CONVERGENCES, #6 entrances > Montpellier (F), Zagreb (HR), Berlin (D) 2006-2010
The research called #Number# was born around the issue of convergence. Almost every city is a result of convergence of people, rivers, roads, trade and commercial exchanges, banking, community, convergence of political decisions, etc. The audience also converges onto the stage space. It was first all about exploring the star-shaped convergence of 6 streets towards a confidential and pedestrian square in Montpellier, the Place St Roch (patron saint of the travelers!). These extended streets outside the city constituted 6 entry points from the countryside / industrial / commercial areas to make a walk to this square in the city centre. Where does the city start and end? A solitary time to walk, think and collect: perceptions, feelings, stories, found objects, words, people, gestures, desires, ideas… then restore this harvest on the square in the form of a choreographic palimpsest: an impromptu which works with the real and imaginary material of the place, testifies to the journey made by the footprints it has left, creates a scenography with the loot of the day, advances ideas on what marks/disturbs/grows in the city and also in the daily news.
Montpellier, September 30. 2006, during the QuARTiers libres festival, #Number# started solo from the Mosson flea market, at the terminus of tramway 1, and walked towards St Roch square, collecting spaghetti, caddie, various objects, clothing, a telephone number looking for cleaning hours… and built an hour of performance.
Montpellier Dance Festival, July 2008, this process is shared with improvisers (dancers, musicians, actors) invited by email in order to generate the convergence of 6 different performers each day during the 13 days of the festival, Place St Roch at 1pm. I gave them bus/tram tickets so that each walker could reach one of the 6 city entrances 2 or 3 hours before. About 40 people attended. 6 different flyers are made with 6 colors corresponding to 6 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese).
#Number# Saint Roch Square Meeting point everyday of the running Montpellier Dance festival from June 23. till July 5. at 1:00 pm 6 dancers, actors, musicians, improvisers arrive from 6 different places located all around the edge of the city converging in a straight line towards the crossing routes They will have left 2 hours before from these 6 districts: Mousson / St Jean de Védas / Sortie Ouest / Grammont / Le Crès / Agropolis
A solitary time to walk, think and collect: Thrown away objects, words, people, treasures, perceptions, feelings, stories, desires, ideas… … to occupy the square and share one hour improvisation Spontaneous composition – Tuning into others – Trials – Errors #Number#
Zagreb (Croatia), September 2008, the convergence principle is displayed outside and inside the Arts Pavillon of a square with 6 entrances, as a workshop with dancers during the Improspekcije festival organized by Zrinka Simicic and Sonja Pregrad.
Brussels, November 2008, #10 entrances: with the participants of the Urban Bodies workshop at the Brigittines theatre led by Pierre Droulers, #Number# invests in the Place Flagey market where 10 streets converge, with the only instruction of exploring the many variations of walking.
Skopje (Macedonia) 2009, #7 entrances: the not selected project written for the Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de la Méditerranée projected a performative parcours of a duet (performer + cameraman) during 7 days, on 7 different converging roads towards the Central Macedonia Square, and whose trajectories were oriented by 7 different historical or geographical influences (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Bulgarian, Greek, Albanian, Serbian).
Berlin, Germany, November 26. 2010, invited by Jeremy Wade organizing the Creature Feature #4 evening at Basso, an alternative venue in Berlin, a solo performance is the result of a 18 km whole day walk from Teufelsberg in Grünewald forest to the place on Köpenicker Straße 177, collecting perceptions, objects, behaviors, stories… in order to perform.
CONVERGENCES, #6 entrances > Montpellier (F), Zagreb (HR), Berlin (D) 2006-2010
The research called #Number# was born around the issue of convergence. Almost every city is a result of convergence of people, rivers, roads, trade and commercial exchanges, banking, community, convergence of political decisions, etc. The audience also converges onto the stage space.
It was first all about exploring the star-shaped convergence of 6 streets towards a confidential and pedestrian square in Montpellier, the Place St Roch (patron saint of the travelers!). These extended streets outside the city constituted 6 entry points from the countryside / industrial / commercial areas to make a walk to this square in the city centre. Where does the city start and end? A solitary time to walk, think and collect: perceptions, feelings, stories, found objects, words, people, gestures, desires, ideas… then restore this harvest on the square in the form of a choreographic palimpsest: an impromptu which works with the real and imaginary material of the place, testifies to the journey made by the footprints it has left, creates a scenography with the loot of the day, advances ideas on what marks/disturbs/grows in the city and also in the daily news.
Montpellier, September 30. 2006, during the QuARTiers libres festival, #Number# started solo from the Mosson flea market, at the terminus of tramway 1, and walked towards St Roch square, collecting spaghetti, caddie, various objects, clothing, a telephone number looking for cleaning hours… and built an hour of performance.
Montpellier Dance Festival, July 2008, this process is shared with improvisers (dancers, musicians, actors) invited by email in order to generate the convergence of 6 different performers each day during the 13 days of the festival, Place St Roch at 1pm. I gave them bus/tram tickets so that each walker could reach one of the 6 city entrances 2 or 3 hours before. About 40 people attended. 6 different flyers are made with 6 colors corresponding to 6 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese).
Saint Roch Square
Meeting point everyday of the running Montpellier Dance festival
from June 23. till July 5. at 1:00 pm
6 dancers, actors, musicians, improvisers arrive from
6 different places located all around the edge of the city
converging in a straight line towards the crossing routes
They will have left 2 hours before from these 6 districts:
Mousson / St Jean de Védas / Sortie Ouest / Grammont / Le Crès / Agropolis
A solitary time to walk, think and collect:
Thrown away objects, words, people, treasures,
perceptions, feelings, stories, desires, ideas…
… to occupy the square and share one hour improvisation
Spontaneous composition – Tuning into others – Trials – Errors
#Number#
Zagreb (Croatia), September 2008, the convergence principle is displayed outside and inside the Arts Pavillon of a square with 6 entrances, as a workshop with dancers during the Improspekcije festival organized by Zrinka Simicic and Sonja Pregrad.
Brussels, November 2008, #10 entrances: with the participants of the Urban Bodies workshop at the Brigittines theatre led by Pierre Droulers, #Number# invests in the Place Flagey market where 10 streets converge, with the only instruction of exploring the many variations of walking.
Skopje (Macedonia) 2009, #7 entrances: the not selected project written for the Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de la Méditerranée projected a performative parcours of a duet (performer + cameraman) during 7 days, on 7 different converging roads towards the Central Macedonia Square, and whose trajectories were oriented by 7 different historical or geographical influences (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Bulgarian, Greek, Albanian, Serbian).
Berlin, Germany, November 26. 2010, invited by Jeremy Wade organizing the Creature Feature #4 evening at Basso, an alternative venue in Berlin, a solo performance is the result of a 18 km whole day walk from Teufelsberg in Grünewald forest to the place on Köpenicker Straße 177, collecting perceptions, objects, behaviors, stories… in order to perform.