La mécanique des anges

Choreography Thomas Guerry, Camille Rocailleux

Dance performance Aline Braz de Silva, Arnaud Cabias, Romie Esteves, Caroline Rose, Nicolas Martel, Clément Ducol, Christian Boissel, Olivia Scemana

“Uprooting, wandering, cohabitation, re-connection with our instincts, these are the central notions that we deal with in the work. In addition, we are interested in the rapport that we keep up with our own image, starting from the premise which states: by a mirroring effect, one’s self-image and the image of the other give rise to questions which step outside the strict artistic or narcissistic frame, and permit the enrichment of our connection with the world and with ourselves. Each performer takes part in both the musical dialogue and the choreographic dialogue.

The writing of our performances is a ‘four-handed’ affair. What connected us from the start of our work together was this idea that we shared fully, that there should not be musical writing on one side and choreography on the other, which would find its life and breath in the time and tempo of the other. Neither would the choreography dominate with the music serving as accompaniment. But that everything would advance, would be created in the same progression, in a ceaseless dialogue, each enquiring of the other, evolving in the same forward movement. The story line, as such, is kept as a kind of support. What really counts is the ‘echo’ which is inevitably produced by this process, by the interpretations of one and the other. Similarly, we expect our performers in their turn, with their own and unique being, to enrich (that is to say, modify) the given directions. In our auditions, we have up to now favoured talented younger people, like ourselves at the end of the day. This time, and we arrived at this quite naturally by the evolution of our own views, we wanted to take a closer look at old age, that ‘problem’ stage of life, and give it its own energy. In our third piece, even more than previously, we pay more attention to the use of the voice as a powerful vector of emotions, as well as the body, that of the dancer as much as that of the musician, bodily ‘states’, their presence in the world, their capacity to recount, to themselves alone, the sum of a narrative or a situation.

We have chosen not to perform in our new work so that we can ensure that we do not depart from the intentions which form the basis for our investigations:

-the meeting of periods, personalities, destinies, being involved in the present rather than the past or future of our characters

– their journey rather than their arrival point

– sensitive rather than cerebral

– letting go rather than absolute control

– the fantasy of the improbable rather than the authority of the logical

– the “sample” (as a selected part of the whole) of the individuals, their acts, in space and time, here and now, rather than the clearly-defined context

– telescoping of reason rather than coherence

– subtle evocation of recurring themes rather than ‘ready-prepared’ messages

– the fragility of one who ventures into unknown territory rather than pure, perfectly-controlled performance

– the intimate and unique emotional journey of each member of the audience rather than a linear story”

Thomas Guerry, Camille Rocailleux

Source : Maison de la Danse programme