Montpellier Danse: with Full Moon, Josef Nadj shared his dream of Africa

Joseph Nadj, The choreographer of Serbian origin presented his latest creation, Full Moonhas the Opera Comedy. Welcomed in residence at the Agora with the support of the BNP Paribas Foundation, the choreographer, in this piece co-produced by Montpellier Danse, continues his exploration of world cultures with a very beautiful work on the rites of black Africa.

A daydream with overflowing energy

A piece performed by 7 African dancers from his previous show, Omma. But where this piece offered a rather explosive show calling the spectator to open his mind to other cultures, Full Moon launches into another story. The world creation that we saw on the stage of the Opéra Comédie is similar to a kind of tale, daydreaming populated by fantastic creatures embodied in turn by Josepf Nadj himself.

A sorcerer’s mask on his head in the role of the voodoo puppeteer, precise and minimalist gesture, bathed in a simple cone of light, and by the dancers, some of whose gestures and animal cries compose a bestiary that is both dreamlike and disturbing.

The power of bodies and movements

If the subject lacks a little clarity, the choreography allows for a succession beautiful paintings bathed in twilight light, allowing Joseph Nadj to show the power of movements and bodiesthe raw force of the dances that make up the rites of many African countries from which the dancers come (Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo) while working towards the fusion of cultures, opening up the rites to contemporary dance until jazz.

In the tumult of Full Moon, the rites mingle to try to form another language, even if it means getting closer the limits of tranceThe overall movements are powerful, interspersed with slower passages, Joseph Nadj imposing his taste for breaks in rhythm… But the choreographer offers a mastered dance, perhaps a little too much, and manages to weave a link between traditional dances and contemporary dance and, in sequences, with urban dances.

The Opéra Comédie audience won over

Au final, energy that emerges from this piece quickly becomes communicative. Contagious even. And that is perhaps the most important thing. In Montpellier, as soon as the lights went out, the audience at the Opéra Comédie stood up, as if determined to join in the dance too. An audience that also greatly appreciated the very original release dancers. After a first encore, they returned to the stage, all wearing African masks… Then they slowly left the stage, greeting the audience, all won over to their cause.

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