A choreographic extract remodelled by the group Atelier contemporain Adultes, coordinator Juliette Vezat, as part of the “Danse en amateur et repertoire” programme 2023/2024 (a programme created to assist and promote amateur dancing).

Transmission Sylvie Berthomé, dance teacher, Alain Durandière, percussion teacher , Nicole Piazzon, contemporary dance teacher 

Presented on 15 June 2024, Le Manège de Reims.

The piece when it was created

En allant de l’ouest à l’est 

Firstly produced 9 April 1976 at the Maison de la culture de La Rochelle

Choreography: Susan Buirge

Work for one performer: Susan Buirge

Music: Music in Similar Motion de Philip Glass (with kind permission of the composer) 

Original duration: 18 minutes

At a Cloud Gathering

Firstly produced 9 March 2006 at the Toboggan de Décines 

Choreography: Susan Buirge

Work for 6 perfomers: Michel Barthôme, Sylvie Berthomé, Thierry Laffont, Nicole Piazzon, Young-Ho Nam, Régis Rasmus and the percussionist Jean-Paul Bernard 

Original music Jonathan Harvey, ordered by the Fondation Royaumont

Realisation and arrangement of the digital music  Gilbert Nouno 

Original duration: approximatively 32 minutes

The group

Atelier contemporain Adultes (La Roche-sur-Yon, Pays de la Loire)

The Contemporary Adults workshop, run by Juliette Vezat, was created in 2000 by choreographer Dominique Petit and Ludovic Potié. Twelve 3-hour workshops are held throughout the year, giving participants the time for warmups and to explore dance from a range of angles, in dialogue with other forms of art. Participants also regularly attend performances at the Roche-sur-Yon public theatre as a source of inspiration. The group is made up of around fifteen people of various ages, with a rich variety of different physical expressions and experiences. They will be accompanied by a percussionist.   

The project

The group has chosen to work on extracts from two pieces by Susan Buirge. The first,  En allant de l’ouest à l’est, created and performed by the choreographer in 1976, highlights her move away from the influence of Alwin Nikolais and towards increased abstraction. The second, At a Cloud Gathering, choreographed in 2006 for six dancers and a percussionist, to original music by Jonathan Harvey, draws inspiration from Tibetan ceremonies and culture. While the two works were created 30 years apart, they both stand out in the career of this exceptional artist and both must be accompanied by contemporary musicians. Sylvie Berthomé and Nicole Piazzon, dancers from Susan Buirge’s company, who have retained a close connection to her, passed on these works with respect for and understanding of her oeuvre and anaesthetic. This will also help to preserve her work from being lost to time, as sometimes happens to significant artists.  

Susan Buirge has danced since her childhood. She discovered modern dance while studying at Minnesota University, then going on to study at the Juilliard School in New York. From 1963 to 1967, she danced in the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theatre. From 1967 onwards, she has pursued her own path, refining her work, steering it towards the repetitive processes and diversifying her explorations. In 1970, she settled in France where she has developed a large part of her work, including Parcelle de Ciel (1985) which clinched her reputation. A conceptualist, she joined the abstract minimalist movements while also defending a sensual style of dance. In 1989, she travelled to discover and embrace other traditions (Ethiopia, Greece, Syria, Japan, Taiwan and India). 

The first resident choreographer at the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto (1992), she found in Japan a country conducive to her research into the relationship between traditional art and contemporary art, particularly for Le Cycle des Saisons (1994-1998), a masterful four-part work for seven Japanese contemporary dancers and an ensemble of Gagaku musicians. She refounded in France a company for which she choreographed Le jour d’avant (1999), followed by Le jour d’après (2000), L’œil de la forêt (2002), Soli (including 3 performances, 2005), A l’abri des vents and At a Cloud Gathering (2006). 

Her notebooks were published by the Editions Le bois d’Orion: En allant de l'ouest à l'est (1996), Dans l'espace des saisons (1998) and L’œil de la forêt (2002). Susan Buirge has always enjoyed a close relationship with contemporary music. 

Her friend Philip Glass composed for her the music for En allant de l’ouest à l’est (1976). She then commissioned musics from Ragnar Grippe for Lapse (1978), Restes (1979), Tamis (1980) and Des Sites (1983); from Jean-Yves Bosseur for Charge Alaire (1982, presented at the Aix-Les Milles aerodrome); from Luc Ferrari for Les yeux de Mathieu (1984, a film for La Sept); from Steve Lacy and his sextet for Artémis (1988, Grande Halle de la Villette); from Marian S. Kouzan for Grand Exil (1990); from Patrick Marcland for Le jour d’avant (1999) and Le jour d’après (2000), and from Jean-François Laporte (L’œil de la forêt, 2002). She also collaborated with Tomihisa Hida for an adaptation of Gagaku music for the four pieces of Le Cycle des Saisons (1994 to 1998).

La Production Rémoise – Romu DUCROS

Romuald Ducros’ love of photography is a family affair. He was first introduced to photography at a very early age by is father, who was a member of the Bièvre “Club Photo” (founded by André Face). Later it would become both his passion and his profession.  

In 2011, Romuald created Production Rémoise, which specialises in the production of film and photography. His work stands out for its artistic sensibility and creative approach, with each production being a unique work of art.   

His productions range from video capture for performances of dance, theatre, opera and contemporary music, to films touching on sensitive social issues, or celebrating the valuable work of local artisans.  

As an artist-creator, Romuald joined the Leica Akadémie France, while also working on artistic events and exhibitions.

https://www.laproductionremoise.fr/ 

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