Skip to main content
Back to search
  • Add to playlist

A Bras le corps (2)

À bras le corps is the first duet created and performed by Boris Charmatz and Dimitri Chamblas. It represents the origin of the desire to set dance among the audience, rather than in front of them—a desire which will be instrumental in later pieces such as “Aatt enen tionon” and “herses (une lente introduction).” The dancing body is visible from different angles, and writing is conceptualized in a multidirectional space. This duet asserts the physicality of male bodies in close contact. In a rather intimate setting, playing on the proximity of the dancing bodies, the dance is explosive and captivating, demanding that the spectator find the necessary distance to take in the work. From the inception of the project, Boris Charmatz and Dimitri Chamblas hoped that this physicality would be of long duration. How is it possible that this duet could survive over the years, evolve and mature along with the aging bodies, and generate new artistic projects? This is what the two selected extracts intend to demonstrate by focusing on the same moment in the performance—one filmed in 1999 at the Archa Theatre in Prague, the other ten years later, on the occasion of the Preview of the Museum of Dance in Rennes. How do the bodies take charge of the writing of this duet across time and space? How is choreographic writing stabilized even while incorporating an impermanent, sensitive, and necessarily evolving dimension?


Source : Boris Charmatz


More information :

http://www.borischarmatz.org/

Charmatz, Boris

Born in Chambéry (France), on January 3, 1973

After studying at the Ecole de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, Boris Charmatz was engaged by Régine Chopinot to dance Ana (1990) and Saint-Georges (1991). In 1992, he was asked by Odile Duboc to join her company Contrejour to dance 7 jours/7 villes (1992), Projet de la matière (1993) and Trois Boléros (1996). He also took part in the premiere of K de E, choreographed by Olivia Grandville and Xavier Marchand (1993).

In 1992, he co-founded edna association with Dimitri Chamblas. Following the premieres of works the pair choreographed together À bras-le-corps (1993) and Les Disparates (1994), Charmatz began creating his own works: Aatt enen tionon (1996), a vertical piece for three dancers, herses (une lente introduction) (1997), a piece for five dancers and a cellist set to music by Helmut Lachenmann. In 1999, he choreographed Con forts fleuve (1999), a group piece performed to texts by John Giorno and musics by Otomo Yoshihide. In 2002, he premiered héâtre-élévision, a provocative installation piece influenced by russian Matryoshka nesting dolls that was designed to be seen by one spectator at a time. In 2006, he premiered régi, a performance with Julia Cima, Raimund Hoghe and himself, as well as Quintette Cercle (2006), a live version of héâtre-élévision. La danseuse malade (2008) performed by Jeanne Balibar and Boris Charmatz, was inspired by the texts of Tatsumi Hijikata, founder of butoh dance. One of his latest works, 50 years of dance (2009), is performed by former dancers of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Conceived like a choreographic flip-book, it takes the book “Merce Cunningham, Fifty Years” by David Vaughan as its score. Roman Photo (2009) is the version for non-dancers, students and amateurs and Flip Book (2009) the one for professional dancers. Levée des conflits (2010) is a performance for 24 dancers and 25 mouvements. Associate artist of the 2011 Festival d'Avignon, Boris Charmatz creates at the Cour d'Honneur of the Pope's Palace enfant, a piece for 26 children, 9 dancers and 3 machines.

Since 1997, in collaboration with Angèle Le Grand, he developed varied projects within the association edna. The purpose of such propositions was to create a space open to multiple experiments: thematic sessions, production of films (Les Disparates by César Vayssié, Horace Benedict by Dimitri Chamblas and Aldo Lee, Une lente introduction by Boris Charmatz), Hors-série programmes proposed by the edna team (La chaise and Visitations by Julia Cima, Jachères by Vincent Dupont), production of installations (Programme court avec essorage), organisation of exhibitions (Complexe, Statuts), and trans-media projects (Ouvrée - artistes en alpages, Entraînements-série d'actions artistiques, Facultés, Education).

