A choreographic extract remodelled by the group Arna, coordination Collectif Arna, coordination of the artistic and pedagogical project  Karine Girard as part of the “Danse en amateur et repertoire” programme 2020/2022. (a programme created to assist and promote amateur dancing).  Transmission by Sandra Savin in collaboration with Karine Girard

Presented on 18 June 2022, Maison de la danse in Lyon.

The piece when it was created 

Tragédie 

Firstly produced 23 July 2012 at the cloister of the Carmes in Avignon, during Festival d’Avignon

Choreography: Olivier Dubois 

Piece for eighteen performers: Benjamin Bertrand, Arnaud Boursain, Marie-Laure Caradec, Sylvain Decloitre, Marianne Descamps, Virginie Garcia, Karine Girard, Carole Gomes, Inès Hernández, Isabelle Kürzi, Sébastien Ledig, Filipe Lourenço, Thierry Micouin, Jorge Moré Calderón, Loren Palmer, Rafael Pardillo, Sébastien Perrault, Sandra Savin 

Music: François Caffenne

Original duration: 1h30

The group

After years of working together on shared projects, the members of Arna founded their collective in 2017. Today Arna brings together dancers from highly diverse backgrounds and professions. Over time, the group has bonded, forging relationships that help to nourish the rich movement practice of each member. Every month, the dancers meet to cultivate their choreographic and improvisational skills through research experimentation and cultural events. Their performances include a video project on improvisation in public space, and an original piece Après (2021), written in autumn, with the support of Sylvère Lamotte. For their first entry to the Amateur Dance and Repertoire programme, the dancers are delighted to work with Olivier Dubois’ majestic and powerful piece Tragédie.  

The project

Created in 2012, Oliver Dubois’ Tragédie is a major work of contemporary dance. Set to the hypnotic, percussive music of Dubois’ collaborator François Caffenne, this piece for 9 dancers, will be adapted for the 15 members of the group, who have all seen the piece performed on various occasions. Wonderfully excessive, Tragédie is a kind of contemporary rave, rock trance and tribal gathering, combined into one dazzling visual explosion. It is also a moment of pure exhalation in movement: marching, jumping, bounding, running… with images siding through the dark and the fascination of flesh. The piece's attraction lies in the way Dubois showcases questions of gender, diversity, identity and freedom. While the extract chosen does not contain nudity, the questions it raises still inform the dancers’ approach to Tragédie extended. 

Born in 1972, Olivier Dubois created his first solo “Under Cover” in 1999. In 2005, he performed the duet “Féroces” with Christine Corday for the Théâtre de l'Esplanade, St Etienne. The SACD (Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers) and the Avignon Festival invited him to compose a piece in 2006 in the context of “Vif du Sujet”, “Pour tout l'or du monde”.

In 2006 and 2007 he composed the first two parts of the Bdanse project: “En Sourdine” and “Peter Pan”. He has taught and led numerous workshops for companies and schools abroad. In June 2007 he was awarded the special jury prize by the Syndicat Professionnel de la Critique (Professional Critic's Union for theatre, music and dance), for his achievements as a performer and for “Pour tout l'or du monde”. He presented his new creation “Faune(s)” in 2008 at the Avignon Festival. At the ImpulsTanz Festival in 2008 in Vienna (Austria), he was awarded the Jardin d'Europe prize. In January 2009 he choreographed Offenbach's “La Périchole”, directed by Bérangère Jannelle at the Lille Opera.

He also held an exhibition in 2009, “L'interprète dévisagé”, at the Centre National de la Danse and in November 2009 he premièred “Révolution”, a piece for 14 female dancers set to variations on Ravel's Boléro. The Ballet Monte-Carlo commissioned a piece from him based on “Le Spectre de la Rose” for April 2010. He has performed for many choreographers and directors (Sasha Waltz, Nasser Martin-Gousset, Dominique Boivin, Jan Fabre, Emilio Calcagno, Charles Cré-Ange, Angelin Preljocaj, Karine Saporta, Elio Gervasi, Andy Degroat, Laura Simi...).

Sources : Biennale de la Danse press file ; the Company Olivier Dubois 's website

More information : sites.google.com/site/olivierduboiscod

Film director, Ivan Chaumeille, has worked with choreographer Dominique Brun a long time, most notably in the production of + One (2014), a creative documentary scheduled as part of the festival “Vidéodanse”, in the editing of which Rafaël Gubitsch participated; he filmed and edited two versions of Afternoon of a faun, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinski for the film Le Faune -un film ou la fabrique de l’archive. He also carried out interviews, and devised and formulated the ROM and video dimensions of the DVD (2007). He shot video sequences for the show Medea-Stimmen by Virginie Mirbeau, created at Festival Les Météores CNN du Havre (2008). With a background in philosophy, he produced a creative documentary entitled Avec François Châtelet, un voyage différentiel (2010) for the collection “À Contre-temps” in co-production with Groupe Galactica, Mosaïque films and Canal 15.

Amateur Dance and Repertory is a companion program to amateur practice beyond the dance class and the technical learning phase. Intended for groups of amateur dancers, it opens a space of sharing for those who wish to deepen a practice and a knowledge of the dance in relation to its history.

Laurent Barré
 Head of Research and Choreographic Directories
Anne-Christine Waibel
 Research Assistant and Choreographic Directories
 +33 (0)1 41 83 43 96
danse-amateur-repertoire@cnd.fr

Source: CN D

More information: https://www.cnd.fr/en/page/323-danse-en-amateur-et-repertoire-grant-programme