Michel Hallet-Eghayan

Forty years of  creation have not dulled Michel Hallet Eghayan’s  energy.  Born  in  1946,  and  originating  from  Lyon,  the  choreographer  who  co-founded  the  Maison  de  la  Danse,  developed  an  important  experience  as  an  author  doubled  with  a  profound  attachment to spreading art and dance into the City as a ferment and cement to social life. 1973, New York City…He  met  two  major  masters:  Margaret  Craske  and  Merce  Cunningham.  In  1975,  he  then  started  his  creation  cycle  at  the  Dance  Gallery  of   New  York  with “Premièrement.”

Back  to  his  hometown  in  1977,  he  founded  his  company as well as the School. This double creation was  proof   of   the  continuous  relationship  between  his  creative  and  educational  work,  which  would  only  strengthen  over  the  years.  Ever  since,  he  has  been the author of  almost 100 works, among which, some  like  “Retour  en  avant,”  “Orlando  Furioso”,  “L’île aux ruisseaux,” “Hommage à Kandinsky” are classics of  contemporary French dance.

Drawing  at  the  root  of   our  gestural  patrimony,  he  created his own language focusing on choreographic form and movement.Since 2000…He  got  involved  in  new  spaces  between  Arts  and  Science  with  paleoanthropologist  at  the  College  de  France, Pascal Picq, and astrophysicist Roland Bacon. This  double  work  linking  the  implicit  of   Art  to  the  explicit of  Science brought about danced performance-conferences  staging  together  scientists  and  artists,  but  also proper Art and Science choreographed pieces.He revisited the core of  the Company’s consequent repertoire with the 1983 piece “Retour en avant,” which was recreated to be the opening of  the 2008 Lyon  International  Danse  Biennale  and  gave  its  title  to  it.  This  work  went  on  with  “Giselle”  (1982), revisited in 2011 after a commission from the  Maison  de  la  Danse  in  Lyon,  as  well  as  with  “Le Chant de Karastan” created for the Avignon Festival in 1993 and recreated in 2015.

Concurrently  with  his  choreographic  work,  he  developed  a  new  artistic  form:  the  Composition  Vivante ® (Living Composition).The year of  his company’s 40th anniversary is his area, between roots and what’s to come…

Source: Hallet Eghayan Compagny