Quintette cercle - Boris Charmatz

A performance with the subtitle “a fundamental, leaping, singing ballet,”  “Quintette cercle” is inspired by the figures and the strangeness of “héâtre-élévision,” a live version of a dance intended for the TV screen. This choreographic piece works in equal measure with movement and voice. The body is a vibratory instrument which brings forth grimacing and gesturing movements and emits sounds and onomatopoeias constructed on the basis of Galina Ustvolskaya's music. Everything in this piece speaks of the history of composition and of rhythmic powers in confined spaces. At first, the empty and dark space of the stage draws the viewer's gaze towards a small, three-wall box at the back of the stage where bodies are piled up. Then the space expands into a large airy metal cage, suspended from hooks, in which the dancers make and undo a singing circle around a central light bulb. The extract filmed in Vienna, accompanied by live music, shows this singing circle which is incessantly constructed and deconstructed in order to help develop gesturing individualities pervaded by Galina Ustvolskaya's score. The light, created by Yves Godin, participates in the rhythmic power: the luminous density, constantly changing, distorts even further the constructed arrangements and offers the viewer, through shadow and under-exposure, the possibility of an imaginary space.

Credits

Title : Quintette cercle
Year of creation : 2006
Place of creation: Bagouet studio at the Centre chorégraphique national in Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon as part of the festival Montpellier Danse 06
Choreography : Boris Charmatz
Light : Yves Godin
Sound : Olivier Renouf
Original interpreters : Nuno Bizarro, Boris Charmatz, Julia Cima, Mathilde Lapostelle, Benoît Lachambre
2nd casting : Nuno Bizarro ou Andreas Müller, Boris Charmatz, Anna Mac Rae, Latifa Laâbissi or Mette Ingvartsen, Fabrice Ramalingom
Technical direction : Frédéric Vannieuwenhuyse
Voice training : Dalila Khatir
Music : Henri Cowell (Anger Dance, Aeolian harp), Galina Ustvolskaya (Composition Dona nobis Pacem) and the dancers
Duration : 35 minutes

Production : Association edna ; Musée de la danse
Coproduction : Festival Montpellier Danse 2006, Festival d'Automne – Paris, Les Spectacles Vivants- Centre Pompidou – Paris. 
Thanks go to Julia Cima, Mathilde Lapostolle and Benoît Lachambre for their participation in creating these dance pieces, as well as to all the coproducers "héâtre-élévision".

Recording: January 18, 2008 at the Tanzquartier Vienna / Halle G.
With: Nuno Bizarro, Boris Charmatz, Latifa Laâbissi, Anna Mac Rae, Fabrice Ramalingom and the Vienna Ensemble: Flute / Sylvie Lacroix, piano / Mathilde Hoursiangou, tuba / Hannes Haider

More informations

Site de Boris Charmatz

Born in Chambéry (France), on January 3, 1973

After studying at the Ecole de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, Boris Charmatz was engaged by Régine Chopinot to dance Ana (1990) and Saint-Georges (1991). In 1992, he was asked by Odile Duboc to join her company Contrejour to dance 7 jours/7 villes (1992), Projet de la matière (1993) and Trois Boléros (1996). He also took part in the premiere of K de E, choreographed by Olivia Grandville and Xavier Marchand (1993).

In 1992, he co-founded edna association with Dimitri Chamblas. Following the premieres of works the pair choreographed together À bras-le-corps (1993) and Les Disparates (1994), Charmatz began creating his own works: Aatt enen tionon (1996), a vertical piece for three dancers, herses (une lente introduction) (1997), a piece for five dancers and a cellist set to music by Helmut Lachenmann. In 1999, he choreographed Con forts fleuve (1999), a group piece performed to texts by John Giorno and musics by Otomo Yoshihide. In 2002, he premiered héâtre-élévision, a provocative installation piece influenced by russian Matryoshka nesting dolls that was designed to be seen by one spectator at a time. In 2006, he premiered régi, a performance with Julia Cima, Raimund Hoghe and himself, as well as Quintette Cercle (2006), a live version of héâtre-élévision. La danseuse malade (2008) performed by Jeanne Balibar and Boris Charmatz, was inspired by the texts of Tatsumi Hijikata, founder of butoh dance. One of his latest works, 50 years of dance (2009), is performed by former dancers of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Conceived like a choreographic flip-book, it takes the book “Merce Cunningham, Fifty Years” by David Vaughan as its score. Roman Photo (2009) is the version for non-dancers, students and amateurs and Flip Book (2009) the one for professional dancers. Levée des conflits (2010) is a performance for 24 dancers and 25 mouvements. Associate artist of the 2011 Festival d'Avignon, Boris Charmatz creates at the Cour d'Honneur of the Pope's Palace enfant, a piece for 26 children, 9 dancers and 3 machines.

