Still waters
Director : Picq, Charles
Choreographer(s) : Carlson, Carolyn (France)
Present in collection(s): Carolyn Carlson Company
Video producer : Charles Picq, Théâtre de la Ville, Paris
Still waters
Director : Picq, Charles
Choreographer(s) : Carlson, Carolyn (France)
Present in collection(s): Carolyn Carlson Company
Video producer : Charles Picq, Théâtre de la Ville, Paris
Still waters
And the world burst into this introspective dance with the reminder that man is maybe doomed, that tomorrow is a threat, and that the Earth could suffer so badly it will die. Tomorrow, the storm could surprise humanity in its wanderings. Tomorrow, there will be no more possibility of love, of encounters. This is why it’s so important to spark up a thousand little lights, and to nurture and protect them.
In this way, the choreographer, at the very same time as she evokes the risks of destruction, places her belief in the creation of the world. At the very same time as she fears the worst disasters, she re-invents speech at the heart of movement.
Carlson, Carolyn
California-born Carolyn Carlson defines herself first and foremost as a nomad. From San Francisco Bay to the University of Utah, from the Alwin Nikolais company in New York to Anne Béranger’s in France, from Paris Opera Ballet to Teatrodanza La Fenice in Venice, from the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris to Helsinki, from Ballet Cullberg to La Cartoucherie in Paris, from the Venice Biennale to Roubaix, Carlson is a tireless traveller, always seeking to develop and share her poetic universe.
She arrived in France in 1971 the beneficiary of Alwin Nikolais’s ideas about movement, composition and teaching. The following year, with Rituel pour un rêve mort, she wrote a poetic manifesto that defined an approach to her work that she has adhered to ever since: dance that is strongly oriented towards philosophy and spirituality. Carlson prefers the term ‘visual poetry’ to ‘choreography’ to describe her work. She creates works that express her poetic thoughts and a form of complete art within which movement occupies a special place.
For four decades, Carlson has had significant influence and success in many European countries. She played a key role in the birth of French and Italian contemporary dance through the GRTOP (theatre research group) at Paris Opera Ballet and Teatrodanza at La Fenice.
She has created over 100 pieces, a large number of which are landmarks in the history of dance, including Density 21.5, The Year of the Horse, Blue Lady, Steppe, Maa, Signes, Writings on Water and Inanna. In 2006, her work was rewarded with the first ever Golden Lion given to a choreographer by the Venice Biennale.
Nowadays, Carolyn Carlson is director of two organisations: the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson, an international centre for masterclasses, residencies and creating new works, which she founded in 1999 and the National Choreographic Centre Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais until December 2013, which produces and tours shows all over the world.
More information: en.carolyn-carlson.com
Picq, Charles
Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.
His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
- He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
- He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
- He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
- He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.
- He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.
His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.
He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).
Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon
Still waters
Choreography : Carolyn Carlson
Interpretation : Carolyn Carlson, Christophe Bleton, Isabelle Calleau, Geneviève Choukroun, Bernadette Donneux, Agnès Dravet, Colette Malye, Caterina Sagna, Lari Leong Sarm, Loïc Touzé, Tomeo Vergès, Tomas Olsen
Set design : Frédéric Robert, Euan Burnet-Smith
Original music : René Aubry, Serge Aubry, Jean Schwarz
Lights : John Davis
Production / Coproduction of the video work : Théâtre de la Ville de Paris
Dyptik Company
Roots of Diversity in Contemporary Dance
(LA)HORDE: RESIST TOGETHER
CHRISTIAN & FRANÇOIS BEN AÏM – VITAL MOMENTUM
Les Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis
LATITUDES CONTEMPORAINES
40 years of dance and music
[1930-1960]: Neoclassicism in Europe and the United States, entirely in tune with the times
Amala Dianor: dance to let people see
les ballets C de la B and the aesthetic of reality
When reality breaks in
Do you mean Folklores?
Presentation of how choreographers are revisiting Folklore in contemporary creations.
Dance in Quebec: Collectivities in motion
This Parcours introduces several extracts of works by contemporary Quebecois choreographers, situating them in an anthropological perspective.
Maison de la danse
Dance and music
The relationship between music and choreographic works varies throught dance history.
Why do I dance ?
Käfig, portrait of a company
Genesis of work
A dance show is created in multiples steps between the enunciation of an initial desire which launch the project and the first representation. This parcours presents diff
Contemporary Italian Dance : the 2000s
Panorama of contemporary dance practices in Italy during the 2000s.
Outdoor dances
Stage theater and studio are not the only places of work or performance of a choreographic piece. Sometimes dancers and choreographers dance outside.