While maintaining an extensive touring schedule, he also participates in improvisational events on a regular basis (recently with Saul Williams, Archie Shepp and Han Bennink) and continues to pursue his performing career (with Odile Duboc for Projet de la Matière and Trois boléros, as part of the piece d'un Faune (éclats) by the Albrecht Knust Quartet and with Fanny de Chaillé for Underwear), to name a few.

From 2002 to 2004, while an artist-in-residence at the Centre national de la danse in Pantin and driven by the idea of exploring the theme of education in depth, he developped the Bocal project, a nomadic and ephemeral school that brought together students from different backgrounds. He was visiting professor at Berlin's Universität der Künste, where he contributed to the creation of a new dance curriculum which was installed in 2007.

He is the co-author of a book with Isabelle Launay: Entretenir / à propos d'une danse contemporaine (published jointly by the Centre National de la Danse and Les Presses du Réel) published in English in 2011 under the title undertraining / On A Contemporary Dance (Ed. Les Presses du Réel). Boris Charmatz is also the author of “Je suis une école” (2009, Ed. Les Prairies ordinaires) related to the adventure Bocal.

Director since 2009 of the Rennes and Britanny National Choreographic Centre, Boris Charmatz proposes to transform it into a Dancing Museum of a new kind. A manifesto is at the origin of this museum, which has received, amongst others, the projects préfiguration, expo zéro, rebutoh, service commandé (on commission), brouillon (rough draft), Jérôme Bel en 3 sec. 30 sec. 3 min. 30 min et 3 h., Petit Musée de la danse, « Rétrospective » par Xavier Le Roy and has travelled to Saint Nazaire, Singapore, Utrecht, Avignon and New York.


He creates the piece manger at the Ruhrtriennale in Germany on September 23rd, 2014, danse de nuit as part of the Built-Festival of Geneva in 2016, then 10 000 gestes in 2017 at the Volksbühne of Berlin.


Source : Boris Charmatz’s website


More information : 

http://www.borischarmatz.org/

Musée de la danse

At the bounds of the museum, place of conservation, dance, art of  movement, and choreographic center, place of production and residence, le Musée de la danse is a space to think, practice and expand the boundaries of the dance. If it's registered in Rennes, it's also a nomadic idea. Directed by the choreographer Boris Charmatz, this laboratory-institution explores the possibilities of crossing between exhibition, performative  gesture and articulation of a speech. Workshops, debates, shows, residencies of artists and researchers; offbeat proposals and fantasy collections are born directly from a reflection on what could be this playful and hybrid museum.


The  CCN of Rennes and Brittany, renamed the Museum of Dance by Boris  Charmatz, was directed by Gigi Caciuleanu until 1993, by Catherine  Diverrès and Bernardo Montet until 1996, then by Catherine Diverrès  alone until 2008. Since 2009, Boris Charmatz ensures his direction. From January 2019, the collective FAIR[E] will take over. The  collective is composed of Bouside Aït-Atmane, Iffra Dia, Johanna Faye, Céline Gallet, Linda Hayford, Saïdo Lehlouh, Marion Poupinet and Ousmane Sy.


The  Museum of Dance / National Choreographic Center of Rennes and Brittany  is an association subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and  Communication (DRAC Bretagne), the City of Rennes, the Regional Council  of Brittany and the County Council of Ille et-Vilaine.
The Dance Museum is part of the Association of National Choreographic Centers.


