1984, a pivotal year.

French dance experiences unprecedented, constructive momentum under Brigitte Lefèvre’s founding work in the field. The map of the first National Choreographic Centres emerges; an essential work by Dominique Bagouet, Déserts d’amour, draws attention to the French choreographer of Montpellier. Jostling for position within the company he joined the previous year, Michel Kelemenis already tries his hand at choreography with 10 minutes d’écoute musicale, a work of fantasy addressed to his elders. With Angelin Preljocaj, who was reaching the end of his stay in Montpellier, he enters into a gesture for gesture sparing contest during which neither will yield the slightest supremacy to the other: Aventure coloniale, a duet created for the summer festival ignites the Théâtre de Paris, Rue Blanche, during the inauguration of the Théâtre Contemporain de la Danse, forerunner of the current Centre National de la Danse. The three works are connected by their compositional style, which was developed by Bagouet and is based on the writing of gestural modules set in a variant space.

Michel Kelemenis founds his company in 1987 and settles two years later in Marseille. From work to work, the intuition for a dance capable of expressing the world all by itself emerges. Difficult to classify but clearly recognizable, his work is identified by an organic and virtuoso dance that is nuanced rather than contrasting.

The choreographer who is invited to different ballet companies progressively considers his own structure as a research laboratory that delights in the confrontation with other bodies. La Danse de Mélina, among many other choreographic works, will win over dancers with classical training for example, whereas Image, in its double duet version, will even integrate pointe technique.

The accomplishment – conceptual and sensual at the same time – of the gestural language is nourished by exchanges between bodies trained differently, but it is also enriched by the transformation of existing elements.

With Reflet, Michel Kelemenis composes a palimpsest. The dances of the female quartet, Aphorismes géométriques, join the more recent dances for men inspired by the perfect sparkling of the salt-water lake of the Siwa oasis. The two sources recall this ongoing reflection between abstraction and incarnation, specific to the danced presence.

The performers of the programme have accompanied the choreographer for several years now. Their commitment and talent have inspired this singular evening during which a more than 30-year creative journey is depicted not without a smile

French dancer and choreographer born in Toulouse in 1960.

After training as a gymnast, Michel Kelemenis begins dancing in Marseille at the age of 17. In 1983, he performs in the Centre Chorégraphique National de Montpellier with Dominique Bagouet and choreographs his first works, among which Aventure coloniale with Angelin Preljocaj in 1984. He was awarded the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs prize in 1987, and founded Kelemenis & cie (Association Plaisir d’Offrir) in the same year. In 1991, he received the Leonardo da Vinci scholarship and Japan’s Uchida Shogakukin fund. His numerous works (more than 60, of which 40 for his company) are performed throughout the world.

In love with movement and dancers, with those exceptional moments when gesture topples a role, Michel Kelemenis structures his works around the search for a balance between abstraction and figuration.

For his personal style, which combines finesse and athletic performance, the choreographer is invited to work with the ballets of the Paris Opera, the Rhin Opera, the Opera du Nord, the Geneva Opera and the Ballet National de Marseille.

In 2000, he directed the lyric and choreographic drama, L’Atlantide, by Henri Tomasi for the Marseille Opera. He has since collaborated with the Festival d’Art Lyrique of Aix-en-Provence: in 2003, he put to movement 4 animalacrobats in Stravinsky’s Renard, directed by Klaus-Michaël Grüber and conducted by Pierre Boulez; in 2004, he assisted Luc Bondy for the chorus movements in Handel’s Hercules, conducted by William Christie.

Since 2008, he starts a reflexion about narration concept, with an approach of creation for young audience.

Through Franch Institute, he participates regularly with French cultural services abroad in Krakow, Kyoto, Johannesburg and Los Angeles, in India, Korea and China. These trips engender training projects, new productions and bilateral exchanges with foreign companies and artists employing various modes of expression.

Numerous programs are organized in higher education and professional training institutions (Coline, Ecole Nationale de Danse de Marseille, and especially with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon).

The 10th of december 2007, after 10 years of activity at the Studio/Kelemenis, the Conseil Municipal of Marseille votes in favor of the project Centre de danse en résidence conceived and initiated by the choreographer. Intituled KLAP Maison pour la danse, Construction begins in February 2010 with a completion date planned for spring of the following year.

Source : Kelemenis&cie

More information : http://www.kelemenis.fr/fr/

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc).
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr

Founded in 1987 by the dancer and choreographer Michel Kelemenis - Plaisir d’Offrir – the association supporting the activities of Kelemenis & cie settled in Marseilles in 1989. Since then, the company produces a new show each year that it presents in international tours. 

Signed by Michel Kelemenis, a repertoire of more than 60 works has been built up. The most prominent include the founding duo Plaisir d’Offrir (1987), the programme of farewell to Dominique Bagouet Clins de lune (1993), 3 poèmes inédits (2001), Besame mucho (2004), the fable for young audiences Henriette & Matisse (2010), the bloodthirsty tale for 8 dancers La Barbe bleue (2015) ...

In 1999, the company inaugurated the Studio/Kelemenis. Located in the 15th district of Marseille, its aim is to support creation. Shared and placed at the disposal of other professional dance companies, it ensures regular activity and a link with the district’s educational establishments. The result was the Educadanse programme.

The desire to support artists in the creative act underwent a new boom in 2006 at the first edition of the Question de danse festival.

The following year, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary and created a unique event Olé !, grouping artists, theatres and partners for 3 festive weeks. That same year, the city voted favourably for the project to construct a Residency dance centre (“KLAP -Centre de danse en residence”) initiated by Michel Kelemenis and supported by the company. 

An altruist, Michel Kelemenis involves his company in international cooperation projects. In 2006, Croisements, backed by the cultural department of the French Embassy in Beijing, linked Kelemenis & cie with the project of the director of the Beijing Modern Dance Company, thereby reconciling traditional culture and new freedom. In 2008, accompanied by the dancer Caroline Blanc, after 2 weeks of classes, the choreographer handed over a flagship work of the company, taking the title of Besame mucho (Kiss me much) to the 6 young dancers of the Moving into dance Mophatong dance company in Johannesburg.

On October 21st 2011, KLAP Maison pour la danse was inaugurated. Immediately, KLAP amplified the actions of Kelemenis & cie around creation, educational artistic sharing, and choreographic culture with the creation of 2 new festivals: +DE DANSE (2012) and Festiv’Anges, a dance festival for children and young people, starting in 2014.

The company expanded its repertoire and explored new areas: territorial irrigation (My Way - 2012) and outdoor irrigation (Zef ! - 2014), young public (Rock & Goal - 2016) and an overview of the repertoire (COLLECTOR - 2017). 

The COLLECTOR programme (created in 2017 for the company’s 30th anniversary) revives the duos and quartets from 1984 to 2017 and overviews the vast and varied repertoire of Kelemenis & cie. 

Source : Kelemenis&cie

More information : http://www.kelemenis.fr/fr/