Since 1997, in collaboration with Angèle Le Grand, he developed varied projects within the association edna. The purpose of such propositions was to create a space open to multiple experiments: thematic sessions, production of films (Les Disparates by César Vayssié, Horace Benedict by Dimitri Chamblas and Aldo Lee, Une lente introduction by Boris Charmatz), Hors-série programmes proposed by the edna team (La chaise and Visitations by Julia Cima, Jachères by Vincent Dupont), production of installations (Programme court avec essorage), organisation of exhibitions (Complexe, Statuts), and trans-media projects (Ouvrée - artistes en alpages, Entraînements-série d'actions artistiques, Facultés, Education).

While maintaining an extensive touring schedule, he also participates in improvisational events on a regular basis (recently with Saul Williams, Archie Shepp and Han Bennink) and continues to pursue his performing career (with Odile Duboc for Projet de la Matière and Trois boléros, as part of the piece d'un Faune (éclats) by the Albrecht Knust Quartet and with Fanny de Chaillé for Underwear), to name a few.

From 2002 to 2004, while an artist-in-residence at the Centre national de la danse in Pantin and driven by the idea of exploring the theme of education in depth, he developped the Bocal project, a nomadic and ephemeral school that brought together students from different backgrounds. He was visiting professor at Berlin's Universität der Künste, where he contributed to the creation of a new dance curriculum which was installed in 2007.

He is the co-author of a book with Isabelle Launay: Entretenir / à propos d'une danse contemporaine (published jointly by the Centre National de la Danse and Les Presses du Réel) published in English in 2011 under the title undertraining / On A Contemporary Dance (Ed. Les Presses du Réel). Boris Charmatz is also the author of “Je suis une école” (2009, Ed. Les Prairies ordinaires) related to the adventure Bocal.

Director since 2009 of the Rennes and Britanny National Choreographic Centre, Boris Charmatz proposes to transform it into a Dancing Museum of a new kind. A manifesto is at the origin of this museum, which has received, amongst others, the projects préfiguration, expo zéro, rebutoh, service commandé (on commission), brouillon (rough draft), Jérôme Bel en 3 sec. 30 sec. 3 min. 30 min et 3 h., Petit Musée de la danse, « Rétrospective » par Xavier Le Roy and has travelled to Saint Nazaire, Singapore, Utrecht, Avignon and New York.

He creates the piece manger at the Ruhrtriennale in Germany on September 23rd, 2014, danse de nuit as part of the Built-Festival of Geneva in 2016, then 10 000 gestes in 2017 at the Volksbühne of Berlin.

Source : Boris Charmatz’s website

More information : 

http://www.borischarmatz.org/

At the bounds of the museum, place of conservation, dance, art of  movement, and choreographic center, place of production and residence, le Musée de la danse is a space to think, practice and expand the boundaries of the dance. If it's registered in Rennes, it's also a nomadic idea. Directed by the choreographer Boris Charmatz, this laboratory-institution explores the possibilities of crossing between exhibition, performative  gesture and articulation of a speech. Workshops, debates, shows, residencies of artists and researchers; offbeat proposals and fantasy collections are born directly from a reflection on what could be this playful and hybrid museum.

The  CCN of Rennes and Brittany, renamed the Museum of Dance by Boris  Charmatz, was directed by Gigi Caciuleanu until 1993, by Catherine  Diverrès and Bernardo Montet until 1996, then by Catherine Diverrès  alone until 2008. Since 2009, Boris Charmatz ensures his direction. From January 2019, the collective FAIR[E] will take over. The  collective is composed of Bouside Aït-Atmane, Iffra Dia, Johanna Faye, Céline Gallet, Linda Hayford, Saïdo Lehlouh, Marion Poupinet and Ousmane Sy.

The  Museum of Dance / National Choreographic Center of Rennes and Brittany  is an association subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and  Communication (DRAC Bretagne), the City of Rennes, the Regional Council  of Brittany and the County Council of Ille et-Vilaine.
The Dance Museum is part of the Association of National Choreographic Centers.

More information : www.museedeladanse.org