More information : www.museedeladanse.org

A bras le corps

Choreography : Boris Charmatz, Dimitri Chamblas

Interpretation : Boris Charmatz, Dimitri Chamblas

Additionnal music : Paganini - Caprices n°1, 10 et 16

Lights : Renaud Lapperousaz

Production / Coproduction of the choreographic work : Association edna, Musée de la danse

Production / Coproduction of the video work : Fatima Rojas, CCNRB Rennes, Musée de la danse

Our videos suggestions
02:55

Céu Cinzento

Oliveira, Clébio (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:31

Panorama

Decouflé, Philippe (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:00

Taoub

Bory, Aurélien (France)

  • Add to playlist
06:27

Le vertige du papillon

Traore, Fatou (Belgium)

  • Add to playlist
03:03

Daral Shaga

  • Add to playlist
02:58

Shaker

Pinto, Inbal (Israel)

  • Add to playlist
02:24

Selon Désir

Foniadakis, Andonis (Switzerland)

  • Add to playlist
10:29

3 in passacaglia

Endo, Yasuyuki (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:05

Romeo and Juliet

Maillot, Jean-Christophe (Monaco)

  • Add to playlist
03:42

Daphnis et Chloé

Maillot, Jean-Christophe (Monaco)

  • Add to playlist
03:00

Murder Ballads

Peck, Justin (United States)

  • Add to playlist
23:04

Carnets de traversée, quais ouest

  • Add to playlist
11:50

A la renverse

Monnier, Mathilde (France)

  • Add to playlist
52:53

Hoppla !

De Keersmaeker, Anne Teresa (Belgium)

  • Add to playlist
24:26

Triton

Decouflé, Philippe (France)

  • Add to playlist
25:27

La trilogie de la chair

Brumachon, Claude (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:00

Cartes Blanches

Merzouki, Mourad (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:00

Gnawa

Duato, Nacho (France)

  • Add to playlist
07:20

Amelia

Lock, Édouard (Canada)

  • Add to playlist
24:23

Triton (audiodescription)

  • Add to playlist
Our themas suggestions

[1970-2018] Neoclassical developments: They spread worldwide, as well as having multiple repertoires and dialogues with contemporary dance.

In the 1970s, artists’ drive towards a new classic had been ongoing for more than a half century and several generations had already formed since the Russian Ballets. As the years went by, everyone defended or defends classical dance as innovative, unique, connected to the other arts and the preoccupations of its time.

Parcours

fr/en/

Contemporary Italian Dance : the 2000s

Panorama of contemporary dance practices in Italy during the 2000s.

Parcours

fr/en/

Arts of motion

Generally associated with circus arts, here is a Journey that will take you on a stroll through different artists from this world.

Parcours

fr/en/

Contemporary techniques

This Parcours questions the idea that contemporary dance has multiples techniques. Different shows car reveal or give an idea about the different modes of contemporary dancer’s formations.

Parcours

fr/en/

VAISON DANSES

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

The “Nouvelle Danse Française” of the 1980s

In France, at the beginning of the 1980s, a generation of young people took possession of the dancing body to sketch out  their unique take on the world. 

Parcours

fr/en/

The national choreographic centres

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

A Rite of Passage

Classical, telluric, shamanic, revolutionary? On May 29th, 1913, the first performance of Nijinski's "Rite of Spring" made such a scandal. This webdoc tells the story of this key work which inspired so many artists.

Webdoc

fr/en/

Käfig, portrait of a company

Webdoc

fr/en/

When reality breaks in

How does choreographic works are testimonies of the world? Does the contemporary artist is the product of an era, of its environment, of a culture?

Parcours

fr/en/

States of the body

Explanation of the term « State of the body » when it’s about dance.

Parcours

fr/en/

Ballet pushed to the edge

 Ballet’s evolution from its romantic form until néo-classicism.

Parcours

fr/en/

Dance in Quebec: Untamed Bodies

First part of the Parcours about dance in Quebec, these extracts present how bodies are being used in a very physical way.

Parcours

fr/en/

Genres and styles

Dance is a rather vast term, which covers a myriad of specificities. These depend on the culture of a country, on a period, on a place. This Journey proposes a visit through dance genres and styles.

Parcours

fr/en/
By accessing the website, you acknowledge and accept the use of cookies to assist you in your browsing.
You can block these cookies by modifying the security parameters of your browser or by clicking onthis link.
I accept Learn more