Lyon, France (DANCE)
The Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon brings together two repetitive movement choreographers: Lucinda Childs, with Dance, an iconic work first performed in 1979, and Alessandro Sciarroni, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, who presents HØPE, a new work inspired by a dance found in cowboy culture.
It is impossible to grow tired of watching Dance, an emblematic work of post-modern dance. Devised very much in complicity with composer Philip Glass and visual artist Sol LeWitt, it furthered the research carried out by Lucinda Childs after her collaboration with Bob Wilson on Einstein on the Beach. In it, the choreographer unfurls writing that is rigorous, abstract, and free from all forms of narration. The choreographic motifs are repeated and go out of synch in a subtle way, and at the same time the music and video multiply the different effects, giving rise to a hypnotic experience.
This dialogue at the crossroads between dance, musical composition and the visual arts is also an integral part of Alessandro Sciarroni’s work. After exploring various folklore dances from Folks to Save the Last Dance for Me, he now tackles the two-step, a dance with strict codes that is associated with cowboying. Drawing upon repetition and variation, he progressively alters its outlines, via the introduction of rhythmic and perceptive shifts. The experience gives rise to emotion of a unique kind, tinged with softness and nostalgia.