Extracts from the creation residency of the piece What is Left for us, initially created by the choreographer Jérémy Tran for the ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Originally scheduled from June 06 to 14, 2020 by the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the piece was canceled following the Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis.

The comfortable and sophisticated daily life of beautiful people in a beautiful place is suddenly destroyed by an event, completely unforeseen. In the ruins of their memory palace, the survivors of this wreck are adrift, in the shadows, until a new hope swells and makes them rise.

Behind the title of Jérémy Tran’s dance piece for Geneva lies a question, well known to the city where disasters are dealt with and humanitarian action is taken: what is left for us, after the traumas of capitulation, revolution, genocide or diaspora? Where will our drama end? In the memories of a paradise lost, religiously guarded in exile, or gathering dust on the derelict shelves of the memory palace?

Jérémy Tran’s has an unconventional relationship with dance. His filmmaker’s eye imagines a work in multiples, seamless. Bodies that move, finely wrought music, images that come alive, living pictures thatdelve deeply into the viewer’s unconscious. “I was never very interested in just doing dance.”

Jérémy Tran speaks of his inspiration in Tanztheater, from Pina Bausch to Peeping Tom. He raves about Cyril Teste’s adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg’s screenplays for the stage. He’s spent two months as an assistant to the master, Robert Wilson. The dance he imagines is made of large groups and lines. The 25 year old Frenchman expresses his “insolent desire to take risks” but knows the humility that comes with a collective effort: Sandrine Maisonneuve assists him with dance, Deborah Erin Parini with costume, Bruno de Lavenère is on sets, David Debrinayon lights and Valentin Hadjadj fills the memory palace with music.

Jérémy Tran speaks in images. Living images like Caravaggio’s torches on the Mount of Olives that turn Judas’ kiss into an explosion, scattering the apostles into darkness and denial. Dying images, like Gericault’smacabre pyramid of half-eaten, half-living flesh drifting into the blood-less sunset of uncertain hope. Images between two worlds, like the light breaking from Caspar David Friedrich’s wooden shutter that a young woman, seen from behind, has just pushed open.

What is left for us? The far-fetched but true lineage of Johann Paul von Westhoff, a virtuoso violinist from Sweden, who was heard by a youngJ.S. Bach in Weimar and never forgotten. The path that took Bach, fiftyyears later, to the court chapel in Dresden (where Von Westhoff had also served), bearing a B-Minor Mass in his hands.

What is left after the doubting and the searching in the dark? After the night of agony and the raft of the Medusa? Just a young woman’s hand, to let the light in. This is what Jérémy Tran proposes: a body begotten of the duty to remember and the need to forget, a universal act of memory, as eternal as hope or as evanescent as ecstasy.

His artistic and professional career was built through hybrid and multidisciplinary projects and collaborations, at the confluence of dance, performance, photography and video. Through creation, Jérémy Tran attempts to capture, amplify and transform the energy and presence of the body — based on choreographic and cinematographic research — in order to reveal its essences and instincts.

After starting classical dance at the age of 8, Jérémy Tran, student at the Conservatoire Régional de Lille, decided in 2009 to move towards contemporary dance. It is strong these years and the rewards obtained — triple gold medalist at the French National Confederation of Dance — he joined in 2010 the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon. In 2014, he obtained the National Superior Professional Dancer Diploma, the ADAMI scholarship and the Talent prodij trophy from the city of Lyon. He directed many short films, including Artificial Landscapes, gathering 140 people, which he presented in September 2014 at the International Lyon Dance Biennale, and Dissection of the 60secondsdance Denmark international festival.

In 2015 he was selected to participate as a videographer and performer at the Watermill Center Summer Program in New York and work under the direction of director Robert Wilson. He also choreographed the performance Lagune for 6 dancers and a marionnetist, in collaboration with the visual artist Denis Savary on the occasion of the centenary of the DADA.

