Heroes

Piece created by Emmanuelle Huynh in 2005 and danced by Nuno Bizarro, François Chaignaud, Corinne Garcia, Clémence Galliard, Ana Sofia Gonçalves, Johanna Korthals and Ayse Orhon

Heroes is first an affirmation, the conviction that each of us is possibly the true hero of his or her own life, sometimes masked, often only available on a part-time basis. Walter Benjamin said that the modern 20th century hero is in fact the ordinary man, the everyday guy who continues to be heroic in spite of constant changes in his life, some too subtle to be immediately visible.

I am interested in finding that place in each of us which is heroic, that helps us stand, that helps us stand up to things. This concept is a difficult one for the current generation which has somehow de-politicised itself, cut out the idea of a hero, out of cynicism, diffidence, even a powerful indifference.I often use the word “commitment” in rehearsal, asking for commitment in the voice, in their lives, in their bodies, and to the community.

I wanted to hear those amazing speeches, the words which would literally inspire others to move. To counter the seriousness of this process, we also backtracked into our childhoods where the giant, heroic figures we remember retain their magic and power. My own pleasure and conviction brought me to rockn’roll music which seems right for this work, the utopic force of it carrying us forward.

Onstage, a marine mountain (or perhaps a wall?) is there to accompany us, a souvenir of the epic adventures of the past – and those to come. I wanted to hear us shouting joyfully, calling out to as well as refusing to give in to whatever it is that wants us to submit, to join, to support or to accept something that is not right. Heroes is a way to say YES.

Source : Mùa website : http://emmanuellehuynh.fr/index.php/en/creations/101-heroes-en