France
Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse
Originally Corps extrêmes manifests the desire, expressed by Rachid Ouramdane, to be “really focused on the fascination triggered by the wish to take-off, to drift, a state of weightlessness, a suspension...” Two emblematic accomplices who dedicate themselves to the practice of extreme sports – the French highliner Nathan Paulin and the Swiss climber Nina Caprez – are on stage, far from their habitual playgrounds, with eight acrobats.
SynopsisGifted for lightness, often circling, this extraordinary community of freedom lovers – of which the members incarnate in different ways the Icarus dream in today’s world – evolve between the sky and the earth; an impressive climbing wall at the back of the stage as a main press hold. A long rope crosses high above, the stage sometimes transforms into a huge screen, on which images are projected of magnificent natural landscapes – great vertigo – with Nathan Paulin and Nina Caprez in action. The voice-overs of these exceptional athletes also play a part, just like the voiceover of the flyer Airelle Caen; all of them providing personal accounts of their practice. Rather than giving in to the facile attraction of virtuosity, the piece endeavours to give rise to an existential - even metaphysical - dimension, flirting with the void. Simultaneously anchored in reality as well as heading for a dream world, both intimate and bigger than life, the performance sheds an artistic lighting on a far from the ordinary human experience.
Rachid Ouramdane
At the age of twelve, Rachid Ouramdane discovered dance through hip-hop. He also took intensive courses in classical and modern dance. In the early 1990s, he dropped out of his studies in biology to devote himself fulltime to dance and joined the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers. As a performer and choreographer, he has worked with Meg Stuart, Odile Duboc, Hervé Robbe, Alain Buffard, Christian Rizzo, Julie Nioche and Emmanuelle Huynh. Rachid Ouramdane's creations are often marked by the seal of testimony and intimate experience (refugee children, victims of torture or natural disasters, amateur athletes, etc.) from which he weaves a structured choreography. Rachid Ouramdane collaborates with circus artists (Compagnie XY), authors (Pascal Rambert, Sonia Chiambretto), visual artists (Nicolas Floch' and Mehdi Meddaci), and musicians (Jean-Baptiste Julien and Alexandre Meyer) for his own creations as well as for commissioned works and workshops. With an ambitious project based on diversity and hospitality, he has been director of Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse in Paris since April 2021.
Conception ｜Rachid Ouramdane
Music ｜ Jean-Baptiste Julien
Video ｜Jean-Camille Goimard
Lighting ｜ Stéphane Graillot
Costume ｜Camille Panin
Stage manager ｜ Sylvain Giraudeau
With ｜Joël Azou, Tamila De Naeyer, Clotaire Fouchereau, Xavier Mermod, Patricia Minder, Seppe Van Looveren, Maxime Seghers, Owen Winship, Antoine Cretinon, Camille Doumas
Production ｜Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse
Coproduction ｜CCN2 – Centre chorégraphique national de Grenoble, Bonlieu Scène nationale Annecy, Théâtre de la Ville – Paris, Festival Montpellier Danse 2021, L’Estive – Scène nationale de Foix et de l’Ariège, Le Bateau Feu – Scène nationale de Dunkerque, Le Carreau – Scène nationale de Forbach, MC2: Grenoble, Théâtre Molière – Sète, Scène nationale Archipel de Thau, Le Théâtre Scène nationale de Saint-Nazaire
Thanks to ｜Patricia Minder, Xavier Mermod, Guillaume Broust, Romain Cocheril
With the technical support of ｜ Espace Vertical and Music Plus Grenoble
With the support of ｜ MC93 – Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Since the Théâtre National Populaire was founded by Firmin Gémier in 1920, Chaillot has welcomed artists and audiences in a venue shaped by its architectural, historical and artistic dimensions, a theater that serves the wide diversity of creators and audiences. In 2000, Chaillot expanded its programming to include choreographic art and became, in 2008, the first National Theater “leading a project predominantly built around and from dance.” In 2016, it was named Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse. Decree enacting the statutes of the Théâtre national de Chaillot: “The mission of the Théâtre national de Chaillot is to further contemporary theatrical and choreographic works. It can present any show – French or foreign – from the classical and modern repertoire, create any new work conducive to the cultural values of the widest and most diverse audiences, and organize any cultural and artistic event contributing to the fulfilment of its mission.”
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