In 2016, he obtained the Master 2 Development of International Artistic and Cultural Projects (with highest honors) from the Université Lumière Lyon 2, in which he wrote a dissertation on The participations of amateur artists in the creations of the world of dance: the impacts and issues related to these interpreters.

After having worked as a project monitoring officer at the Centre National de Lyon, he continued his training by integrating the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Project Management in Information Architecture and at the same time held the position of Project Manager/Administration in an art production office in Lyon.

In 2018, he created his company and became artistic director and freelance artist, specialized in dance and video production. He is also admitted for the oral exams of the selection contest for residents of the Académie de France in Rome - Villa Medici, which take place at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Today Jérémy Tran participates both as a professor, choreographer-director, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and CinéFabrique - National School of Cinema to deal with the articulation between choreographic and cinematographic language, and ardently pursues the design of new hybrid projects.

He devotes himself to creating a choreographic piece, What is left for us, that will be presented and performed in June 2020 by the Ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Elena Thomas began classical dance at the age of six, then became professional by integrating large training schools such as the National School of Dance of Marseille under the direction of Marie Claude Pietragalla and the National Superior Conservatory of Music and of Dance of Lyon.

Her career as a dancer-performer began at the age of 20 with the company Europadanse, under the direction of Jean Albert Cartier, before joining the Ballet National du Rhin in Mulhouse under the direction of Bertrand d'At.

In 2009 she joined the company Mov ’in Zaragoza (Spain), then three years later the Company Chameleon of Manchester (England). In 2013, she became an interpreter for the prestigious Company, National Dance Company Wales of Cardiff (United Kingdom).

Maurice Béjart, Lucinda Childs, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Alexander Ekman, Thierry Malandain, Itzik Galili, Roy Assaf, Marcos Morau, Elena Thomas had the chance to work with many renowned choreographers with very different choreographic languages ​​and artistic universes others. She was thus able to develop an excellent classic and contemporary technique, but also a great sense of interpretation.

She will be noticed by David Pountney, director of Opera, in his solo Profundis by Roy Assaf and will be part of his production Khovanshchina in Autumn 2017 as a solo dancer. She has also been named best dancer in Wales twice in a row.

During these five years of experience in the United Kingdom, Elena had the opportunity to teach her technique to amateurs and professionals of all ages during courses, internship and masterclass: primary schools, universities, associations, dance schools, juniors ballets, companies.

Back in France, she worked alongside David Llari as a dancer. Former dancer and assistant to Franck II Louise, David Llari gives him a new physical gesture and turned to the hip hop technique. She will become her assistant for the Pica project, the Minotaur and his muses (in collaboration with the Next section of the National Ballet of Marseille) presented to old charity during the Picasso exhibition in March and May 2018.

Today she works in the company of Amala Dianor with whom she has been touring for several months and is also part of the Gary Clarke Company based in England.

She became assistant dancer with Jérémy Tran as part of her choreographic creation What we are left with by the dancers of the Grand Théâtre de Genève and presented at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva in June 2020.

His artistic and professional career was built through hybrid and multidisciplinary projects and collaborations, at the confluence of dance, performance, photography and video. Through creation, Jérémy Tran attempts to capture, amplify and transform the energy and presence of the body — based on choreographic and cinematographic research — in order to reveal its essences and instincts.

After starting classical dance at the age of 8, Jérémy Tran, student at the Conservatoire Régional de Lille, decided in 2009 to move towards contemporary dance. It is strong these years and the rewards obtained — triple gold medalist at the French National Confederation of Dance — he joined in 2010 the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon. In 2014, he obtained the National Superior Professional Dancer Diploma, the ADAMI scholarship and the Talent prodij trophy from the city of Lyon. He directed many short films, including Artificial Landscapes, gathering 140 people, which he presented in September 2014 at the International Lyon Dance Biennale, and Dissection of the 60secondsdance Denmark international festival.

