxurious program in record time. “ I thought of words that connect dance and light: it spoke of energy, movement, intensity, undulations, emancipation and knowledge. These words resonated with me and made me think of particular artists…”. Agnès Chemana therefore favored artists who are not too conceptual but have the ability to speak to everyone with demanding works. For this first edition we also needed some locomotives such as Mourad Merzouki, Angelin Preljocaj or Carolyn Carlson. But we will also be able to get to know young shoots and in particular Josette Baïz who, with her group Grenade, has been working for 40 years to bring out dancers whose path was not mapped out in advance.

It is a line of action totally in line with the philosophy of the EDF Foundation which, through this project, will confront creators with the associations it sponsors. The very rich program which alternates creations, extracts from shows or performances is added to dance conferences and practical workshops. Two committed evenings will see a DJ offer his performance for the benefit of an association he has chosen. Hip-hop, which has become an important style of contemporary dance, will heat up the Foundation with a battle… electro of course!