A chaos of gestures, a panic of colors, a permanent fireworks display. Against the bright green backdrop of the Bagatelle stadium in Avignon, the choreographic workshop led by Boris Charmatz on Sunday, June 30, has all the makings of a pointillist tableau vivant whose vibrations will not stop for nearly three hours. With more than 200 participants, including 175 amateurs, aged 16 to 74, at full throttle, this joyful performance entitled Circles overflows with a contagious love of dance. Whether spectators observe the performers from afar, leaning on the Edouard-Daladier bridge overlooking the venue, or get up close, the visual energy flows continuously, like sweat wetting swimsuits.
With this participatory gathering, Boris Charmatz, director since 2022 of Tanztheater Wuppertal + Terrain, based in Wuppertal (Germany), artist accomplice of the 78e edition of the Avignon Festival, opens dance in a big way for everyone. This ” currently researching “ announced by the choreographer will be followed by the revival of his piece Liberty Cathedralfrom July 5 to 9, also on the lawn of the Bagatelle stadium on the island of Barthelasse, then by Forever. Immersion in “Café Müller” by Pina Bauschlasting seven hours, on show from July 14 to 21 at La FabricA.
Read the meeting (2023) | Article reserved for our subscribers With “Liberté Cathédrale”, the choreographer Boris Charmatz on a monumental register
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“Archaic and modern form”
Lasting a total of six days, three of which were open free to the public, Circles took on an impressive form already well established at the fifth working meeting. “You are the dance company of the Avignon Festivaldeclares Boris Charmatz into the microphone to encourage his ephemeral troupe. It’s a workshop. We’re taking risks, but it’s going to go well. » It’s still crazy hot at 6 p.m. and, after twenty-five minutes of dynamic warm-ups open to everyone under the guidance of professional performers – a real “educational hive”summarizes Charmatz –, the kick-off is given.
The circle is a “archaic and modern form”specifies the choreographer, who indicates the rounds of Pina Bausch, William Forsythe or Meg Stuart as sources of inspiration. Concretely, it is marked on the ground, in white in the center of the field. It circumscribes the space and frames the different sequences repeated and learned. Some “pros” have imagined loops of steps for the occasion. Starting with the proposal of Ashley Chen, who designed a section inspired “traditional and social dances from Botswana and Japan”he explains.
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