In 2015 he was selected to participate as a videographer and performer at the Watermill Center Summer Program in New York and work under the direction of director Robert Wilson. He also choreographed the performance Lagune for 6 dancers and a marionnetist, in collaboration with the visual artist Denis Savary on the occasion of the centenary of the DADA.

In 2016, he obtained the Master 2 Development of International Artistic and Cultural Projects (with highest honors) from the Université Lumière Lyon 2, in which he wrote a dissertation on The participations of amateur artists in the creations of the world of dance: the impacts and issues related to these interpreters.

After having worked as a project monitoring officer at the Centre National de Lyon, he continued his training by integrating the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Project Management in Information Architecture and at the same time held the position of Project Manager/Administration in an art production office in Lyon.

In 2018, he created his company and became artistic director and freelance artist, specialized in dance and video production. He is also admitted for the oral exams of the selection contest for residents of the Académie de France in Rome - Villa Medici, which take place at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Today Jérémy Tran participates both as a professor, choreographer-director, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and CinéFabrique - National School of Cinema to deal with the articulation between choreographic and cinematographic language, and ardently pursues the design of new hybrid projects.

He devotes himself to creating a choreographic piece, What is left for us, that will be presented and performed in June 2020 by the Ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Lyon, le 29 avril 2020

Chers spectateurs, Chers amis, 

J’ai le profond regret de vous annoncer l’annulation de ma pièce chorégraphique « Ce qu’il nous reste » conçue pour les 22 danseuses et danseurs du Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, initialement programmée du 06 au 14 juin 2020 au Bâtiment des Forces Motrices de Genève.

En cette période de basculement et de bouleversements inédits, je voulais avant tout avoir une pensée pour tous les personnels soignants qui luttent contre le Coronavirus COVID-19. Mes deux parents et certains de mes amis travaillent en milieu hospitalier. Je veux ici leur redire mon admiration, mon amour et ma fierté. Aussi je souhaite à tout un chacun la santé, ainsi qu’un confinement autant que faire se peut agréable.

Lorsque j’ai appris l’annulation de ma pièce « Ce qu’il nous reste » par le Grand Théâtre de Genève, c’est évidemment tout un monde qui s’est écroulé et un drame personnel qu’il m’a fallu accepter. Un monde composé de femmes et d’hommes qui ont oeuvré à la conception et la réalisation de la pièce, et dont les métiers sont tous en danger aujourd’hui. Trois années de travail, de vie, d’humanités.

Mes premiers remerciements s’adressent à mon équipe artistique. Alors même que je les contactais à l’âge de 24 ans pour leur proposer de m’accompagner dans cette folle aventure chorégraphique, chacun a pris le pari de me faire confiance et d’épouser mon univers, ses objectifs, ses exigences et doutes, afin de déployer et concrétiser la création d’un langage artistique commun. 

Aussi je remercie chaleureusement Bruno de Lavenère scénographe, David Debrinay designer lumière, Valentin Hadjadj compositeur, Deborah Erin Parini designer costume, Sandrine Maisonneuve assistante chorégraphique, Elena Thomas assistante danseuse. Travailler aux cotés de ces grands talents jusqu’à la dernière minute a été pour moi un véritable honneur et une chance inestimable. 

Je remercie les équipes techniques du Grand Théâtre de Genève et leurs associés, qui ont oeuvré sans relâche à la réalisation de ce projet. Leurs expertises et savoir-faire ont largement contribué à élever mon expérience de chorégraphe et de directeur artistique. J’ai appris grâce à eux. J’ai grandi avec eux. Egalement, j’adresse des remerciements particuliers à l’Usine de Tournefeuille et la Chapelle Sainte-Marie de la Compagnie La Baraka, qui nous ont accueilli en résidences de création.

Enfin, je remercie infiniment les 5500 spectateurs qui avaient réservé leurs billets pour venir assister aux 7 représentations entre le 06 et le 14 juin 2020. Savoir que nous aurions été si nombreux — et certainement plus encore — à partager et vivre l’expérience « Ce qu’il nous reste » me remplit de joie et me touche profondément. Merci pour vos nombreux messages de soutiens, qui sont autant de réconforts dans ce contexte brutal et incertain.

