Fascinated by the potential wealth of choreographic expression offered by the classical dance vocabulary, Jean Luc Ducourt endeavoured to dissect the characteristics of this technique in Works by 3/1, the quartet he premiered in 2008, while confronting it with the principles of abstraction found in contemporary dance. He continued this approach in 2009 with VéNus ReMix where dancer Maxime Bruys tackled the archetypal female figures found in classical ballet. While Venus (Aphrodite) obviously evokes Greco-Roman mythology, representing a feminine ideal who is said to have maintained her beauty through dance, it also refers to the dreamlike landscapes of Vénus, the poetic recitative by singer Alain Bashung permeating this piece.
After an absence of several years, the Franco-Belgian choreographer is connecting with the stage again and entrusting the expanded version of this solo to a new performer, Manon Kolanowski, who has just left the Polish National Ballet in Warsaw.
“Remix” – a ritual obsessed with the plastic nudity of steps that become intertwined and mirrored, wearing down this body’s space in a danced offering with serial musicality – “Vénus”.
Création 2024 / Objet chorégraphique de Jean Luc Ducourt avec la danseuse classique Manon Kolanowski / Musique : Vénus d'Alain Bashung / Texte : Vénus d’Armand Méliès et Gérard Manset / Production : Charleroi danse / Soutien : Kunstencentrum BUDA / Remerciements : Pierre Droulers, Véronique Descombe, Mosa School, Studio Yantra