During these last two years of pandemic, the choreographer Amélie Rajotte has developed her piece The disappearance of things without contact. Not only because of the pandemic situation, but also because of his purpose. “We talk about the hypothetical disappearance of nature. I’m interested in the processes of reconstruction, remembrance: how to keep memories alive, vanished textures, imaginary spaces…” To do this, she worked a lot on the “internal touch”, the one we imagine, in connection with memories.
However, recently, during the creative process, the bringing together of the bodies between the two interpreters was essential. “We needed this external, concrete contact. It awakens other sensations and brings a lot to the piece. When we got closer the first time in the studio, it was enjoyable! After two years of the pandemic, we weren’t used to touching each other anymore, we were like rust, when it’s such a human need! says M.me Add.
Body contact is one of the elements that characterize dance. From the creative process to the boards, we find it everywhere, in various forms. Two years after comparisons were discouraged or even banned, choreographers have changed their approach to the body. What has the pandemic changed to this fundamental element in dance? Will there be a before and an after, or is the “return to normal” just around the corner?
For Michèle Febvre, a practitioner and theoretician of dance in the field for more than 40 years, contact between performers remains necessary, even if the restrictions have opened up new choreographic paths. “The distance imposed for two years has given really interesting scenic proposals. It occupies the space differently, it creates complex trajectories. But the rapprochements make it possible to go even further”, expresses the one who danced alongside Louise Bédard, or even Paul-André Fortier.
Renowned choreographer Marco Goecke, who will present his version of the pas de deux Fire Bird by Stravinsky from April 6 to 9 at Danse Danse, also sees distance as a real opportunity to create differently. For its creation Do You Love Gershwin, he had to deal with a distance of 1.5 meters in each performer, throughout the piece. “It was a really interesting challenge,” he notes.
First contacts
The first contacts between dancers in the West date back to the 18and century, with the first pas de deux, a characteristic ballet duet. It is then during the XXand century that touch became more established, especially with contemporary dance, then called modern dance. “From there, we put a lot of emphasis on the relationships between dancers. The dance also sought to be more expressive, to explore more varied states of the body,” explains Michèle Febvre.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the rapprochements between performers reached their peak, particularly under the influence of contact improvisation, a form instituted by Steve Paxton in the United States. The dancers then learned to use their own weight and that of the other to create relationships and non-traditional lifts. It was at this time that Michèle Febvre started dancing for the Groupe Nouvelle Aire. “The contacts were very present, very busy. It was often skin to skin, she recalls. It was also the moment of sexual liberation, of flower power, and therefore a freer relationship with the body. We danced naked, we slid over each other, we hugged… We had no censorship. »
For Michèle Febvre, working conditions in the studio are essential for creating intimacy. “You need a friendly and aesthetic familiarity with the choreographer. Amélie Rajotte agrees: “The context is essential. We have to talk about consent, we have to explain the point. It’s very intimate, touch, and we don’t know the experience of our performers, so we have to prepare an environment of well-being and safety, “says the one who will unveil her show. The disappearance of things at the Agora de la danse from March 30 to April 2.
For Marco Goecke, the human must always remain at the heart of the contact. “Like a sculptor, I first imagine how the two performers can come together, then I guide them with empathy,” he explains.
Ethical issues are increasingly present in dance communities, adds Amélie Rajotte, “and that’s good! “Before, it was above all creation: I give myself as an interpreter whatever I have to do. But I believe that those days are over. There are delicate things that happen in the studio, between artists, and you really need mutual respect and knowing your limits,” she said after recalling a bad memory as a performer.
A vital need
“I hope that contact will remain an important element in dance, especially in a pas de deux like that of Fire Bird “Wishes Marco Goecke. Although the bringing together of bodies is not obligatory in dance, Mr. Goecke considers that it is important, in particular to touch… the public. For Michèle Febvre, “just like movement, contact can create contagion in the viewer”. Empathy is then created through the body: “We solicit the public, its sensory, muscular, imaginary memory, recalls Amélie Rajotte. Touch, contact, it’s part of the space and of the human who lives in community. It’s part of our behavior and the dance speaks of human behavior. »