The choreography of Corps de ballet is based entirely on classical ballet steps.
It begins as a glossary: the dancers execute all the classical ballet steps in alphabetical order. Each step belongs to a family of movements which combine in different variations. The dancers each execute a different version of the same step to visually deploy the internal structure of our classical ballet vocabulary.

Depending on the step the common point between the dancers’ movements may vary: the first step is an arabesque: all the dancers have one leg placed behind their bodies, but some of them do a jump, others a turn or a balance in this position. The second step is the assemblé, a jump with the feet together: all the dancers do a jump, but one leg may be in front, to the side or behind the body. This creates a complex unison pattern in which that which is in unison is constantly changing.

The first two sections are executed to the last movement of Schubert’s 4th Symphony. All the melodies have been taken out, meaning the accompaniment changes also, it no longer really accompanies. Instead it has become more prominent. A similar logic underlies the prologue, in which miscellaneous elements of the decor are juxtaposed: fields, sea, statues, balustrades, etc., no longer combining into the creation of a general illusion, they are presented as themselves, occupying the entire space, clearly distinct from one another. The dancers are wearing doublets typical of certain classical ballets. Large basting stitches are embroidered in gold, such that the internal structure of the garment becomes its own ornament.

The dancers continue with a phrase composed only of preparatory steps, transitional steps which allow them to execute other steps: the coiling plié which precedes a jump, or the sprung plié which precedes a pirouette. The dancers perform these movements as if they were really going to jump or turn, then interrupt themselves at the last second to initiate a new movement. This discrepancy between the intention and the action of the dancers is meant to render visible how they plan for and project the next movement.

The final sequence is composed only of specific pantomime movements from 19th century ballet. Contrary to traditional use, these movements are performed without interruption or articulations, creating a single continuous phrase. But little by little, movements with clear meanings stand out, making it impossible to fully see the movements as performed.

The movement phrase is saturated with meaning: you can see the dancers’ facial expressions, the movement of their hands and the multiplicity of feelings caused by the layering of elements in their overlapping movements - without them being attached to a particular opera, Rigoletto.This movement phrase is danced to the final scene of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Only the orchestral parts are played; as in the pantomime phase, the multiple, contradictory emotions of the dramatic stage emerge without imposing a narrative upon them.

Born in Paris in 1987, Noé Soulier studied at the National Ballet School of Canada and PARTS in Brussels. He received a master degree in philosophy at La Sorbonne University (Paris IV) and took part in Palais de Tokyo’s residency program: Le Pavillon.
 

In 2010, he won the first prize of the competition Danse Élargie, organized by Le Théâtre de la Ville in Paris and Le Musée de la Danse with the trio « Little Perceptions » in which he started an ongoing research on ways of defining movement. With the solo « Movement on Movement » (2013), he dissociates gestures from speech to question how they collaborate to create meaning.
 

In 2014, he explored the syntax of ballet vocabulary with « Corps de ballet » for the CCN – Ballet de Lorraine. In « Movement Materials » (2014) and « Removing » (2015), he develops further the research initiated with Little perceptions on the perception and interpretation of movement.
 

In October 2016, he publishes « Actions, mouvements et gestes », a choreographic research that takes the form of a book, with the press of the Centre national de la danse.

In July 2020, he has taken over the direction of the Centre national de danse contemporaine d’Angers (CNDC).
 

Source: CNDC Angers

www.cndc.fr

Since acquiring the CCN title in 1999, the Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet de Lorraine has dedicated itself to supporting contemporary choreographic creation. As of July 2011 the organization is under the general and artistic direction of Petter Jacobsson.
The CCN – Ballet de Lorraine and its company of 26 dancers is one of the most important companies working in Europe, performing contemporary creations while retaining and programming a rich and extensive repertory, spanning our modern history, made up of works by some of our generations most highly regarded choreographers.
The CCN functions as an art center and venue for multiple possibilities in the fields of research, experimentation and artistic creation. It is a platform open to many different disciplines, a space where the many visions of dance of today may meet. 

More information : http://ballet-de-lorraine.eu