« Ce qu’il nous reste » allait être, à 27 ans, ma première création au sein d’une maison à rayonnement international. Une production d’une heure et quinze minutes que je souhaitais ambitieuse et pour laquelle le directeur Philippe Cohen me laissait carte blanche. Une chance inouïe et l’occasion pour moi de plonger au coeur de nos mémoires individuelles et collectives : qu’est-ce qu’il nous reste après le traumatisme d’une épidémie, d’un effondrement, d’une révolution, d’un génocide, d’une diaspora ? Où viendra s’ancrer le drame ? Que reste t-il de nos humanités ? 

Aussi, nous étions sur le point de vous proposer un voyage intense, imprévisible, déstabilisant, détonnant, insolent et contrasté, rendant les corps presque palpables et brouillant à plaisir les lignes de partage entre le réel et l’abstraction. Où le langage chorégraphique et cinématographique ne faisaient plus qu’un. Où la tension entre notre devoir de mémoire et notre besoin d’oublier faisait corps en un acte de mémoire universelle, éternel comme l’espoir ou évanescent comme l’extase.

Durant ces trois dernières années de création je ne vous cacherai pas l’effroi qui me gagnait souvent à l’idée de concevoir une pièce si proche du réel, si éclatante de résonances, si cruelle aussi. Mais aussi l’excitation de témoigner, analyser et distancier, à mon niveau et à travers mon regard, le monde dans lequel nous vivons et les dynamiques qu’il sous-tend. Aujourd’hui « Ce qu’il nous reste » semble être, plus que jamais, d’une actualité percutante.

Prendre la parole et faire acte de création est une démarche délicate et précieuse dont je mesure chaque jour l’impérieuse nécessité et l’importance vitale. Il y a urgence à faire Art et Culture pour tous et avec tous, dans des conditions décentes de réalisations et de productions ; grâce à la mise à disposition de moyens appropriés de la part des pouvoirs publics et de leurs pleines applications de la part des tutelles ; grâce aussi à l’intelligence collective. 

Pour ma part, je poursuivrai donc cette histoire et de nouvelles histoires, ici et ailleurs. Je continuerai à imaginer des expériences collectives avec toute ma force, ma passion, mon expertise et ma joie. Plus que jamais, je travaillerai pour l’hybridation des formes, la transversalité des disciplines, le développement des compétences pluridisciplinaires, la reconnaissances des nouveaux métiers artistiques d’aujourd’hui et de demain, et contre le dogmatisme de notre société de classes et de castes qui minent profondément le secteur de l’art, de la culture et plus généralement notre monde. La crise sanitaire que nous sommes en train de vivre aura eu le mérite de mettre pleinement à jour le meilleur de l’être humain, mais aussi ses aspects les plus cyniques et violents. Il me semble qu’aujourd’hui l’essentiel devrait pouvoir se résumer en un mot : solidarité. Puisse chacun l’embrasser entièrement.

Je continuerai à créer pour celles et ceux que l’on cherche à catégoriser, à enfermer par les mots et par les actes, à définir plutôt qu’à connaître, dont on cherche à normaliser, à conditionner, à encadrer les pratiques.

Jeunes créatrices, jeunes créateurs, levons-nous, fédérons-nous, organisons-nous et prenons la parole. L’heure est venue pour nous de penser de manière collective à nos pratiques, à nos métiers et à l’avenir ; pour innover, construire le monde de demain et avec lui de nouveaux « Mondes de l’art » (Howard  S. Becker).

Nous sommes les nouvelles forces d’espoirs : vivifiantes, novatrices, engagées, et terriblement libres. Libres !

Bien à vous, 

Jérémy Tran

Chorégraphe & Directeur artistique